This is absolutely not a complete website strategy, but here are three great suggestions that will become a solid base for the growth of your online business.
Step One – Compile a List of Key Terms Focused on Benefits Your Visitors Want
Assume the visitors to your website do not care about you, your company, your snazzy looking website, or how cool your products and services are. The key thing they care about is what’s in it for them. Does your website speak about t how beneficial it will be for them to do business with you? If it does, great, but you can still do better. You need to communicate in the same language that your visitors do. No, I don’t mean Spanish, French, or English—I mean utilize the terms that your visitors use when they are hunting for solutions to their problems. Stop using industry terms, most people won’t know what you are talking about, and that can lead to a frustrated user. The favorite button on a frustrated user’s browser is the “back” button, and we absolutely don’t want that click.
Sit down, take your time and put on your customer hat and compose a list of keywords that they might use to search for solutions to their problems.
Step Two – Check the Popularity of Your Keywords
The beauty of the internet is that almost everything is trackable, including the number of times people search using the keywords you selected.
For example, we were working with an organization that was happy with the high rank they received for a particular keyword. We did some research and found they were indeed ranking in the top three on Google for that phrase.
We kept digging and discovered that while they ranked well for that particular keyword, it was only searched for 72 times each month (on average). We also found out they ranked 18 on Google for the plural version of that same keyword, and the plural version of the keyword had a search volume of more than 12,000 times per month .
It’s incredible that simply using the plural form of the keyword can make such a huge difference. The great thing is you have access to this information–and it won’t cost you anything! Complete a search for the Google Keyword Tool, and you will find a very helpful tool that can give you some great general information related to the search activity of your chosen keywords.
Step Three – Find out if Your Customers are More Apt to Buy When Using Certain Keywords
Just because you find your keywords have a high search volume each month doesn’t mean they are the right words. There is a tool that will give you general information about the likelihood of a user to make a purchase based on the phrases they are using.
The MSN Commercial Intent tool is a neat little device that can give you an idea if keyword terms are more apt to result in conversions (sales). You have already compiled a solid list of targeted keywords, now type them into the commercial intent tool, and it will give you a percentage that helps you determine how likely that visitor is to buy something when they use a specific keyword term.
Optimizing a website just to driving traffic, can be frustrating. You can build lots of traffic to a website, but really , the goal of your web marketing is not only to gain an increase in visits to your site—the main focus should be getting people to your site who are ready to purchase your product and/or services.
Conclusion
If you take the time and effort required to think like your customers, understand what they are looking for, and recognize when your customers are looking to make a buying decision, then you can use this information to give them exactly what they are looking for.
Website Strategy: Three Easy Steps for Improvement
This is surely not a detailed website strategy, but here are three simple tips that will set a great foundation for the growth of your website.
Step One – Compile a Set of Key Terms Focused on Benefits Your Visitors Want
Assume your visitors do not care about you, your company, your awesome website, or how good your products and services are. The only thing they are concerned with is what’s in it for them. Does your website convey the benefits they will get if they choose to hire you? If it does, well that’s great, but there’s still more to accomplish. You need to communicate in the same language that your visitors do. No, I am not talking about Spanish, French, or English—I mean utilize the words that your potential customers use when they are hunting for resolutions to their problems. Refrain from using industry lingo, most visitors won’t know what you are talking about, which can lead to a frustrated user. A frustrated user is one that is quick to use the “back” button on their browser–the one click we definitely don’t want.
Sit down, take your time and put on your customer hat and come up with a list of key terms that they might use while finding solutions to their problems.
Step Two – Check the Search Activity of Your Keywords
The beauty of the online space is that almost everything is trackable, including the number of times someone searches using the keywords you chose.
For example, we were working with an organization that was fairly proud of the high rank they received for a particular keyword. We did some investigating and found they were in fact ranking number 3 on Google for that phrase.
We kept digging and determined that while they ranked highly for that particular keyword, it was only searched for 72 times each month (on average). We also found out they ranked 18 on Google for the plural version of that same keyword, and the plural form of the keyword was searched for more than 12,000 times per month.
It’s amazing how one “s” can make such a large difference. The great thing is you have access to the same information–and it is free! Search for the Google Keyword Tool, and you will find a very useful tool that can give you some good general information in regards to the search activity of your chosen keywords.
Step Three – Determine Your Customers Intent to Buy Based on The Keywords They Use
Just because you find your keywords are searched for frequently each month doesn’t mean they are the most important to target. There is a tool that will give you general information about how likely a user is to purchase based on the keywords they are using.
The MSN Commercial Intent tool is a handy little freebie that can give you an idea if keyword phrases are more apt to result in conversions (sales). You should already have a solid list of valid keywords, now enter them in the commercial intent tool, and it will give you a percentage that measures how likely that visitor is to purchase something when they use a specific keyword term.
Optimizing a website simply for the sake of driving traffic, can be frustrating. You can gain tons of traffic to a website, but actually , the desired outcome of your web marketing is not only to flood your site with visitors—the main focus should be getting people to your site who are ready to order your product and/or services.
Conclusion
If you invest the time and effort necessary to think like your customers, understand what they are looking for, and recognize when they are ready to buy, then you can use this information to build a website that will give them what they are looking for.