What Is SEO Marketing? Take Search Engine Optimization to the Next Level!

What Is SEO Marketing?

Businesses of all types and sizes recognize the need to maintain an optimized online presence. Keywords are helpful, but it takes more than a few words to make content rank well and matter to readers. What is SEO marketing really about, and is there a way to take the concept “search engine optimize” to the next level?

The intent is what fuels search engine optimization, making content resonate with your target audience. What are they searching for, and why? Is there a reason they want it, and what questions do they ask? Then, how can you transform that quest into action? Getting people to do something is the holy grail of marketing. Discover how SEO and savvy marketing skills go hand-in-hand to brand your business and boost profits.

What Makes You Different?

Countless companies are offering the same goods and services. What makes one stand apart from the rest? Discover what your business does differently than any other than focus on that in your SEO marketing campaigns. Whether it is dedicated customer service or the latest product updates at customers’ fingertips, make sure they know why you are better than the rest.

Once you know your strong points, brand the business accordingly. Use imagery, logos, and colors that suit the mood of your operation. Be consistent in your approach for branding that reaches your audience and makes them remember what you offer. The next step is to define your target audience further and determine their motivations.

Define Your Target Audience

Who is the typical customer searching for your business? Thoughtful research is crucial to successful SEO marketing. Use Google Analytics, surveys, and other tools to find out what drives organic traffic to your website and which markets have the highest conversion rates. Analytics can also be used to gauge the progress of current marketing campaigns to determine which ones are most effective.

Once a company knows its target audience, campaigns can be crafted around its needs, questions, and wants. The goal is to get the chosen market to recognize the brand, trust it, and begin interacting with the company. A visitor who is persuaded to take action before leaving the site transforms into a potentially profitable lead. Conversely, failure to engage your visitors means they are surfing away to the competition. Perform additional research to determine what the average client is looking for, so you can add these details into your marketing plan.

Determine Intent

The intention of the consumer is as important as what they are searching to find. Do they want to buy it now or later? Are they looking for a one-time purchase, or can you encourage them to agree to a subscription or other ongoing purchase? Will they be buying for themselves or others? What qualities, features, pricing, and other vital factors do they expect?

Google processes over 3.2 billion searches each day, and savvy businesses want to appear at the top of the results. Knowing how, when, why, and what people are searching for is the critical data used to develop pinpoint SEO marketing campaigns that reach your target audience. Once you know a consumer’s intentions, find ways to meet or exceed their expectations to gain a more significant market share over time.

Answers and Keywords Go Together

Search engine optimization focuses on the intelligent use of keywords and phrases to use in content for it to rank well on the search engines. Stuffing keywords into mediocre, unoriginal content yields less than satisfactory results. Compelling content and relevant keywords go hand-in-hand to boost site rankings and credibility. Short-tail and long-tail keywords should be naturally infused into the material, title tags, and metadata.

Use analytics tools to find keywords about specific industry subjects. Start by choosing keywords that are highly trafficked with low competition, as your site can rank for quickly for these terms. Over time, continue to refresh the content by adding new keywords based on current analytical research. When it comes to finding the right keywords, it is never one-and-done. All your content should be periodically updated to stay fresh and relevant on Google.

Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are another source of free, ongoing exposure for businesses. These snippets are a definition, paragraph, or blurb that best explains what the searcher is looking to find. Content must be well-written, accurate, and optimized to appear as a featured snippet for a specific subject potentially. Google’s algorithms detect the most responsive content, and a section is highlighted as a featured snippet, providing an instant answer to searchers.

With opportunities such as People Also Ask and featured snippets, it is easy to see why it is worthwhile to invest time, money, and effort into creating incredible content. Appearing in these sections of the search engine results drives more organic traffic to your site and helps it rank higher over time. Smart SEO marketing plans strive to help companies land these holy grails of the digital marketing world.

Make the Message Matter

Everyone seems to be clamoring to get attention as the Internet gets faster and becomes the ultimate zone for all types of research. With the increasing speed and traffic, it is more important than ever to make your message matter. People want to know how a product or service can benefit them and improve their lives. Make sure to answer why in your marketing messages, so people instantly feel compelled to find out more.

With just a few seconds to get people to listen, it is crucial to get to the point. Use keywords and persuasive language to convey a memorable statement that addresses the concerns of your target audience. Provide definite answers and solutions, then give them a reason to take immediate action. Limited-time deals and seasonal offers are excellent ways to create a sense of urgency, so prospects become leads rather than surfing away. Research, brainstorm, and take time crafting a marketing message people understand that makes them want to know more.

Researching and Resonating

Pinpoint marketing strategies are supported by valid and updated research. When it comes to SEO, what works yesterday may be different tomorrow. As Google’s algorithms continually change, two factors remain the same – the need to perform detailed research and convey information that resonates with your readers. Explore the latest trending topics, stay on top of industry news, and create a blog and social media accounts where you share pertinent updates.

Social media also allows companies to get feedback from customers – without paying for it. Interacting on sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram is a way to connect with customers and perform market research. Be mindful of the language your customers use and incorporate them into your SEO marketing plan. For example, using common baby boomer phrases misses the mark when you want to sell to millennials.

Examine the Competition

SEO marketing professionals always analyze the competition to find out what they are doing and if it works. A competitor analysis reveals relevant data about content and keyword performance, authority links back to the site, and the source of organic traffic. Smart strategies may be incorporated into a revised marketing plan based on detailed competitor analysis.

Viewing the competitors’ sites, offers, and social media accounts also offers critical insights. Are they more interactive on social media, and does that help generate leads? Do they have an authoritative blog with content that gets shared often? While none of these tactics are emulated, they can be used to inspire new marketing ideas that reach the target audience more effectively.

Thinking About Linking

The Search Quality Senior Strategist at Google, Andrey Lipattsev, stated quality content and link building are the two most important signals Google uses to rank websites for search. Company blog content should always contain at least three internal and external links. Another strategy is to secure a link back to the company site at other authoritative websites. Examples include high-quality directories, profiles, and publishing guest blog posts.

Link building strategies should focus on getting quality, rather than quantity. One link at a respected news site is worth more than ten at low-value sites. Carefully analyze the current content at a website and the selection criteria before submitting guest posts for publication. Choose sites that pertain to your industry to get more eyes on your content that might not have otherwise seen it.

Local Marketing Includes NAP

Individual businesses, such as a neighborhood eatery and caterer, only want traffic from a specific region. Marketing outside the area is unlikely to yield significant results. The goal is to get as many people from the local area to find out about the restaurant and want to visit it. Local SEO marketing should include the name, address, and phone number (NAP) of the establishment, whenever possible.

Local directories, neighborhood social media groups, and forums are all excellent ways to spread the word about a local business. Include local keywords in all the content with tags and hashtags to ensure people and search engines find it. Participate in local events, donate to charities, and sponsor teams to get connected in the neighborhood. Publish blogs and social media posts about local events to boost your site SEO and become an area authority.

Marketing Multiple Locations

Industries such as real estate and hotels often have hundreds of locations around the country. A specialized SEO marketing plan must be developed for multiple locations. A combination of general and local SEO helps to strengthen the overall business brand while supporting its many locations. A focus on local intent with scalable reporting helps companies harness the power of multi-location marketing.

Dedicated SEO services have the expertise to handle the tiered approach to success for multi-location businesses. A program pilot testing the marketing plan on a small percentage of locations is performed first. Any issues are worked out to ensure the vast marketing plan is effective. Much like any other SEO plan, updated keyword research, and refreshing content are cornerstones to ongoing success.

Are you ready to take SEO marketing to the next level of success? You don’t have to struggle on your own. Whether you have a dedicated marketing department that needs guidance or you prefer to outsource the work, our team of skilled professionals is ready to assist every step of the way. From preliminary research to refreshing existing content, our SEO pros do what it takes to get measurable results.

Take a few minutes to contact Galileo Tech Media now. Find out how the right SEO marketing plan can yield a significant ROI to make this the most profitable year ever.