Search Engine Optimization is about finding the keywords that will bring in more sales/leads/donations for your organization and then taking steps towards getting better rankings in search engines like Google for those keywords.
Often clients approach Terrakon and ask a very important question:
How do I know if Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will work for my business?
Let’s put a real business out as an example and determine whether SEO will be a good fit for this business:
James owns a mid-sized business brokerage company. He lists and sells people’s businesses for them, just like a real estate agent does for a home.
He had a website built for the business in 2005 but hasn’t really touched it since then. Very little business seems to come from his website.
Here are some things James should be thinking about when wondering whether SEO will work for his business.
Question 1: Do People Use Search Engines To Find My Products and Services?
This is a very important question and it begins with what we call keyword research.
Use this link to visit the free Google Keyword Tool.
Now follow these steps:
- Type in a list of keywords into the tool, in James case I would start with his core services: ‘business broker’ ’sell my business’ and ‘buy a business’
- Click the “Get Keyword Ideas” button
- Review the high volume keywords for your industry that Google suggests
- Answer the question — are people searching for your products and services online?
In this case, it is clear that people are searching for business brokerage services using Search Engines like Google.
Question 2: How Well Do I Currently Rank For The Money Keywords In Your Industry?
Start Googling these keywords and determining where your website ranks for the “money keywords” in your industry.
Tip: Log out of your Google account or your results will be skewed by your former Internet surfing behavior.
Get into your website analytics and deterine how much traffic you are receiving from these keywords.
How Much Sales Am I Receiving From These Keywords?
As a general rule, we don’t want better rankings and we don’t want more traffic — we want more sales, leads, donations, etc.
Check your website analytics to determine whether you are converting web visitors into sales off of Google keywords.
Often, at this point the course of action you need to take is clear. You have determined whether you are leaving money on the table if you don’t optimize your website for search engines.
What are your questions? Are you wondering if Search Engine Optimization will work for your business?
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