Firstly, let’s look at some common misconceptions and break them down.
It’s a dark art, witchcraft and voodoo.
It’s never explained properly and is too complicated.
It’s expensive.
It’s only about being number one on Google.
SEO, which stands for search engine optimisation although different for every site is fundamentally the same. In its most basic form, SEO is the process of optimising web pages for a specific term or terms via organic unpaid methods to rank higher on a search engine results page resulting in more traffic and increased conversion rates.
So what does this actually mean?
Think of the internet as a filing cabinet that contains information about every subject imaginable, all of the content that ever existed all in one place.
If this information was thrown into the cabinet with no method of organisation it would be extremely frustrating and virtually impossible to find anything when you were looking.
Instead, all of this content is organised, not by labels but by keywords. So every time you search the virtual filing cabinet for a piece of information, Google displays what they believe to be the most relevant information for that keyword term.
Now that covers the first two misconceptions let’s look at number 3, it’s expensive. Is it? How do you know? SEO is just like any other marketing campaign, if you’re not asking your new clients on the phone how they found you or tracking new leads from your website to see if they were converted then how do you know what your ROI is and what value the SEO campaign added?
Finally, it’s only about being number one on Google, actually no, it isn’t. Now don’t get me wrong we’re all striving for number one but it’s not the be all and end all of the campaign, if someone promises you they can get you to number one then run.
The world of SEO is unpredictable and everchanging so it’s impossible to promise number one, what we’re aiming for is being in the top 3, this is the sweet spot for CTR (click through rate) and seeing noticeably improved results.
The below shows the CTR rate based on the top 4 paid (AdWords) positions and the top 10 organic (SEO) positions as of February 2024.
Google CTR by Ranking Positions
Ok great, I get it, this makes sense so far, but, how does it work?
Firstly, SEO is not a magic bullet, it’s not a case of changing a few things and boom, you’re number one, it’s a process. It’s like going to the gym, you don’t go once and get 6 pack abs, although we all wish this was the case!
On average SEO takes between 6 months and 12 months to really take effect. This doesn’t mean you won’t see some instant results and continual upticks in traffic though.
In the early stages of a campaign it’s all about targeting low volume, low competition keywords to start building some trust and authority across related subjects with Google before targeting the “money terms”.
If Google sees traffic going to your site and interacting with the site it then sees your site as a trusted source and starts displaying it for more related terms.
Remember Google is not a person it’s an extremely complex algorithm that looks at signals and data points and then aggregates and compares them to other sites to decide how useful your site and content is to the user to then determine it’s ranking on the SERP (search engine results page).
Makes sense, but, what do you actually do?
This is where the magic happens, there’s a process I have created and follow to get the best possible results for every client I work with and it all starts with a one to one.
One To One
This is to determine what the client is looking to get out of the campaign and whether SEO is the best option for them. After a brief chat I then provide a free of charge no obligation site audit and proposal.
Free of Charge Site Audit
This audit covers the current metrics including the current rankings, organic traffic and backlinks. The top 5 currently ranking competitors and their metrics. A brief initial strategy and traffic overview as well as a prediction of results based on starting a campaign.
Once this is all agreed upon and a date is set for the campaign to start I provide the following services.
Keyword Research
A thorough evaluation to find and analyse what users are searching when looking for your product or service to develop a list of related and semantic terms to target as well as an analysis of what your competitors are ranking for that you’re not.
Rank Tracking
This is a very quick process of setting up some rank tracking to keep track of the most important targeted terms and their current rank on Google to be able to monitor the process being made.
Optimisation
This includes monitoring the algorithm updates and changes to ensure the work being done is still best practice according to Google. On-page optimisations including meta titles, descriptions, headings, content and images to make everything more search friendly.
Off-page work including building high quality links and citations to improve the authority and trustworthiness of the website in the eyes of search engines.
Content Creation
The creation of blogs, articles and landing pages to be used on site targeting specific keyword terms and phrases to satisfy potential clients’ pain points and questions. This also includes the generation of forms and other CTA type material with the intent of growing the conversions on the site.
Monthly Update Reports
The final process is a report sent at the start of the next month showing the progress and updates on the key metrics that were mentioned in the site audit such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, backlink profile and any conversions. The report also features the next steps each month so you know what is being done on your site month to month.
Still with me? It might seem like a lot and may seem daunting but it’s essentially all about using a systematic, strategic approach to target the most relevant terms to provide the best results not only traffic wise but conversion wise as well.
Remember SEO isn’t a quick fix, it’s a commitment to continuously improve and update your site to give you the best chance of standing out in this ever changing digital world. So if you’re looking to embrace a new challenge and want genuine sustainable growth for your business’s digital presence then get in touch and we’ll get a date in the diary to start building a campaign tailored to you and your needs.