What is SEO? The People Want to Know!

Skip through to what interests you!

• • Let’s Define SEO
  • Discover Its Effectiveness
  • SEO Top Five Benefits

1. 1. 1. REACH More People
      2. IMPROVE Website Visibility & Usability
      3. INCREASE User Engagement
      4. ENHANCE Content Marketing
      5. OBTAIN Quantifiable Results

• • Making SEO Work for Your Company
  • Get Started with One Click!

Search engine optimization, commonly known as SEO, is an inbound marketing strategy a business can use to improve its website visibility through specific search queries. Its ultimate goal is to help increase the quantity AND quality of online traffic (generated leads) to your site.

And applying SEO strategies means consistently implementing best practices, shifting, and adjusting marketing content to enhance your brand’s online profile and awareness. In addition, SEO consists of various digital marketing tools, like keywords, backlinks, website speed, content blogs, page mechanics, and meta-descriptions— all intricately working together to drive people to your online business.

Find Out Now w/a FREE SEO Analysis!

However, please be advised that it’s not this quick fix, one-and-done type of thing you apply to a campaign as a marketing tactic. SEO is an ongoing digital marketing application you can incorporate to reach, connect, and continuously serve your customers with excellence while also becoming more visible to potential customers online!

Why is it so effective in digital marketing?

Successful search engine optimization for internet users coming to your website is just as vital as customer service excellence over the phone! In fact, the top keys to SEO effectiveness include learning to:

• Serve clients’ needs through online quality assurance
• Adhere to various search engine guidelines and best practices [Per Google, Yahoo, and Bing]
• Understand customer search intents and preferred content
• Provide the resourceful information and answers your searchers need

In truth, SEO works because it serves as both a customer research technique and an online sales channel for your business. And the key to its effectiveness is discovering how to incorporate the technical and strategic elements simultaneously to meet customer needs and present it in a way that’s appealing to search engines.

And remember, applying SEO takes a little trial and error to find the best strategies for your business industry. So, no ONE methodology works for every company, but there are common practices that have proven efficient when you apply and incorporate the right ones into an appropriate strategy campaign!

What are the immediate benefits of incorporating SEO into my online marketing plan?

If you want your business to have long-term brand awareness, grow its target audience reach, and obtain an ROI, then a digital marketing SEO strategy is just what you need. In this section, we’ve provided five prime benefits we believe are most prevalent when implementing SEO.

1.    Search Engine Optimization ultimately helps you reach more people online.

While the goal of many digital campaigns is to zero in on a targeted audience, SEO helps companies attract any online visitor searching and intending to find matched products and services. Even more, it will work at any given time, regardless of which stage a customer or client is on in their buying journey.

However, the solution to ensuring your business can expand its reach is to consistently utilize targeted and focused keywords that match your products and services. In addition, you’ll want to incorporate top keywords on your website and in all publications over time. Again, this doesn’t happen overnight; but with time, you’ll reach more prospects and potential leads¹ who may take strong interest in your company.

2.    SEO helps improve your website visibility and usability.

As long as you apply SEO best practices to each of your website pages, usability and visibility will increase over time. The solution involves consistently pushing out and publishing relevant and resourceful content on your website. And website content that is appropriately saturated with industry keywords helps bots regularly search your site and move you up in search rankings.

Overall, SEO makes business websites search-engine-friendly while also improving site visibility and the experiences of visiting website users. But, again, you must put in the work to consistently develop high-quality and insightful content that will attract visitors and bring your site to the forefront!

The Best Recipe for an Engine-Optimized Site!

1. 1. Add a teaspoon of high-quality backlinks on your high-volume pages.
   2. Stir in the PROPER WEB DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES that ensure your site is fast and responsive.
   3. Incorporate KEY SITE STRUCTURE & NAVIGATION during its development.
   4. Consistently add FRESH RELEVANT CONTENT to your site.
   5. And lastly, always remember to hold regular SEO SITE ANALYSES & AUDITS to check and ensure it remains optimized.
      

3.    It can also enhance user engagement rates.

Are enough people frequenting your website? Most business owners don’t know unless they have an outsourced digital marketing partner measuring this for them. However, a well-optimized website will typically bring in quality leads and steady visitor traffic. But to keep visitors engaged, company sites must have resourceful online content that matches a searcher’s intent.

And when they do, those sites usually have visitors who will spend more time browsing them. Yet, here comes the best part— Increased engagement rates on a business website can ultimately lead to more conversions and increased ROI. So, if you want to improve your user engagement rate, ensure you have a responsive, mobile-friendly website that is analyzed regularly, checked and cleared of any errors, and updated with proper SEO page mechanics as needed.

4.    It Works Hand-in-Hand with Content Marketing

Genuine industry content and SEO go together like macaroni and cheese! So, each time you develop and post valuable digital marketing content for online visitors, you help increase your rank on SERPs. And as I’ve said many times, ‘All content isn’t created equal.’ So, ensure it is high quality and optimized with the keywords for which you want to rank.

Bottom line— search engines and bots love crawling fresh, updated content. And the more they can find new and reliable information from your website, the more attention they bring to it. Fortunately, you can put out helpful content in many ways, like via content blogs, web pages, digital ads, emails, social media posts, and even through images and videos. And these content venues will ultimately help your site rank better.

5.    SEO can provide your online business with tangible and quantifiable results.

One of the many things we love most about SEO is that it eventually helps you track changes in your rankings, lead conversions, and site traffic volumes. For instance, the Google Analytics² platform offers a comprehensive suite of information, enabling you to access data on an extraordinarily granular level.

The following list consists of types of information you can find through SEO analytics results.

• • Gain a better understanding of how visitors find your business online.
  • Learn which keywords are working best
  • And see what your site is ranking for
  • Find out which pages are the most popular
  • Discover how visitors reacted to specific calls-to-action
  • And learn where there’s room for improvement.

Moreover, with SEO, you’ll always have the opportunity to—

• • Take deep dives into your site’s health.
  • Use the insights and analytical results to make necessary adjustments to your strategy.
  • Upgrade and change each digital campaign to measure improvements.

How can an SEO strategy work for my business?

First and foremost, you must develop your digital marketing strategy around SEO best practices! And this is where marketing professionals like BUILDINGBLOCKS come in! Over the years, we’ve learned to grasp the best ways for businesses to leverage SEO strategy for their industries. For instance, our motto is ‘Everything starts with an IMPACT plan from which you can build on.’ So, based on your business growth needs, goals, and investment type for a planned ROI, we can incorporate the best course of action for obtaining accurate results!

Overall, there are two main ways search engine optimization helps your business.

I. SEO can ultimately give your company a competitive advantage!

Although heavily investing in SEO isn’t the be-all and end-all, the amount you invest should make sense and align with what’s best for your business industry and goals. Because what’s most important here is that if your competitors are investing in SEO, you should too! After all, you cannot win the game if you’re not playing!

However, before incorporating an SEO strategy, research your direct business contenders to learn their weaknesses and strengths. Knowing this is vital to incorporating an effective strategy and increasing traffic to your website. In addition, there are two other things you must also do:

1. Research your target audience’s needs. Consistently provide the search venues most conducive to their finding your business online. The more you provide relevant and matching search content, the easier for them to find you online. And, eventually, the higher you rank in search results.
2. Keep your website up-to-date by doing the following:
   • Loading fresh and resourceful content pages.
   • Maintaining website performance checks regularly to confirm loading speed and responsiveness remains accurate.
   • Providing positive user experiences to ensure visitors can easily access what they need!

II.  It also helps improve your rank position in local searches.

In applying the things above to gain a competitive edge, you not only help your company maintain that edge, but you also gradually move up the search results page. Page one is the ultimate goal and advantage, as it’s where businesses get over 90 percent of the search traffic!

And when it comes to local searches, most people today want access to products and services that are conveniently nearby. In truth, they prefer getting what they need asap rather than waiting for a delivery or utilizing services more than 20 miles away. So, part of your SEO strategy should include keywords and phrases like “coffee near me³” and “nearby,” or using local service zip codes.

Did you know that 28% of local smartphone searches result in conversions— meaning they end in a purchase? And since Google conducted this study in 2016, we’re sure the percentage has increased since then! Therefore, having a local SEO strategy is also vital to improving search rank position.

To begin, you’ll want to ensure you have a Google My Business account and start setting up reviews for customers/clients who are nearby and have encountered your business. Reviews and ratings are a vital part of establishing credibility and building trust!

Okay, I’m ready to get started!

Incorporating a marketing strategy with SEO provides crazy benefits in bringing more traffic to your website and providing long-term exponential growth. As long as you’re attracting quality leads and ensuring visitors can easily connect and access what they need online, you’ll soon experience success and yield a substantial ROI.

And here’s the best part, getting started with us is just one click away!

GET YOUR FREE SEO ANALYSIS!

 ^References

1. ^{Reaching more online customers and generating more leads with SEO. Photo concept by Anastasia Nelen.}
2. ^{Tangible SEO Results- Digital Marketing Google Analysis. Image by Myriam Jessier.}
3. ^{SEO local business search image concept by Patrick Tomasso.}

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5 Critical SEO strategies needed to acquire talent that will help grow your business.

Are you using SEO to fill a few key vacant positions for your company this year? If so, you’ve come to the right blog! This article provides resourceful insights on incorporating five critical digital marketing strategies for recruiting top talent.

Although we’re into year four of COVID, technically, unemployment rates are slowly decreasing, and many businesses still have staff shortages. And despite the complex or varied reasons for this occurrence, digital marketing can provide the perfect solution for recruiting new employees. In fact, the very same online strategies we incorporate to help companies market their brands and generate leads can also be applied to recruiting elite employees.

Today’s businesses must do more than simply hang a “now hiring” sign on the window to bring in quality candidates. Fortunately, digital marketing offers both traditional true-blue and innovative strategies to attract the best industry hires. So, let us dig in and share more about our top five pics!

Learn more about these digital marketing recruitment strategies:

• The Social Media Mouthpiece
• Speaking SEO
• Business Brand Messaging
• Video Vibes
• Web pages, apps, and salaries, Oh My!
• The BEST Strategy is this…

#1 Utilize social media to make a positive connection and lasting impression.

Social media remains the most modern and effective way to connect with your targeted audience organically on Facebook, Instagram, and/or LinkedIn. This social media strategy also applies to recruiting new employees for maintaining and sustaining your business.

For instance, investing in Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook advertising are efficient ways to quickly reach potential applicants. Even more, today’s highly-qualified Gen Y and Gen Z candidates are used to completing online applications and submitting resumes to enter the job market. Overall, incorporating social media digital marketing to recruit top talent still proves successful for companies.

Simple Social Media Recruiting Tips

1. Ensure your created campaigns attract the RIGHT potential employees to your website.
2. Make sure your ads compel them to WANT to apply.
3. Incorporate the appropriate keywords and hashtags pertaining to each vacant position, including similar job interests and skill sets.
4. Include appealing images, alluring videos, and fresh information on company culture to help with their decision to apply.
5. And for an even greater reach—  Post organically, too. Ask current employees to share open positions and vacancies on their social media platforms.

#2 Speak to what they value most with SEO content.

Perhaps the cleverest digital marketing method of reaching out to quality candidates is utilizing precise (SEO) Search Engine Optimization content. Its goal is to help boost business visibility through top search engines, eventually adding traffic to your website.

When using SEO in the recruitment process, you’ll need to increase and attract quality leads to your website career page. In addition, the top technique for increasing SEO visibility involves building backlinks to your site from another, more reputable site. Yet, working with an outsourced marketing partner is your best option if you prefer to invest in quality back-linking.

In truth, the most substantial factor to recruiting success with SEO is developing the right content messaging. The content you create for recruiting top talent must speak to your ideal candidate’s values for the position and within your company.

Other important factors and SEO best practices include:

• Having an optimized and responsive website for mobile-friendly use
• Ensuring all your web pages have the best keyword saturation with relevant and highly-searchable content—this is especially vital for your careers page, where candidates will visit
• Keeping resourceful and pertinent content as KING on all your business web pages, social media posts, and automated emails

via GIPHY

#3 Be sure to incorporate business brand messaging that also connects your company to the best candidates.

Concerning brand messaging and recruiting eligible staff, we have two key factors to point out—

1. Make sure your brand is true to your company’s mission and values, and
2. ‘Keep it Consistent!’

Once you’ve established and built your business brand, the last thing you must do is continue to let it grow with consistent and appealing messages that connect to your targeted audience AND potential employees.

Like generating quality leads to your website to encourage them to convert to customers, the best brand messages also encourage talented candidates to apply and fill vacant positions. Successful companies use digital marketing to maintain the great habit of providing insight into the career path opportunities they can provide employees. In addition, they utilize SEO best practices and brand messaging to do it!

#4 Use digital marketing videos to allow potential candidates to see and sample your business culture.

Developing a video marketing strategy to attract top talent can be an extraordinary tool to help you fill vacant positions quickly. I recommend creating simple two-minute videos on the careers page of your website or even for each job opening.

For instance, a video can further support brand messaging and provide customized insights/information about why candidates would want to work for you. In addition, showing them what it’s like to work in your company enables them to connect and visualize themselves as a part of the organization.

And most importantly, when you post testimonial videos from seasoned co-workers and team members, they further validate the recruitment process. So, when employee testimonies and messaging are combined with b-rolls of the work culture and environment, videos can pack a potent punch for recruiting top talent!

#5 If you don’t have a ‘Career Opportunities’ page or ‘Open Position’ landing page on your website, get one!

If you want good people to work for your company, you’ve got to be good to them and give them what they need to apply.

So, make it easy for them to do the following.

• Engage with your business brand.
• Get to know their potential work environment and culture.
• Apply for the position online.
• Fully understand the requirements and responsibilities of the position.

These common courtesies can be provided on a main ‘Careers’ website page, where each job opportunity has its own sub-page with pertinent details. Whether you post an opening on social media, via email marketing, and/or through digital ads, make sure candidates are led to a valid online space to click into, safely do research, and apply. In all, landing pages connect with your ads, emails, or social media posts to redirect leads and potential applicants to your business’ career page or specific opportunity.

And lastly, whatever you do, don’t be afraid to promote salaries online! That is the first thing candidates need and want to know, whether they ask or not— “How much does it pay?” You know this is true; so, don’t cringe!

How are your digital marketing efforts helping recruit talented employees for your business?

If you don’t know, you’re not alone. No doubt, you’re probably like most business owners, too busy running the business to know. And that’s where we partner with you to ensure digital marketing works for your company in the best possible ways!

Connect with us online to self-schedule an appointment, or call 281-203-0529 for immediate assistance.

Get Started Today!

FREE SEO Analysis

^References

1. ^{Featured Image concept for talented candidate by Magnet.me.}
2. ^{Cynthia Smoot Social Media GIF– Created 3/11/2022, Tenor.}
3. ^{SEO is Essential GIF- freedomofficial– Created 10/18/2019, Tenor.}
4. ^{Denny Brand GIF- MONKEY935– Created 3/12/2021, Tenor.}
5. ^{So Moved and So Inspired- Renee Elise Goldsberry GIF- PopBuzz– Created 8/10/2020, Tenor.}
6. ^{So Easy for You Jake GIF- SirTagCR– Created 7/23/2020, Tenor.}
7. ^{Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes GIF- jkiann33– Created 6/18/2020, Tenor.}

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Especially since the pandemic, SEO blogs have remained essential to nearly every digital marketing strategy. For instance, marketers still incorporate blogs to increase leads, enhance SEO strategy, and boost brand credibility. However, since its value has stayed intact over the years, and because roughly 60% of people still consistently read blogs, how we approach blog postings has become more crucial than ever.

Here’s the bottom line—blogs are alive and well today. But when it comes to writing exceptional ones, we simply must work a tad bit harder to entice folks into reading them.

So, what are we talking about in this blog about SEO blogs?

This article is for people who want to understand the FIVE fundamental blog features. It’s also for those who wonder what makes each aspect crucial for developing awesome ones! So, freely skip to the portions you’re most interested in reading from the following list.

Article Features:

• The ‘What’ & ‘Why’ of Blogging
• #1—Titles & Keywords
• #2— Engaging Quality Content
• #3—Blog Elements
• #4—SEO Mechanicals
• #5—The Extras
• Connect with the SEO Blog Experts!

Before reading any further, I have a special gift for you!

What’s the purpose of writing blogs, and why do people read them?

This question is a blog in and of itself!

However, blogs are essential marketing tools for any website and business. Their primary purpose is to serve as venues for online visitors to become familiar with various brands of products and services.

Furthermore, blogs help companies become reliable information resources for current and potential customers. So, when businesses regularly post informative and engaging blogs, the chances of lead conversion rates, visitor site traffic, purchases, and opportunity responses greatly improve!

Why do people read SEO blogs?

Recently, HubSpot surveyed people to discover why they commonly read blogs. To my surprise, the number one reason was not that targeted audiences wanted to learn more about business products and services! That fact alone made me want to rethink my own blogging practices!

However, the top reason people read blogs was that they wanted to learn something new. So, nearly 35 percent of people reported they mostly read “How To” blogs. Others said they enjoyed reading entertaining articles¹, while a smaller percentage read blogs to stay updated on news and current industry trends. Yet, the most intriguing percentage was that whopping 4% of readers who stated they read for information on products and services!

Therefore, I quickly realized that winning over consumers with blogs meant consistently developing content that they valued. So, as business owners or marketers, it’s vital to write enjoyable SEO blogs that add value to readers, match and connect with their search intents, and keep them engaged enough to frequent a site! Hence, blogs should not just be about brands but developed around how people search for the information they need.

#1 Titles and Topics and Keywords—Oh my!

Before publishing an SEO blog article, writers must first plan to conduct pertinent industry research. They must also be aware of what people commonly search for online and which industry topics are trending. And with every search query, there are keywords and phrases that clue writers about the information people need.

So, let’s talk about ‘Titles’.

I guess it’s true what Copyblogger had to say about the 80/20 Rule of blog headers. About 80% of online visitors will read your blog title header, especially if it’s intriguing. But roughly 20% of visitors will actually read the rest of what’s written in a blog; again, the topic must be hot and the content captivating.

This rule confirms that blog titles are just as, if not more, important as the content that follows, and they can either make or break the success of what you’ve written. Titles should also clue readers in on what the blog is about. So well-placed words and key phrases in the title should captivate and connect with readers at a glance.

Choosing the right ‘Topic’ matters!

Research remains essential as a first step when it comes to blog topics. If you don’t talk about what matters to your targeted audience, blogging will become pretty ineffective, and you’ll lose your following. Current and potential customers have a valid reason for coming to a website, so ensure that your blog topic confirms or validates their reason; in other words, prove them RIGHT!

Fascinating blog topics and titles pull people in and encourage them to engage in conversation, share posts, and make purchases, which is what you want them to do. So, make sure your blogs address their concerns and connect with their immediate interests and need for information. Likewise, ensure your article topics provide valuable insight and resource solutions for whoever reads them.

Now, concerning ‘Keywords’ and search phrases in SEO blogs:

Every writer must understand one vital aspect of blogging— keywords are “key.” For example, the keyword or phrase for your blog should match people’s search intents (what they’re looking for online), especially if you want readers to find you digitally.

So, your title must contain the keyword or phrase that people are searching for; it’s what moves people into your sales funnel. Also, the blog topic must include the keyword throughout the writing. In truth, the keyword could be the subject of the article but doesn’t necessarily have to be. For instance, this blog you’re currently reading is about SEO blogs, which just so happens to be the actual keyword phrase of the article.

Keywords in blogs ultimately help readers narrow their search to find precisely what they need. For example, their eyes will scan the TITLES or article HEADERS to see if the KEYWORD is present and if they all match their actual search and interest. Again, keyword research is crucial to determining what you want to discuss in your SEO blog and should be based on the online information people want to read.

#2 King Content that Captures Consumers

Quality content is the essential lifeline of any SEO blog article. Like a title/header, it will make or break your blog, website page, email message, and any other digital asset you post for readers online. What you say to your audience online and how you say it is a huge determining factor in whether a potential customer will choose you over a competitor. As such, content remains the king of digital marketing.

So, high-quality, relevant, and engaging content is the venue for offering your audience resource solutions and the valued information they need. Any content you post outside of that will cause visitors to leave your site and never return. Remember, salesy-style blogs are old-hat because they read like infomercials.

People today are smarter and even more savvy about finding what they want online. So, the only way to be digitally golden is to ensure your blogs and web page content provide what they want and need. Overall, writing successful blog content starts with keeping your targeted audience in mind. With that, clearly specify your connective stance on the issue, relate to them, offer appropriate solutions, and always ensure the content keeps readers engaged.

#3 Basic Blog Elements & Must-Haves

In the movie, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, directed by Jake Kasdan (Sony Pictures, 2017), Spencer told Fridge regarding writing his homework paper —“Yeah, I proofed it, and I gave it uh, a beginning, an ending, and uh, some in the middle.”

And similar to what Spencer said about writing papers, blogs also have a beginning, middle, and ending, because they are, in fact, “digital papers.” However, unlike homework papers, blogs must have particular elements that cause them to stand out and entice people, besides teachers, to read them.

The Nine Basic Elements of an SEO Blog include:

• 1. The Header or Blog Title
• 2. Beginning– Blog Intro
• 3. Middle– The Article Body, with the following elements—
  • 4. Sub-headers
  • 5. Videos (Not a must-have, but certainly a “nice-to-have”)
  • 6. Bullet points, bolded text areas, and high-quality hyperlinks (interlinks, backlinks)
  • 7. Images, graphics, and charts
  • 8. CTAs (Calls-to-action) and Contact Information
• 9. The Ending– Your Blog Closing

Each of these elements is critical to what makes a blog a blog. And if you aim to attract readers to your website and help them engage, the content must be substantial and conducive to search needs.

#4 Applying the Major Mechanics of SEO

You could write the most brilliant blog in the world, but no one will get to read it if it’s not optimized correctly! Instead, it may end up buried somewhere in the outer limits of cyberspace. Therefore, it’s crucial that you know, understand, and apply the proper SEO page mechanics to every blog you publish.

The primary purpose of blogging through digital marketing is to attract your target audience and get them to your website to purchase products or services. So, if your content isn’t set up to do that, you’ve wasted time and resources.

Regular blogging consistently increases content to your website and must be a part of each innovative SEO strategy. Moreover, constantly adding blog pages on a site signals to Google that it’s relevant and active in your industry. In fact, it’s Google that actually helps your overall SEO rankings.

However, marketers and writers must effectively apply the proper SEO page mechanics to win here. In doing so, the chances of your target audience finding you online dramatically increases as your site begins to show up in Google² SERPs.

Major page mechanics include the following:

• Keyword Saturation (2-3%)
• Blog Word-Count (minimum 350 words)
• Meta-Description and Excerpt/Snippet
• Optimized URL Address
• Tagged Blog Images
• One H1 Header and Subsequent Sub-Headers
• Quality Internal and External Resource Links
• Original Content – Not Duplicated or Plagiarized

#5 The Essential Extras that Every Blog Needs

Like putting icing on a tasty cake, every blog needs those kicks of oomph, spice, and pizzazz. Meaning, you should add some essential extras to ensure your article continues to attract, engage, and keep readers reading all the way through.

Such elements can include captivating images that immediately connect with your audience or graphics that pull them in closer and indulge them like fine chocolates. Blogs loaded with a bunch of content are boring, and readers will be quick to click out at first glance of text-only posts.

Instead, ensure that you break up the content into small bite-size sections. Then, add warmth, humor, and educational elements with connective images, intriguing graphics, and educational charts and tables. These elements aren’t necessary for every blog due to your industry and the type of subject you’re discussing. However, images are a must for every blog, while subsequent bullet points, bold fonts, dashes, and text boxes can certainly add to the visual appeal of a highly-informative blog.

It’s time to make a move!

If you cringe at the thought of writing blogs for your business or hiring new staff to write them, have no fear, BUILDINGBLOCKS is here! We’ll take the load off and support your digital marketing efforts so you can experience genuine success. Let’s meet to discuss what an innovative SEO strategy can do for your ROI. For additional questions or concerns, call us at 281-203-0529.

In the meantime, download your free SEO Blogs Checklist –

^{Image References}

1. ^{Child reading entertaining blog, photo concept by Ludovic Toinel.}
2. ^{Google online search query image; photo concept by Nathana Reboucas.}

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When it comes to SEO/Search Engine Optimization, every business usually has one essential goal: to increase quality leads through strategies that help customers find them online. Thus, companies still need SEO lead generation services to ensure that:

1. They show up on search results so customers can find them
2. Attract and obtain quality leads to their website, and
3. Ultimately see a significant ROI

Undoubtedly, people search for products and services online 24/7/365; but are they finding your business in their search results? If not, and it seems your site has fallen into the cyber abyss of the forgotten, most likely, there’s a lack of optimization and strategy.

Do you know your site’s SEO performance? Click below to find out!

GET YOUR FREE SEO ANALYSIS

Similar to Part I of our SEO blog article, we’ll discuss the importance of applying FOUR more fundamental web and page optimization elements in Part II. However, before implementing any of these best practices, you’ll want to have an SEO plan strategy in place to measure campaign progress and attain set goals. So, read on!

Jump to the four remaining SEO best practices now!

1. 5. Know what’s new with Google
   6. Mobile Responsiveness
   7. Analytics & Reporting
   8. Get an SEO Analysis

5. How SEO is evolving with Google and what you need to know!

As you all know, much has changed with digital marketing since COVID-19, especially with Google’s recent Algorithm and Page Experience updates. Unfortunately, just having a website alone isn’t enough if you’re looking for Google to grant a page one rank position. The bottom line is this: Every great business still needs SEO if they’re going to market online.

Although engine optimization technology continues to advance and innovate forward, companies cannot escape those core, ‘Tried & True’ SEO best practices. And simply applying these elements won’t guarantee any great accomplishment without putting the right strategy in place. So, one of the first things business owners and marketers must know is how Google works SEO.

You may have already heard about Google’s new Core Web Vitals (CWV) launched in 2020. Although I won’t go into deep detail, I do believe it’s worth mentioning. It was perhaps the most remarkable change in SEO in the last decade. And Google has quantified the element of page experience through CWVs, officially making them their newest ranking factor.

Core Web Vitals consist of three performance metrics for a page experience:

• • Load Time: (LCP) Largest Contentful Paint – which is the time it takes for your largest content asset on a page to load.
  • Interactiveness: (FID) First Input Delay – measures the time your site takes to execute a visitor’s first interaction with a webpage, be it the first response to a click-through button, link, or navigation tab.
  • Visual Stability: (CLS) Cumulative Layout Shift – processes the overall stability of your website page as it loads.

Bottom line, I highly recommend getting help with improving Core Web Vitals across the pages of your website. Why? This ranking factor is bound to significantly impact your SEO performance eventually.

6. SEO Responsiveness on Other Devices

While some businesses don’t prefer it, mobile-first web designs have become a prime element of search engine optimization. These days, millions of people search for products and services from other digital devices outside of a desktop PC. Smartphones are the top choice for searches today due to their convenience and data signal availability.

That said, companies must ensure their websites are mobile responsive. In truth, if the web design has a mobile-first focus, builders can easily convert the site UI and UX for customers using other devices like PCs, etc. Likewise, when your site is optimized for mobile search¹, and potential customers find your business from their phones, it can also help increase page rank position.

7. Routine Analytics & Progress Reporting

There’s no genuine way of knowing how well your site is progressing outside of having analytics and reports conducted periodically. Moreover, a substantial part of utilizing SEO properly is putting the correct KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in place and regularly measuring their progress. The beauty of SEO analyses and reporting is that you can make necessary adjustments over time to see what works best.

And for companies that serve in rapidly progressive industries where markets shift quickly, it may be crucial to integrate research and reports more frequently. Reporting and analytics also help you see how you rank compared to competitors so you can adjust your SEO strategy and generate more leads.

8. You don’t have to go it alone with incorporating SEO; get help from trusted and reliable experts!

To start, request a Free SEO Analysis to understand your website’s current performance position. In the report, you’ll receive a SWOT analysis summary listing essential aspects of your SEO performance, like content quality and on-site and off-site SEO.

When partnering with BUILDINGBLOCKS for lead generation SEO services, you can expect an IMPACT plan with effective strategic solutions. Our customized solutions will help ideal leads and your targeted audience find your business online during their search for quality products and services.

For immediate assistance, contact us online. As always, we look forward to serving your digital marketing needs!

^References

1. ^{Google mobile search. Photo by Arkan Perdana.}

The post Part II: SEO Can Also Increase Quality Leads for Business appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

Search Engine Optimization, aka – SEO, is the process of taking steps to help a website or piece of digital marketing content rank higher on Google. Specifically, content that someone is searching for online. And nowadays, search trends and algorithm updates continue to evolve and impact how we conduct online optimization. So, by understanding the fundamental principles of SEO analysis and strategy, you can win in online marketing.

As search engine technology persists and innovates, this 2-part article offers insight into eight of SEO’s most essential elements. Although many more factors can affect SEO, those we discuss in this blog consistently confirm the importance and relevancy of SEO and its impact on digital marketing success. Thus, for Part 1 of this blog, we’ll address four best practices.

Skip to each SEO element now!

• • 1- SEO Page Mechanics
  • 2- Content
  • 3- Keywords
  • 4- Page Snippets
  • BONUS: Working with an SEO Expert

So, let’s get into FOUR of the EIGHT best practices that keep SEO relevant and necessary for every online business. In addition, they help put you on track for developing and incorporating the best possible SEO strategy for your company.

1.     Good-Old-Fashioned SEO Page Mechanics

When it comes to page optimization, there are still RULES that every online marketer must apply. And if you don’t play the SEO game by the rules, you’ll automatically lose each time you play!

So, we must first understand that as search engine technology constantly improves, so does Google with updating algorithms. However, core SEO standards have stayed the same over the years, which means we can still apply old-fashioned mechanics (with other key elements, of course) and experience success.

Examples of Optimization Mechanics:

·         Always provide quality and relevant content.

To keep customers and clients properly engaged on your website, you want to develop consistent content that is precise, original, resourceful, and updated as needed. In addition, your information must include relevant keywords based on search intent and brand messaging. These elements incorporated into content will consistently connect your targeted audience to your business.

·         Implement on-site search engine optimization.

Ensure that page titles, meta-descriptions, image tags, headers, and content are optimized so Google² can analyze all the content on site. Bots will crawl your pages and relay information back to Google to assign an appropriate rank, so on-page SEO is key to helping increase rank position.

·         Use digital-worthy backlinks.

Be sure to concentrate on obtaining high-quality backlinks from authoritative industry resources. When some of your web pages link to the quality sites of other industry leaders, you will also move up in rank. For instance, consider gaining quality backlinks through guest blogging, content marketing, or public relations and associations.

·         Keep technical elements updated.

You’ll want to ensure your site visitors have an excellent UI/UX encounter with your online business. Marketers can help you avoid technical blunders by ensuring your web pages accomplish the following technical aspects.

1. 1. 1. Fast loading speeds (under three seconds)
      2. Maintaining accurate responsiveness on any digital device
      3. Having proper indexing

·         Incorporate industry-specific SEO ranking factors

Knowing and understanding your service industry, corporate-level competitors, and audience are critical factors in developing a sustainable SEO strategy. So, be sure to align ranking factors based on your industry. In addition, you should search industry ranking factors like word count, keyword saturation, content relevancy, etc., frequently, as they often change.

Not sure if your site is optimized to rank on Google? Find out!

GET YOUR FREE SEO ANALYSIS

2. Relevant Content + Quality Content = King Content

Since the pandemic, we’ve learned that though content length isn’t a direct SEO factor, a strong correlation exists between extensive content and improved rankings. This change is due to how Google currently associates page content with quality.

Google has begun associating quality with more resourceful and in-depth content. It’s also original, exudes authoritative qualities, and connects with audiences better. And because quality content marketing remains the “Go-To” standard for SEO rankings, you should create comprehensive data with targeted keywords to help improve your position.

However, remember that not all content is created equal. So, ensure that the optimized information on your web pages also connects and resonates with your audience. The ultimate goal that most businesses have in mind for digital marketing is to see a return on investment. Therefore, creating a lasting impact on consumers each time they experience your brand helps encourage them to act and purchase your product/service.

Overall, you’ll want your content to have quality and relevance to consistently entice and encourage buyers on their journey. King content will nurture and help them move through the sales funnel based on keyword research and their search intents for product or service solutions.

3. Keyword Analysis & Research

Keyword research is the basis of search engine optimization. Yet, the days of using one keyword to optimize a blog article, landing, and web page are long gone due to Google’s advancements in natural language processing (NLP) technology and keyword targeting. Today, you need multiple related keywords and phrases to optimize pages and get Google to rank them higher.

However, to win with SEO here, it’s best to know and understand WHO is visiting your site, HOW they arrived there, and WHY (‘What drew them to your website?’). In other words, you should have a firm grasp of buyer personas and how they impact the overall SEO strategy.

4. Rich Page Snippets with Structured Data

One of the essential SEO best practices involves how web page data shows up on a search page. For example, schema markup is a term of microdata that helps Google comprehend and take pieces of key content from a page to display it in the search results. This display shows on the results page as a snippet that attracts users to content that is most related to their search.

Google likes rich snippets like the example above. Snippets with proper data structure enable bot crawlers to show results precisely related to what users are searching for, providing an overall better UX for site visitors. In addition, businesses that leverage schema markup are already advancing against the competition. Take a look at Google’s samples of structured data in different formats so you can begin incorporating them into your SEO strategy.

Consider partnering with reliable experts for a fresh start and a conducive strategy for your digital marketing campaigns.

Like you, we want you to excel and see a return on your investment. However, obtaining page one rank position means the following:

• Developing an SEO strategy with help from professional marketers
• Implementing those various SEO elements based on the strategy plan
• Starting with an SEO analysis to determine where you are and where you want to go

Consider working with us to help your ideal customer and client find you online, connect, and start purchasing your offered solutions. So, register now to get your free SEO analysis, or contact us at your convenience so we can talk more!

^References

1. ^{Featured Image – Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Photo concept by LinkedIn Sales Solutions.}
2. ^{Google search query on-page optimization. Photo concept by Firmbee.com.}

The post Yes! SEO Remains Relevant for Business Success: Part I appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

Some businesses still think SEO is about their particular product or service and strategizing to help potential buyers find them online. But SEO isn’t just about that; it’s more-so about how people find services and products through search behaviors. This article discusses how business owners can learn to set up better SEO strategies to match searches and make real connections with their target audience. Ready to dig in? Watch Jason’s video first, then read on.

The most significant thing business owners need to know about SEO has nothing to do with their product or service.

We believe the first and single most important thing about mastering SEO for your business is understanding search behaviors. How do people find solutions, information, and opportunities online? Do you know how your target audience is finding you online, that is IF they are finding you at all? What are their search behaviors and the buying journey they take to find your company’s product or service as an essential solution, opportunity, or source of information? Most companies don’t fully understand search behaviors, and that’s okay because owners have more important things to consider when running their business.

Whether your business offers B2B or B2C products and services, you must realize that people are most likely not looking online for your particular product or service name. Instead, they’re typing keywords and phrases that will link them to solutions. So, if your product or service has keywords related to their search, you’ve set up your SEO correctly. Even more, you’ve positioned your business to be found by your ideal audience. Before we talk more about how SEO helps bring prospects to your website through lead generation and how you should engage them when they find you, let’s discuss the top problem businesses experience.

Many businesses, unfortunately, make this grave mistake when it comes to SEO.

Let’s say a cosmetic company offers a procedure and supplemental products for men with thinning hair or hair loss. We’ll call the procedure the ‘Vitta-Grow Hair Implant Solution,’ and the supplements are ‘Vitta-Grow Haircare’ products. This business’ website has keywords like ‘implants,’ ‘men’s hair,’ the ‘Vitta-grow’ name, as well as the company name. However, there are no matching keywords that directly connect a searcher’s problem or concern on hair loss to their website.

Unfortunately, this is where missed opportunities occur in that visitors cannot effectively find this particular solution to their thinning hair and loss issues. But, keywords like ‘hair loss,’ ‘thinning hair for men,’ ‘male pattern baldness,’ and ‘hair implants for men’ would have been more relevant to search behaviors. Even cosmetic retailers looking for products to sell for men could also find similar product solutions. However, the Vitta-Grow company would have had to apply the right keywords and SEO strategies.

Does this scenario make you curious about your SEO status? If so, click the link below to learn how you could get an SEO score rating on your website.

Request a FREE SEO Analysis

Here are a few things we want you to know and understand about search behaviors and why people visit sites.

1.    We know about how many times people search online each day.

If you’re like most people, you search for products, services, or information online at least three times a day. And according to HubSpot, Google processes nearly six billion online searches per day worldwide! However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, these numbers have increased substantially as online marketing search behaviors and frequency have changed.

2.    People prefer SEO snippets and some descriptive information in their search results.

Search results with featured snippets have close to 3% higher click-through rates than those without snippet descriptions. This means the average visitor is more likely to click on a featured result when descriptive information and keywords match their search.

3.    SEO keywords and phrases are “key” to every search.

Over 75% of online search volume comes from people using top keywords or keyword phrases to connect to product or service needs. Often, if a keyword is extremely broad or popular, people will use long-tail phrases with more specifics to pinpoint their search.

Just about 25% of search volume actually occurs outside of those top million popular keywords. Yet still, words that pertain to particular problems and solutions bring about the search behavior people will invoke to find specific business offerings.

4.    Some people still ask questions during their search.

In fact, nearly eight percent of Google search queries usually pertain to ‘what,’ ‘why,’ ‘how,’ ‘where,’ and ‘when’ questions. So, what’s the best way to find an answer? Ask a question. Google loves it, and the engine is already keen on providing people with the best search results possible.

5.    People tend to click more when they get great SEO results on a page!

Here’s another interesting fact on search behaviors – Over 20% of online searches lead to multiple clicks on the results page.

Source:  Teknicks- Marketing Research Survey: Google Search Behaviors

FYI: SEO is all about capturing and connecting your business with your target audience’s search behaviors.

There are multiple reasons why people conduct searches. Most times, they’re looking for information, be it locations, service and product ratings, and solutions to problems. According to Google, some online researchers find preparation and curating for an upcoming experience emotionally rewarding, so much so that they use search to optimize life. Furthermore, when people find what they’re looking for online, it helps reduce anxiety.

Overall, potential customer research provides a greater sense of control. For example, people learn what to expect and have more confidence in understanding how they can best benefit from a product, service, or experience.

Online searching does the following:

• Helps online visitors create the best experience – they know what to expect and which selections to make ahead of time.
• Gets researchers excited about their experience with a particular product or service
• Increases the power of conversion through easy purchasing and access to needed products and services
• Offers convenience – saving time and money for consumers
• Online research helps consumers feel more confident and less anxious.

Again, when a company sets up their website SEO to make vital connections to their target audience, they help make the consumer’s search experience exceptional.

So, how’s your website functioning in 2021? Is it generating the leads you want? If you don’t know, it’s time to find out!

Get your FREE Website Analysis

Below are some things your business can do to tailor SEO, get found online, and help customers find the solutions they need.

Setting up on-site SEO strategies on your website pages and applying best practices is crucial to online searchers finding your products and services. Do you need to drive more traffic to your website and help guide online visitors and prospects in their search? The following provides information on a few things you can do.

Boost your SEO locally

Consider online directories like Google My Business to claim your page, as well as making sure other online business listings, like YELP and YP, are all up-to-date with accurate NAP citations. For instance, your company name, address, and phone number are equally vital to helping potential customers and businesses find you online.

Use SEO keywords efficiently

Be sure to diversify them, utilize keywords in your headers, and tag them to your images. Remember, relevant keywords are the most effective way for researchers to find you online.

Apply and develop your content strategy

Always provide relevant and engaging content for your visitors. Effective content marketing is the only way to “nail it” when connecting with your audience. If your content is engaging and interactive on every platform, you increase your chances of converting visitors to loyal customers.

Remember to add SEO snippets and meta-descriptions to all your web pages

When your site pages show up on search results, you’ll want to have a snippet description that includes keywords to help offer relevant information.

Develop your product and/or service pages around keyword intent

When your company sets up its website pages, you’ll also want to base SEO and content on the consumer’s searched keywords.

Figuring out how to set up SEO is something no business owner should attempt to do alone.

If you’re wondering about your website’s status and how your SEO is currently set up, give us a call at 281-203-0529. We’re always excited about conducting FREE website and SEO analyses for companies curious about how well their sites are performing.

At BUILDINGBLOCKS, we make it easy to connect with us. Whether you’re looking for more information, or if you’re a veteran-owned marketing company, freely connect directly with us online. We look forward to chatting and hearing more about your business marketing needs!

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Discover the joy in knowing the difference between SEO and lead generation marketing concepts.

Since the start of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, we’ve seen how difficult it has been for companies to figure out where to put their business focus. Should we concentrate on lead generation or start working to increase SEO performance?

From our standpoint, however, the application of both concepts is vital to any successful digital marketing campaign. We’ve also learned that connecting the two concepts and how they matter to companies is not as easy for business owners to understand fully. So, allow us to explain here.

Search Engine Optimization – SEO

SEO is a marketing method that helps businesses improve their website visibility and inbound traffic as people search online for solutions to problems and seek opportunities. Companies can increase their SEO efforts organically or through SEM (Search Engine Marketing); paid advertising. Search engines like Google, for example, help rank each keyword search based on how people seek information online. Basically, SEO is the process of refining website pages to increase their rankings on a search engine results page. Again, the milestone of SEO is to increase website visibility and traffic visits from people looking for answers to problems or seeking opportunities.

Lead Generation

Wondering how lead generation works? Well, its focus is to effectively capture the interest of online visitors to products or services and ultimately produce a sale. Lead generation is an essential process for all B2B and B2C companies, and we help companies learn its five irrefutable laws for success. Overall, lead generation does three critical things for your company:

1. 1. It helps support healthy business growth
   2. Lead generation helps attract qualified leads to your website, and
   3. It provides a transition from business prospects to loyal customers

Tis’ the Season to connect SEO with lead generation to help generate traffic to your website and drive qualified leads down the sales funnel.

Experienced marketers know how to apply SEO best practices and produce the most significant impact on generating qualified leads. However, the connection involves specific steps to sales funnel success:

Know Your WHY & WHAT

The first step to connecting SEO to lead generation is to know why your company or business exists. To answer this, you must know what product or service solution your business offers to the ideal customer. Does the potential buyer or customer know that you exist and how you can help them? How does your company help improve the lives of those who patronize your business?

Apply Superb CONTENT to Improve Lead Generation

The second step is to apply exquisite and relevant content marketing about your product or service solution. Divine content is what captures the right kind of visitors and leads to your website. Consequently, it would help if you also learned your ideal customer’s search behaviors and what keywords and phrases you need to connect their searches to your solution. Then, when you create content for your website landing pages, blogs, and email marketing, it matches what they’re searching for online.

ENGAGE Your Site Visitors

Thirdly, you should always engage your visitors online. Once they’ve reached any page on your website, you must ensure that they immediately find their solution. To keep visitors engaged on your site, you’ll want to make page content, calls-to-action, purchasing and download options, lead magnets, and additional invites to seek more information readily available. Prospective leads will likely stay on a site that offers relevant quality content and a user-friendly experience.

Overall, this is a high-level description of how SEO can affect lead generation.

So, which website errors can kill your marketing SEO efforts and leave no impact on lead generation?

Unfortunately, there are five critical website mistakes or oversights that businesses commonly make, which can destroy SEO performance. They are as follows:

1. Creating content that doesn’t connect with users’ intents or what they’re searching for online

It’s one thing to research high-volume keywords that pertain to your product or service and then revise your site content with relevant keywords. And it’s an entirely different thing to utilize SEO keywords that visitors are actually looking for as you move them through your sales funnel. Content relevancy is vital in helping drive traffic to a website and closing sales. In fact, it’s the most essential SEO ranking factor.

So, business owners should always consider how potential customers are searching for solutions rather than providing content filled with keywords that pertain to what they do or offer. For example, if you’re busy providing more informational content about a product or service, you could miss opportunities to close sales. Although your SEO and lead generation efforts get visitors to your site, it doesn’t matter if you don’t make sales. For instance, if you don’t offer a buying option to those looking to purchase your product or service, you’ve missed an opportunity to increase revenue.

2. Site structured data problems

One issue that can cancel out your lead generation efforts is the structured data on your website. Data structure is the technical way businesses present their information on a particular webpage. Google describes this as the standardized way of providing page information and how its content is classified.

In its simplest state, structured data denotes code in a specific format. However, what’s most vital is that search engines like Google can decipher the structured data on a website. Reading code helps them determine what each page is about and categorize it to simplify someone’s online search to find it. So, poorly-coded structured data can result in a site not having a review snippet if it even shows up on a search page. If you’re looking to get your structured data correct and include a review markup, check out Google’s structured data testing tool.

3. Boring Metadata or Lack of Meta-descriptions

In case you didn’t know, metadata is crucial to both SEO and lead generation concepts. Therefore, you must provide excellent and enticing information about each page of your website. Web developers will program your site to send metadata from each page to a search engine; this is a top SEO best practice feature. So, when someone pulls up a page from your website, that brief data will appear in the search [head] section.

Metadata can also come in various forms, like meta titles – which help determine page ranking and the meta-description. Above all, you’ll want to make sure your metadata immediately captures visitors’ attention and pulls them onto your website. If the information is uneventful, typical, or ill-written and lacks the vital words visitors are searching for, visitors will not click over.

Do you know your website’s SEO status? If not, it’s time to find out!

Get your FREE SEO Analysis

4. Multiple primary site pages with content targeting the same SEO keyword or keyword phrase

Similar keyword focus on the key pages of your website can hurt SEO efforts; and, in turn, will do nothing for lead generation. When this error happens on a site, each page essentially competes against itself, and search engines have a hard time ranking page content – even if the content is relevant to the user’s search.

Focusing on the same keyword can also dilute the positive effects of keyword link building. Overall, you don’t want your pages to have lower CTRs, diminished authority, or lower rankings on search engines. In the end, this form of page competition within your site will cause substantial missed opportunities and nullify lead generation efforts.

5. Slow and sluggish page loading times

How long would you wait for a website page to load after you’ve clicked on it for more information? If a site’s pages take more than 3 seconds to load, visitors will promptly leave that website without engaging with its content. Thus, page speed is an important search ranking factor. Consequently, Google won’t even rank a site when its pages take longer than 3.2 seconds to load, or if visitors often leave the site after a few seconds because it’s not responsive or user-friendly. All of these factors directly affect SEO and lead generation by extension. Check out these web page speed statistics from Google!

See how your business can start benefiting from the best of both worlds.

In the story of the nativity, the bright star would have represented the role that SEO plays today in generating quality leads and guiding people to their need for a solution. Christ’s birth was a gift to the entire world, offering the solution of salvation, joy, and peace to all of Mankind on earth. SEO offers visible information and inbound marketing tactics that guide users to relevant quality content and solutions that meet their needs.

Overall, we believe that when you combine SEO best practices with lead generation strategies, it will result in both generating and getting more leads to your site. As digital marketing continues to evolve, companies can learn to utilize SEO better and see it as a critical aspect of their sales funnel, streaming in more qualified leads. At the same time, when you set it up correctly, SEO can turn your site into a great lead generating tool because it helps prospects find you online.

In case you didn’t know, professional marketing partnerships still matter when it comes to your online success.

If you run your business like most, you have a host of important things to focus on to continue growing. So, why not let us help you? SEO is the one concept you cannot ignore if you need more effective solutions and tactics for generating quality leads.

Revamping your on-site SEO and lead generation efforts isn’t as easy as you may think. You’ll need a trusted marketing partner with expertise and technical assistance to ensure improvement and help you reach your goals.

BUILDINGBLOCKS is here to help you develop or polish-up on SEO best practices that result in quality lead generation. We’re ready to work with you to help improve your online marketing efforts. So, if you’re ready to discuss keyword research, content marketing, on-site SEO, link building, and even how to correct SEO errors, connect with us online or call 281-203-0529.

We pray you have a very safe and Joyous Christmas & Happy New Year!

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Learn the Difference Between Top of Funnel and Bottom of Funnel SEO Keywords

When you consult with BUILDINGBLOCKS, you’ll learn the necessity of utilizing both TOF and BOF keywords in your marketing efforts. You’ll also learn that keywords and how potential customers search online for products and services have nothing to do with you or your business. In fact, it’s best to think of keyword searches, be it top or bottom of funnel words, as part of the buyer’s journey towards a solution. Therefore, we help incorporate your SEO keywords into relevant content so that your business becomes a part of their search narrative.

Top of funnel (TOF)

Your TOF keywords and search phrases represent general interests and surface-level online research. TOFs also mark the first phase of the sales cycle and the initial journey that prospects take when searching for products and/or services.

They capture potential leads that are in the research stage for finding a solution to their problems. For example, top of funnel phrases can include keywords like, “gluten-free diet”, which is a broad topic but begins a specific search.

Bottom of funnel (BOF)

On the other hand, BOF keywords represent each buyer’s intent to purchase specific products and services relevant to certain brands. These visitors are searching for particular products and services because they’re ready to make a decision. Bottom funnel SEO keywords and phrases also mean that you’ve driven consumers to your website and that they have reached the end of the sales cycle.

In fact, they’ve already completed their research and found viable solutions that meet their needs. Thus, bottom of funnel keywords pertaining to gluten-free foods would be phrases like – “gluten-free bakery near me”.

TOF and BOF Keyword Insights

So, what’s the key to this strategy? This approach is all about getting buyers to enter your sales funnel and follow through to a purchase or sale. You must learn to use both types of keywords to help navigate prospects to your site and eventually reach your sales goal.

The first step of the sales cycle is why TOF keywords are so important. They open the door to moving prospects down the funnel. When setting up an inbound marketing campaign to bring awareness to your product/service, you’ll want to target keywords that signify specific search patterns for information. For each business industry, TOFs inform prospects that your company knows their problem and your brand can solve it.

Sample Keyword Strategy

Let’s say someone is beginning the hunt for a new pair of running shoes as a scenario. So, the TOF keywords they might search for could be:

• • heel pain when running
  • shoes to get rid of foot pain
  • cushion running shoes
  • running shoes plantar fasciitis

By the time a buyer reaches the bottom of the sales funnel; however, they will have moved on to BOF keyword searches. These particular keywords will signify they are almost ready to make a purchase. During this phase, prospects should also be at the point of comparing different brands, checking customer reviews, and looking for the best prices.

As such, bottom-funnel SEO keywords often include terms like:

• • where to buy
  • running shoes near me
  • coupon
  • best price
  • ratings

I’d like a FREE SEO Analysis

Could you use some help with your SEO keyword strategy?

One of the greatest assets to partnering with an experienced and knowledgeable marketing firm is not having to figure out challenges on your own. We offer the necessary practical and innovative solutions companies need to address the various marketing challenges of today. The more you learn about applying the TOF and BOF keyword strategy to your content marketing efforts, the greater chances you have of obtaining quality leads.

Let us help you work on the strategies that are best for your company’s growth and ultimate success. Why not take the first step by connecting with us today? If you need immediate assistance, call us at 281-203-0529!

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What is On-Site SEO?

On-Site SEO optimizes elements within your website to earn more traffic from search engines and rank higher in results. The end goal of On-Site SEO makes it easy for both search engines and humans to:

• Learn what your webpage is about
• Identify relevant parts of your webpage for search queries
• Showcase the webpage in search engine results pages (SERP’s)

With the right On-Page SEO strategy, your content will rank keywords relevant to your customers and drive valuable traffic to your website.

Top 4 On-Site SEO Features Your Business Website Will Need

Before you hit ‘publish’ on your next web page, evaluate your On-Site SEO, and then consider the following tips to start:

1. Develop Keyword-Optimized and Relevant Content

You’ll always want to find the best keywords for your site content. At the same time, please make sure the words are relevant and that they also hold value to your audience. Overall, your keywords and content need to include:

• • Messaging that’s relevant to your theme
  • Terms that are searched for regularly
  • Various content formats like videos and images

It’s also essential that you publish and update your content on a consistent schedule. Consistency helps build credibility with the search engine and users. For example, our image below shows the importance of providing quality content on your site.

2. Implement Website Architecture

Website architecture refers to the website’s hierarchy and organizational structure. The goal is to develop a structure that allows both search bots and users access to crawl and search your site for more information. To adopt an SEO-friendly architecture, implement the following practices:

• • Keep URLs short with hyphens between words
  • Create an XML sitemap
  • Link essential pages to your navigation

Your website’s architecture needs to focus on the user experience. For example, users should be able to find any page on your site in two clicks or less. If they can, your website will have better a chance of ranking.

3. Code with HTML Formatting

HTML is a foundational coding format that prioritizes content in a readable format and easily lets search engines crawl the text, images, links, and more. When building a page in HTML, consider the following On-Page SEO factors you need to include:

• • Tags
  • Alt Tags and Images
  • Titles
  • Meta-descriptions
  • Headers
  • Sub-headers
  • Body

While you can use HTML for styling, implement CSS and JavaScript to develop an integrated user experience fully. By using HTML, search engines are more likely to serve your content in organic results to users.

4. Establish Site Authority and Trustworthiness

There are a few tasks you’ll want to complete in order to establish site authority and trustworthiness. Firstly, verify that all backlinks, signals, and citations provide search engines and users with credible content from your website to earn authority. As you build webpage authority, other trustworthy websites will take note and hyperlink your resources to their own.

Next, be sure to develop relevant content that showcases your thought-leadership. When you do this, you’ll increase trust flow and signal your credibility to search engines.

Furthermore, try connecting with other noteworthy bloggers and discuss link sharing. However, please check their domain authority first. For link sharing with other bloggers to work, their blog needs to be highly relevant to your industry.

Optimize Your Website for More Visibility

To increase your search rankings and reach more of your target audience, you need to optimize your website with On-Site SEO. The more website visitors you have, however, the more likely you’ll convert users into leads for business growth. Fortunately, BUILDINGBLOCKS can help.

Click the banner link above for a FREE analysis, or connect with us today for more information.

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