Google Has Revolutionized Internet Marketing – Are You in the Loop?
The title says it all: Google has drastically changed how businesses do their marketing.
More specifically, the growing authority of the search engine has made internet marketing not only necessary, but also fairly complicated. Gone are the days of simply posting an ad or creating a website. Increased focus on SEO as a measure for web visibility has generated a number of "rules" for ranking highly in search results. If you want to be noticed by potential clients, you've got to follow the rules and, in doing so, earn essential brownie points from Google.
Search engine optimization is a relatively new concept. It wasn't until the late '90s that web crawlers and indexers began to be formally developed, and SEO as we know it today didn't exist until the mid-2000s. Since then, it's been tweaked and revamped to account for changes in consumer preferences, newly-discovered loopholes, and the rise of social media. These factors have impacted how Google perceives content -- that is, whether or not it considers it relevant to users.
(Want to learn more about the history of SEO? Check out this awesome slideshow on Hubspot.)
The immediate implication is that, if you aren't already paying attention to your SEO, it's time to start. Where you rank in search results is a huge deal in terms of how much potential clients are willing to trust you.
People believe what Google has to say about you. If you're company turns up at the top of search results, many will assume that you're the best there is. And that means more phone calls and more customers.
How does one achieve this?
Ranking favorably on Google requires that you keep up with SEO trends and spend your resources on marketing efforts that are worthwhile.
Here are some tips and tricks for improving your optimization on Google.
Choose the right keywords.
Keywords let Google know how relevant your content is to those completing a search. The more a certain word or phrase is associated with your company's name, the more likely it is you'll rank highly in searches containing that keyword.
Certain keywords can be very competitive. Searches for "painting contractor", for instance, will produce millions of results, highlighting painting companies from all over the country. Getting a front-page ranking for this phrase would require something of a celebrity status.
However, it's much easier to rank favorably for a more specific search inquiry, such as "exterior painting contractor in Lansing". By focusing on a particular service and geographical location, you can target your ideal audience and make it easier for people to find a painter that matches their needs. Likewise, you'll have less competition in search result listings, giving you a greater possibility of being seen by potential clients.
For those who use Google AdWords and want a better idea of which keywords are most successful in their market, try giving the Keyword Planner a go. The tool allows users to test how different words and phrases might perform, helping you to build more effective search network campaigns or expand existing ones.
Once you've narrowed down some good keywords, it's important that you use them frequently on your website and social media pages. Include them wherever possible -- on industry pages, in your 'About Us' section, in applicable blog posts. This will ensure that, when people enter a search for your keywords, your company's name is one of the first things they see.
Publish relevant content -- and publish it regularly.
This goes along with utilizing high-quality keywords. You want your content to pertain to the audience you wish to target -- not just for the sake of direct SEO, but also because Google is more liable to favor a site that is visited often. Before you write blog posts or marketing material, consider the following: Is this something my customers would be interested in reading? Is the title I chose likely to catch their eye? Would I read this post?
If you answer 'no' to these questions, it's probably a good sign to pursue a different topic. Write content that is focused not just on keywords, but also on readability. Though it's perfectly alright (and, as we've noted, even advantageous) to use keywords in your posts, they should not be your main priority while you're writing. Think about creating content that really speaks to your readers, whether it's intended to teach, entertain, or promote client engagement.
This type of writing, known as content marketing, is more apt to draw in readers -- and Google will recognize that. Frequent clicks to your site tell the search engine that what you've provided is popular among users. As a result, Google will have greater cause to recommend your company via higher search rankings.
Increase links to your website.
Relevance can also be measured by how often links to your site appear on other pages. These external mentions are called backlinks, and they can appear in the form of text link advertisements, guest blog posts, and directory registrations, among other types.
When another website provides a link to your page, it provides you the opportunity of gaining web traffic. This is especially helpful if that site gets more hits than yours. Try reaching out to popular blogging sites in your industry and see if they have guest blog opportunities. Offer to reciprocate by posting their material on your site, as well.
More importantly, if you provide valuable, original content and helpful tools, you'll have a better chance of building backlinks naturally -- that is, people will want to link to your site because they know your content will be interesting to their readers. This is yet another reason why frequent, relevant postings are so essential to the success of your outreach approach.
Be active on social media.
While Google's various ranking algorithms are still somewhat unknown, most agree that "social sharing" on pages such as Facebook and Twitter is a key determinant of where you show up in the listings.
Of course, in order to get people to "like" or "share" your content, you've got to provide something that grabs their attention. It's improbable that someone is going to post a link to your homepage on their wall. However, they might share a blog you've written about a new app for choosing paint colors.
This is another reason why blogging is so vital to your marketing technique. Once one of your posts becomes popular, and people start "sharing" it across different social media pages, Google will recognize that your site is relevant to readers. In most cases, this will result in better search rankings.
Get more reviews.
I know: this is easier said than done. While most contractors would agree that they want reviews, getting your clients to leave them is often challenging. Good reviews can do so much to boost business. Most customers check out review sites before making a final decision, so having high ratings on Google+, Yelp, Angie's List, and other popular venues is great for attracting new leads. Likewise, SEO experts agree that Google uses these sites -- especially Google+ -- to decide how to rank local businesses in search results.
Even if your clients are clearly satisfied with your services, this does little to help with lead creation if they aren't posting about it online. You can get some tips on how to encourage happy customers to do this by visiting our blog post, "5 Ways to Increase Your Customer Reviews".
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For further information on SEO and how to achieve greater optimization, check out our article on 6 Ways to Improve Your Painting Company's SEO.
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