There are many different SEO strategies, tactics, and tools that can be used in efforts to improve the results your website delivers in support of your overall business objectives. However, all things being equal, the organic search results that come from potential customers typing questions into BIng or Google from their web browser is the key piece of the optimization puzzle.
This is the primary source of traffic growth that most SEO strategies are designed to generate. With the help of an expert in the field who knows how to target the right aspects of your website content and architecture, this focus produces consistent improvements that scale up steadily over time. The difference in results can be quite shocking when the transition takes a website from ‘rough-and-ready’ to full optimization.
Conversion is the critical success factor
The bottom line is that these search traffic leads are the most important source of the conversions (the process of turning leads into paying customers) that are the lifeblood of your business. Whether you are looking for subscribers, who buy in with the ‘purchase price’ of their email address… or ecommerce sales transacted on your site… or affiliate sales transacted elsewhere but initiated on your site… conversions are what matters in the end.
So, what makes the biggest impact on building organic traffic that yields high conversion rates? Not surprisingly, the key driver of these results is keyword efficiency. Keyword selection and distribution throughout your website becomes the defining characteristic of the site and the individual pages that make it up. This sets the stage for effective targeting of backlinks and other critical parts of the SEO equation.
Start with keyword strategy
It may not be practical to rank #1 on every search results page for every search query that uses your product or service, unless you operate in a very exclusive niche. Under normal market conditions, however, with the right keyword strategy directing your efforts, you can rank prominently in searches conducted by the market segment that is most likely to choose your offering.
Certain important conversion variables can be controlled through keyword phrase construction. These include factors such as local availability, character and style of business operations, evidence of community support, and positive customer reviews.
The right selections and combinations of keywords can really narrow down the appeal of your offerings to attract search traffic that is pre-qualified to be a likely candidate for conversion.
Tools to focus search traffic
A good keyword strategy should start with a list of the core keywords for your business. This shorter list then provides the basis for refining the connections between your core business offerings and the ways in which customers will describe their particular needs or wants in relation to those offerings. This expanded list should be made up of more extensive phrases in the form of questions or statements that will show your offerings in a real-world context or frame a solution to a problem.
Fortunately, there are some excellent keyword research tools to help develop the extended range of keyword phrases and expressions that are right for your business. These tools can help you determine which keywords are most popular in relation to your niche. They can show which are most productive for your direct competition. They can also help you track changes in keyword popularity over time. You can then use this information to develop content strategies that will make the most of your exposure in these key areas.
Google Keyword Planner
The usual starting point for developing your expanded list of keywords is the Google Keyword Planner. Designed primarily for developing Adword campaigns for PPC online advertising, the competitive information that it provides can also lead to new keywords that are relevant to your service or product offerings. You can combine the two objectives in this one dashboard, and analyze your organic search and paid search options at the same time.
Wordstream Free Keyword Tool
Extending the use of Google’s search data, Wordstream offers a comprehensive set of research tools that goes wider and deeper than Google KP in finding and analyzing organic and paid search possibilities. This set of tools and resources is generally easier to use than the Google dashboard, and offers a variety of ways to export and integrate your keyword research into content and PPC optimization.
Expert advice is the best place to start
Even though these tools are designed to be intuitive to learn and use, if you are new to the process it might still be a bit overwhelming. To save time and frustration, a consultation with a results-oriented SEO expert will cut the learning curve down to size and get you started on the most productive path for your particular needs and objectives.
Paul Teitelman has the track record and the expertise to make your SEO efforts as cost-effective and productive as possible. Get in touch today and set up a solid foundation to build your online traffic and conversions.
