Rankings are important for your visibility, but targeting your content is the key to generating leads that will ultimately make your site more successful.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines such as Google or Yahoo via natural or organic search results. Search Engine Optimization has been around for over 10 years, and it has morphed into a fiercely competitive service. At one time, small tweaks to a site could yield great rankings in the search engines. But in 2009, SEO requires site modifications, additional content, a network of links to your site, and programming changes.
More Content, More Competition
A few years ago, an Internet search via Google might return a few pages of results. The number of websites on all topics has exploded over the last 5 or 6 years and one of the main results of this is an increase in the amount of content on the Internet for all topics. So much content is being written for the web that it is diluting the web and creating more competition. A search can turn up millions of results. This can present quite a challenge, especially for new sites. It is increasingly difficult to achieve the results you need as there are more sites with similar goals to yours on the Internet. The focus of Search Engine Optimization has always been on rankings. We are now asking if a ranking alone is really important if it is not generating leads and sales for your business.
Getting the number one ranking is great, but if it is not generating traffic and converting sales, then something is wrong. The common searcher is much more knowledgeable today than in the past, and their searches are more specific. You may have the number one ranking for your industry, but if no one searches for your terms, does it matter? That is why key phrase selection, optimization and utilization are so important on your website.
Optimized Content for Targeted Traffic
Search Engines like Google and Yahoo determine your placement in the search results based on the content on your site. Search Engine Optimization can target specific phrases that potential buyers use when they are looking for your product or service. That is why key phrase selection and optimization is so important. To get this targeted traffic you need content. To develop the most effective content, you need to know what terms your customers are using as their key phrases to find your products and services.
Here are some pointers for writing effective content for your site:
• Research, Research, Research. It is impossible to optimize your site to drive sales for your business unless you first understand what words your potential customers use when they are looking for you.
• Website content needs to be fresh and creative.
• Do not copy your competitors. The best content is unique. Use your own ideas to create unique and interesting content for your site.
• If you are having trouble writing for your website, work with a professional writer to optimize your thoughts for presentation on the web.
Targeted Traffic
Once your content has been written and optimized, it will take a little time for the search engines to notice. Pay close attention to your rankings, the traffic to your website, and the sales leads generated by your site to see if additional changes may be necessary. Searchers are the most impatient people on earth. They don’t read each result in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Most people briefly skim the results, searching for their keywords and similar phrases. In order to increase sales through your website, it must be optimized for the search terms that your potential customers are using. Rankings are important for your visibility, but targeting your content is the key to generating leads that will ultimately make your site more successful.