The vast majority of businesses rely on marketing to drum up interest and push sales. If you’ve got an effective marketing strategy, which engages and entices customers, this will stand you in good stead to ensure your company fulfills its potential. In contrast, if your marketing drive falls flat, there’s every chance you’ll struggle to stay above water, let alone reach the top. A growing number of businesses devote energy, money and attention to online marketing. If you’ve tried to push an SEO strategy, but you’ve failed to set the world alight, here are some of the reasons why and some tips to help you fire up a new campaign.
Common reasons for SEO failure
SEO, or search engine optimisation, can be an incredibly potent marketing weapon, but success is not a given. There’s scope for an SEO campaign to propel your business to the big time, but it has to be done properly. There are several reasons why SEO may not bring you the rewards you crave. Here are some of the most common stumbling blocks.
Bland, run-of-the-mill content
Have you ever come across the saying, ‘content is king?’ If you haven’t, this may be where you’re going wrong. There is an assumption that the quality of content isn’t the most important aspect of an SEO campaign, but this isn’t strictly true. To attract an audience and maintain their interest, you need to create original content, which is optimised in a natural way. People don’t want to read the same thing over and over again with a slightly different title. If you’re putting out the same articles, your target market is going to become bored, and your competitors may catch their eye. Focus on quality, rather than quantity, get to know your audience, and produce something that is going to leave the customer wanting more. If you’re not gifted when it comes to writing, or you don’t understand the mechanics of producing content for SEO purposes, it’s worth seeking expert advice.
Using the wrong keywords
Keywords play an influential role in determining the efficacy and reach of an SEO strategy, so it’s really important to use the right keywords and to gain an understanding of how search engines work and what consumers are searching for. You may assume that using the most popular words is the way forward, but the more people use the term, the harder it is to get noticed. If you’ve been struggling to make a splash online, it could be due to the fact that your keywords have been too popular, too specific or too short. Long-tail keywords are often more effective than single words, and you should aim to include words that are specific enough to describe your product or service, but general enough to ensure people would type them into a search box.
Being antisocial
SEO is not just about attracting customers who use search engines. In this day and age, it pays to be sociable online. Increasingly, links and posts from social media are flagged up in search results, so if you’re not already tapping into the power of sites like Facebook, it may be time to expand your social circle. If you don’t have experience of using social platforms for marketing purposes, take a look at sites like https://www.misterweb.co.uk. It pays to have an expert in your corner to advise you how to go about broadening your horizons and using social media to push your content and encourage more people to visit your pages.
Forgetting about the target customer
You could have a strategy that was technically flawless, but if you’re not targeting the right people, it still won’t work. Even if your links appear at the top of that Google page, you may not benefit from that premium piece of virtual real estate if the person conducting the search isn’t interested in what you sell. Your SEO campaign should be constructed, adapted and preened in line with what the customer wants. Get to know your audience, learn all about them, and make sure everything you do is directed towards them. For more helpful tips with market research and customer engagement, take a look at this article https://www.inc.com/tanya-hall/the-best-exercise-for-getting-to-know-your-audience.html. Every piece of content or page you share should be relevant to your target market.
Are you hoping to start afresh after an unsuccessful SEO campaign? Do you need help with using SEO to set the world alight and bring in new customers? If you’ve hit hurdles, it’s time to address issues and identify solutions. Hopefully, this guide will point you in the right direction.
