Alternative Approach To SEO That Can Net A Big Result!
Plus A secret Google Page 1 tip.
Hello %%First Name%%
I walked into a department store on the weekend and they were already selling Christmas Trees! Can you believe it is only about 10 weeks away?!
So don't leave it too late to get your website and marketing ready and updated, as whether your customers are other businesses or the general public, they all need to start preparing for the festive season. Start to entrench your business/products/services in your market's 'front of mind' in the lead up to Christmas and well into the new year. Make sure you are sending your worthwhile marketing emails regularly to your existing and potential customer database before your competitors do, or it is simple too late!
You have of course been paying attention to my previous emails and have added 'prospect gathering tools' to your website to gather visitor details for emailing, yes?!( Such as give-aways, competitions, must have reports, VIP clubs and so on?!)
If not, in the words of the great Anthony Robbins, "when would now be a good time"?!
(If you need help with this, Redback Studios would be happy to help.)
So where are all these visitors/potential customers coming from?... There is no bigger resource that Google, plain and simple, as everyone does their research online first. So are you on Page 1 of Google? Research shows that sites listed on Page 2 of Google get just 1.5% of clicks or less. So it can't be more obvious and more important that if you want more leads and more sales, you need to get your website on Page 1 of Google. (Click for more info on Redback SEO.)
Research shows that sites listed on Page 2 of Google get just 1.5% of clicks or less.
But there are other ways of growing traffic and getting more potential customers to your site than just straight out SEO, that you can do yourself. Creating content that people want and will ‘seek out’ as well as want to pass it on to others. We all now have seen the power of viral marketing. Even main stream news media these days is full of success stories of simple content online that has attracted millions of visits.
So here's a few simple tips to get you going...
1. Create Original Stories/Articles
All it costs in a little of your time, yet the results can be amazing. You are in the business you are in because you have a passion, the experience, knowledge or talent/skill for what you do. So often there are things you know and almost take for granted, that your market would see as tremendous value. So take a little time to just sit and write articles on topics that would be valuable to your market, such as addressing major problems they face, instructional learning, and new ways of doing things, as well as simply your own views on the industry/products/services.
These can take many various forms, such as:
- Tips & hints
- Checklists related to your products/services
- DIY articles
- White papers
- Interviews - if you have done any public speaking or simply interview a staff member or customer.
- Manuals or guidebooks
- eBooks
Remember to keep these precise and to the point so as to keep reader interest and make the most impact. Also having great headlines, (as noted in a previous article ) can make or break the effectiveness of an article in attracting people's desire to read it.
There a multitude of websites you could publish these on, not just your own site. Make sure you brand and watermark these, add links to your site and make them easy to share.
Also keep in mind the terms/keywords people will type into search engines, and be sure to include these throughout your articles and headlines.
2. Make Your Own Podcasts and Videos
The quality of video the standard smartphone can produce these days can often be more than sufficient for some simple online videos. Also there are plenty of free programs that will turn your Webcam into a high quality video and audio recorder, providing you have a modern quality webcam (many have this software as standard now). These may only set you back from as little as $30 for a reasonable HD cam and the quality is actually very surprising. Of course using a better standard camera will make the quality better, but don't let that become an excuse not to start.
I suggest you keep videos to no more than 3 minutes and audio no more than 10 minutes. You don't want people thinking "oh it's too long, I’ll watch/listen to it later", as then you have often missed your chance.
Ideas on what to make your video about:
- How your product is made
- Your unique difference
- Customer interviews/testimonials
- Product/Service demos
- Employee interviews and/or what part they play
- Tips & hints
- Questions and answers
- 'Did you know' style segments
- Inferior competitor demonstrations
If you can include some fun, smiling faces and of course humour in your videos you may find people see you as more 'real' and relate to you better as well as finding it more enjoyable to watch/listen.
Also make sure you have branding in the video with logos, uniforms and so on. Post these on your site as well as all the numerous main sites like You Tube , iTunes and so on.
Secret Tip!!!
Here's a real secret few people know… It can work and it is truly amazing.
Make sure in sites such as You Tube, include your main keywords in the description text and a link to your site, as well as your address. You can often fit a lot of text in this area, so utilise that, but don't go overboard.
When done well, I have seen this result in Page 1 on Google, for a video on in just 24 hours!
3. Blogs, Social Networks, Forums, and Online Communities
As I mentioned, you have a wealth of knowledge about your business, products and/or services. But don't limit this, you have an ocean of resources at your fingertips… your staff, suppliers, distributors, manufacturers and even customers can all have a new angle or more information/experience that could be very worthwhile.
You could do interview style meetings with any of these people or simply ask them to write articles and it can result in a great win-win for all.
Try use topics that will encourage comment, replies or even debate to engage readers more.
And again remember to try use keywords where possible and include your branding and links. If you can, add links from specific keywords in the articles, which is a great SEO tip I have mentioned before.
Hope you can see the value in undertaking these as well as the simplicity and great potential rewards. How often do you search online for specific information of 'how to' or for guides & information to solve a problem/question. So is everyone else, including your potential market. So using methods such as above, YOU can be the one helping them and being the hero and getting the enquiries/sales.
If you have any topics you would like me to address in these newsletters, or have further questions on this topic or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us on support@redbackstudios.com.au or Reply to this mailing.
Warm regards
Laurence
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