20 August 2012

SEO Search Engine Optimisation

It’s not all about the SEO

Many eons ago, Search Engine Optimisation and keyword stuffed URL’s were what drove sales and leads for a lot of businesses. Let’s face it, for most SEO companies what mattered most was the amount of clicks, hits and visits. But today with more savvy surfers, it takes a lot more than just the top page to turn a click into a purchase. At FDC we take a different approach to SEO, in fact our whole stance is slightly different. We are what you would call a...

“Sales focused marketing and communications agency”

The difference is in the first 2 words of that statement, ‘Sales focused’. There’s a lot more to generating conversions from your optimised landing page or website, therefore at FDC we not only focus on your SEO, but concentrate on the bigger picture, ranging from; Design, Data Capture, Squeeze Pages, and e-mail marketing.

Today I will go through 3 important factors that you should always consider as a major part of your digital campaign, so much so that these should be some of the first things you should tackle before you spend any money on PPC, SEO or Paid Advertising, be assured that by using these techniques in the correct way, you could turn your 4% conversion rate into a 40% conversion rate.

Let’s dive right in!

1. Design and structure.

It’s a common thing for designers, developers and SEOs to create work that doesn’t always complement each other. That’s why when we normally develop a website the design is the first thing done, then the programming and then the SEO, this process eliminates some of the issues that can arise from a multi-talented team working in different departments. It’s a normal trade-off between professions and often the line between function and design can become blurred. Let’s face it, there are millions of websites out there that look totally amazing, but can’t be found in search engines at all and then there are those websites that are so feature rich and well developed they seem to read your mind but at the same time look awful. So ask yourself this; is your website designed and developed to fit a purpose, if so what is that purpose and does the look and feel of the website compliment this? If I was looking for the latest in SEO software, I wouldn’t give my money to an unattractive website, which returned 404 or Syntax errors. Furthermore as a digital consultant I’d look at the layout of the site and see if the developers have taken into consideration their audience. e.g. I’d expect a website selling me a keyword tracking tool to be designed in such a way that there is a clear “Call to action” and a description of what can be achieved as one of the first things I see. I’d also want to see the classic ‘F’ layout as it’s the most effective and proven method between effective websites and conversions

2. Data Capture and Squeeze pages.

Ask anyone, whether it be in a supermarket, shopping centre or street; “If someone approached you with a free sample would you try it?” 8/10 the answer will be yes, and naturally so because we all like freebies. Freebies induce interest, they captivate an audience, and they attract consumers. The same goes for websites and online landing pages. With Squeeze pages we can go one further. If you’re going to spend your money on PPC or SEO then make every penny count. A squeeze page lets you give away a freebie such as a trial, PDF guide or audit while at the same time gaining the users email address with consent to market to later. In the field of direct marketing, the subscriber list is considered the most important part of a mailing campaign. So should a user download your free e-book on weed killing, than you know that the user is interested in gardening, meaning you can use their email to send them further information later explaining more about your services in gardening or even an introductory offer they won’t want to miss.

3. Email Marketing

Email marketing when done correctly is the part of my 3 steps that turn your 4% of conversions into 40% conversions.

Let’s review;

1. We’ve already captivated our audience with a great design, function and layout
2. We’ve obtained the users email address by offering them a free download or trial.

Going back to step 2, we already know that the user who downloaded our weed killing e-book is interested in the particular type of service. So why not set up a campaign to send the user a welcome email where you thank them for downloading your free e-book. Remember this is where you place your download link to the book.

So, your first email creates the relationship, and reminds the user that you are interested in their needs. Now you should follow this up on a pre-defined date with another email explaining what you do, and what your company is about. This form of email marketing is known as “lead Nurturing” because the user is already interested and your developing the lead into a paying customer.

Follow this with a sales email offering a small discount and finally segment your email lists into interests, new leads, existing leads, retentions. Always offer an opt-out for anyone who does not want to be contacted again.

Conclusion

So what have we actually done here? In affect we’ve turned one visitor into a paying customer through data capture, lead nurturing and direct e-mail marketing. Using the techniques and steps described above and with some additional effort you could effectively turn your 4% conversion rate into 40%. But be aware with all the types of email communication at a marketer's disposal, you could fall into the trap of sending your email recipients too much mail. Therefore, it's imperative to regularly keep track of what emails you're sending, how many and to whom.


By Sunny Chana