Small Business Marketing Blog

Inbound Marketing: Why Keyword ‘Rank’ Shouldn’t be Your Goal

I sat in on a webinar recently by Hubspot, explaining keywords and how to use their keyword grader to determine the best keywords for your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy.

A lot of my recent projects have involved helping businesses determine the best keywords and SEO strategies and tactics. One of the things that was brought up in this webinar is ‘rank’ shouldn’t be your goal. Your goal is to get visits to your site and convert the visits to leads. A high rank in Google can lead to more visits but it isn’t a goal.  And it is better to focus on a keyword that is highly relevant than one that has high volume.

A keyword that is highly relevant  to your product or service offering will yield a higher number of conversions. And this is why:

Let’s say you choose a keyword that has high search volume and you spend a lot of time creating great content around that keyword and eventually start to rank in Google’s top 10.  If that keyword is not highly relevant to your product or service offering, your prospects will do one of two things:

1. Click on your site, and then leave because it’s not what they’re looking for, or
2. They won’t even click on your site at all.
Think about another scenario where you focus on a keyword that is highly relevant.  Even if it has a low monthly search volume if it is highly relevant to your product or service offering chances are the prospect will click on your site. 

Now the challenge is to convert this website visitor into a lead. This is achieved through:

1. Knowing the keywords your prospects are using
2. Understanding their challenges, frustrations, needs
3. Writing content that appropriate based on the above two points
4. Having a conversion tactic on the page
5. And making sure it is clear to visitor what they need to do next

Hopefully this blog article has helped you see that 'ranking' for a particular keyword is not a 'business' goal. And that focusing on relevancy and conversion strategies is what you need to do to acheive your business objectives.

Do you have any questions? Think you need to spend some more time on:

1. Choosing the right keywords for your business?
2. Content strategies?
3. Lead conversation strategies?
4. A complete website analysis?

If so, the first place to start is identifying the right keywords.

To find out how we can help, check out our Keyword / SEO Starter Package.

My Top Inbound Marketing Articles on Social Media Optimization

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is now an important factor in SEO. Will it be more important than SEO, will Facebook take over Google as the king of searches? 

The technology behind social media is evolving quickly and all I can say is it's a full time job keeping up. To make your life a little easier Im going to provide quick list of top articles Ive found on a hot topic - SMO and the social media giant, Facebook and how they're changing search.

This article; How To Use Social Media to Rank on Google is a good read and gives some good examples and links to tools to help you understand how to use social media for your SEO.

What Facebook's Announcements mean for SmallBiz
At the recent Facebook developer conference, the social media giant announced a number of major changes to their platform that will affect the way developers create applications and the way users interact with them. The most important change for small business owners to be aware of, however, is the launch of the Facebook for Web Sites platform and specifically, the new social plugins. No matter where you're at with Facebook or technology, as a business owner or marketer you owe it to yourself to read this article and know what is available out there.

Why is Social Media Keyword Search Becoming More Important for a Small Business? I like  this article because it shares why we should be using social media to search for the keywords our target audience is using.  The answers are right there for us, our prospects are all over the internet and social media - it's just a matter of knowing where to look.

Facebooks Universal Like Button Added to Over 50000 Sites and GrowingThis is a must read for anyone wanting to stay up to date with social media, SEO and SMO. This article explains how SEO is now evolving, from "links" to "likes" and highlights the early adoption to Facebook's "like" plugin just announced last week.

How do you use social media in your business? What are your thoughts on Social media optimization (SMO) replacing SEO?

If  you need help developing your social media content and communication strategies or with the technology please click on the "marketing consultation" button and submit the form.

 

 

Inbound Marketing: How to convert website visitors

The most overlooked marketing tool that (almost) every business has is their website.  I continue to meet many business owners, especially in small business, who have a misunderstanding about the purpose of their website, and as a result aren't seeing the results they should and can get.

The average website conversion is 1 percent to 2 percent. 
Proper search engine optimization could double your traffic and an effective call to action can boost conversion to 4 percent to 5 percent.

Optimization is a key component for driving qualified traffic to your site, therefore it must be done correctly. Because search engine optimization (SEO) is something most people don't fully understand, it overwhelms them and so they trust the SEO "experts." What's concerning is that I see many websites that have been "optimized" by an "expert," when in fact they haven't. The first thing to remember when it comes to SEO is that this isn't something just done once - it's ongoing and needs to have an ongoing strategy (and training if needed).

 CHOOSING THE 'RIGHT' KEYWORD PHRASES

In order to determine the "right" keyword phrases for your business, you need to know (not guess) what keywords your prospects use when searching online for the products and services your company offers. You need to know why they are searching for your product or service, and what their need or problem is. Knowing the answers to these questions will help determine the right keywords that will increase the chances that your visitors will convert to leads.

Choosing obvious keywords that have a high monthly search volume can be extremely competitive and almost impossible to rank. Often keyword phrases that have a low monthly search volume are highly targeted and will attract your target audience, giving you a better chance of converting them to a lead. Just getting visitors to your site that don't convert to leads means nothing to your business. Focusing on quality rather than quantity will yield a better result for your business.

KEYWORD PLACEMENT

Each page has its own URL, title, meta description and header, and all of these need to be optimized with the keywords for that page.

Keywords need to be used not only on your website but as part of an ongoing marketing campaign. Keywords should be used in e-mails, blogs, online articles, press releases and social media with links to relevant pages on your website. Keywords that are used in other online content (not your website) that include links to pages on your website are called inbound links or back links.

INBOUND LINKS (OR BACK LINKS)

These are hyperlinked words that link to your website and are a major influence when it comes to search engine rankings. A link building strategy should be part of your ongoing marketing, implemented by someone who understands how to develop and implement a link-building strategy. There are obvious ways to get inbound links, such as listing your company with online directories. However, there are other clever ways to encourage links through blogs, press releases and other online activities. Purchasing links and doing link swaps may negatively affect your search rankings so make sure that if you're paying someone to develop a link-building strategy you understand how they are doing it.

THE LANDING PAGE

This is the page that the visitor lands on after clicking an inbound link to your site. The keyword used in this link needs to be prominent on the page they land on. You have three seconds to provide this visitor with the information they're looking for, or you may lose them forever.

In order to have this visitor convert to a lead you should have some understanding where this visitor is in the purchase life cycle. If they're at the research (information gathering) phase, make sure this is what's available on the page they land on. Provide a call to action that would encourage the visitor to sign up for more information such as a free e-book or subscription to your blog or e-newsletter.

If your visitor has clicked on a keyword that indicates they're ready to speak directly with a salesperson -in other words they're a little further along in the purchase cycle - make sure your call to action offers something along the lines of a "free consultation with a sales representative" or "free tool, to test your product/service."

When choosing an expert to develop your website and search engine optimization, make sure they understand your business and marketing objectives. Specifically inbound marketing and how optimizing your site will do more than just drive traffic to your business, but increase conversions that have a direct impact on your bottom line.

Does this information help you? What other questions do you have about your website and attracting prospects and converting them to leads?

If you found this blog article helpful please share with your online social network, thank you.

 

 

Hands Up Who's Heard of Inbound Marketing

When I asked this at a recent business networking function no hands went up. 

Now this is a group of proactive, dynamic, driven small business owners and I had expected that at least one person would have caught onto the ‘Inbound Marketing' wave. Admittedly this is a new term, or as some marketing veterans would have us say an old term, applied to new technology. Basically it's a term that is applied to ‘permission' marketing and developing a strategic web presence so your prospects can find you when they're looking. With the rapid pace the internet is growing and changing with new technology it's no wonder business owners are being left behind with the latest tools to market their business.

The toughest thing for small business is having the money to market their business and with the recent tough economic climate, increasing marketing expense without knowing its ROI is something business owners aren't prepared to risk.

So let me explain in brief how inbound marketing is helping small business and why it must be part of every business's marketing mix in 2009.

1. Your Strategic Web Presence:

This is more than a website, it's about all your online activity showing up in searches when your prospects are looking for your product or service.  It's about having a presence across all search engines and the various social media sites for your web pages, blog articles, videos, podcasts, press releases, photos and presentations.

2. Your Website:

Your website is to provide the information your prospects are looking for and providing an easy process to convert your visitors to leads and leads to customers. The purpose of your website is to ‘CONVERT'.

3. Choosing The ‘Right' Keywords:

The right keywords are often not the high volume keywords that you think, so it's important to do research and learn what terms your prospects are using when they're searching or interacting on the internet. It's about targeting some of the more specific keyword phrases that may have a lower search volume but better chance of ranking in the top 10 and driving qualified prospects to your site.

4. Organic Rank:

With 80% of searchers clicking on organic listings over the paid listings, organic rank should be part of your long term goal. The best way to boost your rank is through inbound links; directories, industry listings, blogging and social media.

5. Blogging:

Blogging for business serves many purposes and should be on every business owners weekly ‘to do' list, and definitely part of any marketing strategy.  In saying that, there should be some planning done before you jump into blogging so that you get the results you're seeking. You need to think about who your audience is and what information is of value to them. Each article should use your keywords, hyper linking these keywords to your website or other pages of your website. Part of successful blogging is also about subscribing and commenting on others.

6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

Optimizing all your online content and constantly reviewing your position in the search engines compared to your competition and against your goals. Testing and measuring new strategies to get you closer to your desired goal. There are tools to help you do this and experts to do it for you.

7. Social Media Marketing:

Social media strategies should be focused using social media tools to achieve business goals through: customer relations, market research, customer research, competitor tracking, building strategic partnerships, networking, promotion, optimizing and driving traffic to your website.

8. ROI:

It's all about testing and measuring and knowing your ROI. For this you need the right SEO and social tools and reporting. There are some easy to use tools for business owners and inbound marketing experts available to train you or do it for you.

None of this should be started without an Inbound Marketing Plan. The first step, like any traditional marketing includes research and analysis to know your market and identify your opportunities.  The second step is to identify clear marketing goals and thirdly a strategic inbound marketing plan that will achieve your goals.  Not every social media tool is right for every business based on goals, budget and market, so take the time first to have a Strategic Inbound Marketing Plan developed that is aligned with your goals by a inbound marketing professional who can walk you through each step of the process and coach you if needed.

Are you ready to include Inbound Marketing into your marketing mix? The first step is to book in a complimentary consultation to talk about your goals and identify the best strategies and tactics for your unique situation.

Does that help explain Inbound  Marketing or are you still unsure how it will benefit your business? I would like to hear your comments or questions regarding Inbound Marketing.

 

 

 

 

Why I Asked To Be A Hubspot Partner

Several years ago I identified the need to optimize our website with keywords so we could rank higher in the search engines.  Through my research in looking for the ‘best' search engine optimization company to employ, I quickly learnt that SEO wasn't something that you do once, it was ongoing and continually changing.  Not only that, the seo experts I was speaking with charged in excess of $1000 with no guarantee.  I decided it was going to be cheaper and better long term, for me to learn seo and make the changes myself.  So I spent a considerable about of time studying SEO until I knew what we needed to do with regards to optimizing the website, headings, page titles, meta descriptions and rewriting the website copy.  But the next challenge I ran into was updating our website.  Our web developer charged $100 p/hr to make the changes. This didn't provide me with the flexibility I needed to upload new content, test and measure results and change offers, calls to action. Also we needed to start a blog, but again the cost factor outweighed any financial benefit we could foresee.  It was frustrating and expensive, to say the least.

So you can imagine my excitement, as a business owner when I discovered Hubspot. As a business owner, entrepreneur, who isn't a tech geek or web developer Hubspot made website development, seo and social media marketing doable and affordable. 

As a marketing consultant, I help business owners develop an effective website,  incorporating SEO and social media marketing. The one and only product, that I've come across, that is both user friendly, effective and helps business owners implement strategies, test and measure and ultimately get results is Hubspot! And that is why I asked to be a Hubspot Partner.

If you haven't already, check out the marketing effectiveness of your website with Hubspot's Website Grader.  And if you have any questions about Hubspot or Inbound Marketing please ask, I look forward to helping you.

How Inbound Marketing Converts Traffic To Leads

Search engine optimization (seo) is an integral part of effective social media marketing. Done well it will drive qualified traffic to your website.  But an increase in traffic means nothing to your business if they're not converting.  Before you spend any more money to drive more traffic to your site, think about what you want your visitors to do and how you can encourage them to convert to a lead. If your traffic is not converting, it's not a numbers game, you need to go back to the planning stage and focus on leads.  Here's some basic pointers on how to convert your traffic to leads.

The first step is to understand your audience, and I mean really know your audience:

1. Who are they?

2. What are their needs, problems?

3. How does your product or service help them?

4. Are they looking for information or are they ready to buy?

The second step is to give them what they're looking for:

1. Make sure the keyword phrase they clicked on takes them to a landing page on your website that is relevant.

2. You have 3 seconds, so make sure the content on the landing page is what they're looking for, easy to read or scan.

The third step is the conversion:

1. Make sure your call to action is clear and easy.

2. If extra information is required provide an option to subscribe to your blog, enewsletter or even download a free ebook.

3. If a free trial of your product would help, offer a free sample, free trial or complimentary consultation.

4. Make it clear for those visitors who are finished researching and are ready to purchase what they need to do. Make the purchase process as easy as possible.

 

My challenge to you is to focus on leads not traffic, here's what you need to do:

Choose a keyword phrase that represents just one of your products or services, that talks direct to a specific audience and addresses a specific need or problem.  Follow my steps above, test and measure and see if you get a better result in lead conversion.  More than likely your traffic will be much lower, but if you've done your homework the conversion should be higher. Generating leads, not traffic is the start of effective inbound marketing and a successful business. 

If you need some assistance or have a question before you get started, ask me. And don't forget to let me know your results.

5 Inbound Marketing Tips To Generate Leads From Your Website

I find so many business owners, especially in small business, have a misconception about the ‘true' purpose of their website and therefore, aren't getting the most value out of their website. The most overlooked marketing tool that (almost) every business has is their website. Many business owners, when they start, set up a website because it's what is expected nowadays. Your prospects expect to find you on line and it's where your competitors are, so of course you need a website if you want people to take you seriously.

No matter what you ‘think' the purpose of your website is, it should be to generate leads and conversions.

The average website conversion is 1-2%, proper SEO could double your traffic and an effective call to action can increase your conversion to 4-5%.  If you know how many visitors you're getting to your site on a monthly basis and how many are converting to leads, do the math.

So how do you implement some fundamental Inbound Marketing strategies like SEO and lead generation to improve your business?

There is a lot that can be done on-page (on your website) and off-page (internet) with Inbound Marketing to boost your organic rankings and convert visitors once they're on your site.  But here are 5 SEO and lead generation tips to get you started and improve the value of your website.

1. Choose the right keyword phrases:

a. Know who your audience is, who's coming to your site and why.

b. Choose keywords that your audience is using and that you can rank for in the search engines. There's no use going after high traffic keywords if its next to impossible to rank for them.

2. Make sure each page on your website is optimized for unique keyword phrases (not the same keywords for every page):

a. Page title
b. Meta description
c. H1 tags
d. Content
e. Internal links

3. Inbound Links

a. Don't direct all your traffic to your home page

b. Make sure the links directing traffic to your site are hyperlinked with keywords relevant for the page.

c. Set up relevant landing pages that have a compelling offer to encourage visitors to fill out a form or contact you in some manner.

4. Have a call to action on each page.

5. Set up some form of analytics to track your results.

In recent weeks I've conducted many website audits with Hubspot's Website Grader tool and I would say 90% are missing fundamental Inbound Marketing strategies like SEO and lead conversion. Is this your website? 

If so, here's your action plan:

1. Check your website out yourself at Hubspot Website Grader or contact an Inbound Marketing consultant to do it for you.

2. Then set yourself some conservative goals such as: increase your traffic by 10% and conversions by 1%.

3. Make some simple changes as mentioned above, or contact an Inbound Marketing consultant to help you.

4. Monitor the results. Tweak. Test. Monitor.

I would love to hear how these tips and the action plan have helped you. And your results.

If you know someone who would get value out of this blog post please pass it on.

Is Your SEO Aligned With Inbound Marketing Goals?

Take the time to evaluate your business goals before jumping into search engine optimization (SEO) for your business.

A friend of mine sent me an email that she had received from an SEO firm seeking her business, several months ago. The email started with something like, "we tried to search for your business on line and couldn't find it, which means your prospects can't find you either."  It went on to say that they could guarantee top search rankings (for a monthly fee). It was quite a lengthy sales pitch but basically what they were promising was top search rankings for my friend's company, for what they (the SEO firm) perceived where the relevant keywords.  My friend thought this sounded great, so she presented it to her management team. After all isn't that what we all want, to be at the top of the search results and drive more traffic to our site?

This concerned me, because there was no reference to aligning SEO or top search results with the business and marketing goals. How do you know the best SEO tactics to implement if you don't understand the client's business and their goals? Before employing a firm or individual to implement SEO ensure what they recommend is in line with your business goals, and not their business goals.  SEO is more than just top search engine results. What is the purpose of the website? Who is your target audience? What are the best keywords and phrases to drive qualified leads to your website? Have you set up landing pages for the relevant keywords and phrases?

Let's assume it works.  You're top of the search rankings for your keywords and this is driving qualified leads to your site. What is happening to these leads once they're on your website?  What is your sales funnel? Are you offering them the information they are looking for? How are you capturing these leads? Do you have a call to action? How are you converting these leads?  Do they know what they need to do?  

This is why implementing SEO must be aligned with your business goals. Your goal isn't about being at the top of the search rankings, or driving lots of traffic to your site. Your goal is to convert! It's all about the bottom line!

Before you decide to employ a firm or individual to handle your Inbound Marketing make sure they understand your business goals, your website goals and your audience.

Did you find this information useful? If so please, share it with others by clicking on your preferred social media links above or make a comment.

Thank you.