When times are hard, it can be more difficult to drive customers to the point of sale, but the right SEO tactics can help you keep your head above water.
The UK is currently experiencing a cost of living crisis, one which has made us all more wary about where our money is going. This includes business owners, who are taking a closer look at their budgets in order to determine where cuts can be made.
For some, marketing may take a hit, including SEO. However, this could be the wrong choice for your business in the long run, as SEO is a vital tool in helping organisations reach new audiences and stand out above the competition.
With that in mind, we’re going to take a closer look at the importance of SEO, and explore some key steps you can take to keep your SEO efforts strong when the purse strings are tight.
Why is SEO important to your marketing plan?
SEO – or search engine optimisation – aims to help businesses show up higher on search engines, as results for terms related to their services. It’s about using words you can monetise, without having to pay for ads.
Google and other search engines are constantly updating their search algorithms, so frequent and up to the minute SEO research is vital in order to get the most out of your marketing efforts. SEO is all about getting your business seen, which is why many businesses seek out the support of award-winning experts like PN Digital SEO Agency London.
The advantages of SEO
There are a wide number of benefits to SEO, but generally speaking these can be split into one of two categories, highlighting the two key advantages of a strong SEO effort for your business. These advantages are:
- SEO can indirectly help your other sales channels. This creates a more productive and rewarding online presence for your business overall. For example, by optimising your website you make sure it loads quickly and is mobile friendly. This can then increase ad relevance and decrease your costs per click.
- SEO is a necessary safety net that provides consistent leads and sales. You can’t expect people to find your website without a decent SEO effort on your part, and no viewers means no customers.
Implementing SEO into your marketing plan allows you to boost your profile and enjoy more sales, simple as that, which is vital during tougher economic times.
Master the basics of SEO
Keywords are the foundation of SEO, but it’s no longer enough for businesses to simply stuff their content with search phrases and hope for the best. In fact, this technique will most likely do more harm than good, as Google seeks out relevant, useful and readable content with something worthwhile to offer.
Create content that showcases your knowledge and expertise, while organically incorporating 2–3 examples of key phrases your potential customers might be searching for. Look for terms that strike the right balance of popularity and competitiveness.
None of this has to cost you a dime. In fact, there are numerous free tools out there designed to help business owners and content creators make sense of SEO. Some, for example, will tell you what you need to do to help your site load quicker, as neither customers nor Google are fans of slow loading webpages.
Make sure your business website has a clear user journey for visitors to follow. Your site should answer key customer questions and showcase your knowledge, as the more you can show Google that you know your stuff, the more it will recommend you to potential buyers.