As a search marketing professional in an industry still in it’s infancy, many like myself are called upon to educate companies of all sizes. This challenge is complex for a number of reasons: varying degrees of knowledge, needs and motivations within a company, changes in the search engines’ criteria for relevance, changes within the marketplace, i.e. competition.
But the biggest challenge I face is convincing clients of the critical need for content.
The Internet is a vast resource of information and ideas. It’s estimated that 30-35% of all search on a given day is unique. As a marketer an SEO online copywriter, I believe the Internet is an untapped pool of new customers just waiting to conduct business with you. Yet the vast majority of B2B websites I analyze have no Home page content, site architecture that’s impossible to navigate and website copy that hasn’t been updated since 2002.
Invest in Web Content
The Home page content is the single greatest factor in having the search engine robots crawl and index your Web site. Developing a theme and sub-themes describing who you are and what you do and using keywords that real people search for is the next step. The word count should be between 250-300 words on the Home page and at least 100 words of index-able text on the interior pages.
If a company can’t invest the time or energy to develop a unique selling proposition answering critical questions a typical visitor might ask, then they probably deserve the trickle of business their website receives.
The company that maps out new pages while it’s site is in development with the mindset of staying current will win the search engine wars. Why? Because people are lazy and fickle and, if you give them what they want when they want it, you’re ahead of the game and most certainly ahead of your competition.
Where’s the Link Love?
The Internet is a vast, interconnected resource; it lives and breathes on links. You know those little blue underlined bits of text (aka hyperlinks). And links connect to content, usually interesting, fresh, unique content. This is known as being “link worthy.”
The question every website owner needs to ask is, “Why would someone link to me?” It’s humbling actually. Kind of like going on that first date and not knowing what you have to offer.
If a website has limited content, few Webmasters will link to it. And without incoming links, the search engines devalue your presence. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
Each incoming link is considered to be a “vote.” Some have described it as a popularity contest. (UGH, back to dating again.) If one website has 2,000 incoming links and another has 200, which website has more value in the search engines’ eyes? The more perceived value, then the more likely your pages will appear in the search engine results. Plus, don’t forget all those links are designed to bring in traffic too.
Because the information highway moves so fast, we delude ourselves into thinking that creating selling websites should be too. The reality is that developing a website that meets the needs of your customer and the demands of search engine technology takes a great deal of forethought.
When companies realize that the Internet is not about technology, but instead is the 21st Century’s #1 communication tool, then developing valuable content will become as common as asking, “How may I help you?”
As the needs of my clients become clearer, I continue to develop and offer services that help them understand and implement the latest website marketing strategies including creating online content, SEO technical writing and developing link-building campaigns employing ethical SEO tactics.