HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS ~ PART ONE
The use of the internet to find information is growing by leaps and bounds. And, the primary tool used to locate desired information is Search Engines, such as Google.com, Yahoo.com, or listing sites, such as Videographer.com.
Marketing professionals realized years ago the value of improving your position in the list of search results (rankings). There are two paths to use in order to improve the rankings of a specific website, Paid Advertising and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Paid Advertising – Fixed Rate, Pay-per-Click, or Pay-per-Result
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in a nutshell is making your website information relevant to the people you are trying to reach, AND distributing that information around the World Wide Web.
You will need to use SEO techniques even if you pay for advertising. The reason for this is the way that search engines function. Search engines compile information and provide results based on what their users are seeking. If someone is looking for a video production company and they receive results for a video game, they won’t find what they need, so it’s important for the results to be relevant to the information being requested.
How do I do that?
The good news is that it works best with a constant stream of activities versus one giant block of activity. Because of the way that search engines collect information, you will achieve greater results by creating a system of consistent information distribution and updates. Your system is similar to a recipe that has multiple ingredients. There really isn’t one single ingredient that does it all in one step.
People have a combination of needs for every search. For example: someone needing video production for an Internet marketing video has a different set of requirements than a person who needs a training DVD for their employees.
By using a mix of SEO techniques, you can distribute your information to a broader segment of your target audience.
Now that you know why. . .
. . . here’s the how . . . to achieve Search Engine Optimization.
The focus of your SEO activities should be to inspire repeat visits from customers and other site visitors. Work to give customers a reason to visit your site repeatedly.
In this first installment of our series, we will be discussing Newsletters.
The key to successfully utilizing E-mail, Video, and Direct Mail newsletters is to promote traffic to your website. You do this by including an enticing segment of the article in the newsletter and include the full article on your website. Another option is to offer Internet-only videos, reports, special offers, discounts, or coupons. By including a segment rather than the complete article, you can keep your newsletter short and to the point, while still giving your customers more information if they are interested in that topic.
E-MAIL NEWSLETTER
You definitely have lots of experience in your industry and you can provide valuable information to your customers on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. If you provide useful information that your customers would not necessarily know to request, then you will become a valued advisor and resource. You can utilize an online newsletter program to manage your subscriptions and avoid Spamming your customers. I use ContstantContact.com. There are a number of online and desktop software solutions for your newsletter program.
VIDEO NEWSLETTER
You can definitely use video to build brand awareness, and you can also use video to introduce new products and services, train customers to better utilize your products, or to simply entertain your customers. To create your own videos for your website, you will need a video camera and editing software on your computer. The most popular video formats for the Internet include Windows Media (wmv), QuickTime (mov), Flash Video (flv/swf). For short video clips, under 4 minutes in duration, you can utilize Progressive Download delivery. For video clips that are longer than 4 minutes you should use Streaming delivery or segment the video into short chapters. Remember, shorter is better.
DIRECT MAIL NEWSLETTERS
This is an expensive option when compared to an e-mail or video newsletter, but can be very effective for certain target audiences. If your target audience is not likely to use the Internet, you can send a traditional newsletter via direct mail. It is important to include information and offers that will prompt those customers to visit your website. Another important factor for this type of customer is Ease-of-Use. Your website must be easy to understand and simple to navigate.
An unexpected advantage that you will get from all this work is that you will improve your communication skills. You will learn the most effective way to describe your products and services.
In our next several issues, we will discuss various techniques that will add to your SEO recipe for success.
If you would like more ideas on ways to generate leads from your website, give Video 7 a call at 800.490.7434.