UGH! WHAT THE HECK IS SEO/SEM!?
So you’re a business owner and you’re trying to navigate an increasingly digital world. You have a Facebook account and even an Instagram; you paid someone to build a website for you. You’ve been in business for a while and haven’t gotten over the hump…
“What the heck, why am I not making any FRICKING MONEY!?” you exclaim.
“WHY AM I NOT MAKING MONEY? I’M JUST SPENDING AND LOSING!”
So… were the neighsayers right? Your spouse or parent or friend that said you can’t make it and you have a bad idea… you remember the conversation(s). Maybe they were right, and if so then quit; but if not, then there is probably just a problem with your web presence.
Here is the low down, if you are selling enough to get by and have a few loyal customers then you probably have a fine product. The questions to answer are
- Do I have a good message that tells my potential clients how great my product is?
- Am I amplifying my message and pointing my bulhorn in the right direction?
I always tell my clients, “I can’t make your product good, I can only help you hone in your message and amplify it with a snipers scope.” How then do we have a good message and amplify it to the right people?
GREAT QUESTION!!! I am SOO glad that you asked. Your web presence is hollistic, and this is how you have to view it.
Imagine an engine: there are moving gears and belts that all have to work together. When it comes to your web presence there are a few things that really work together.
- Listings
- Reviews
- Social
- Website
- Ecommerce (if applicable)
- Advertising
- SEO
Let’s dive into those above listed super duper important things that make you money: but remember, the fuel to the engine is your message, and your oil/lubricant is your excellence.
Listings
Your listings are like the modern phone book. The MOST IMPORTANT LISTING is Google My Business. The second most important is Facebook. Beyond those two you have (on average) 70 available listings. I’m going to teach you an important word:
Indexing (verb): When Google (and other search engines) scour the world wide web to determine whether or not you are relevant and your information (literally everywhere) is accurate. (This word is going to be especially important when we are actually speaking about SEO (search engine optimization).
The reason that your listings are important is because search engines will index your listings and determine a score of reputability of your website and business within your industry compared to your competitors.
Reviews
If you don’t understand why peoples opinions are important then you don’t understand the fundamentals of selling stuff. Here are the important parts of reviews:
- Quality: do you have a high average on your reviews? Like 4.7% average? That is what is required in most industries. Not only does Google look at that but your prospects also judge you hard based upon your average.
- Quantity: if you have 1,000 god reviews then Google will recommend you above someone with 1 good review for obvious reasons, you are tested and true. Your prospects also care about this for obvious reasons.
- Regularity: how many reviews have you had in the last 30 days? Google is on to all of us, you can’t just get a big spurt of reviews in the beginning and then forget about it, Google wants to know that people are regularly reviewing you. You must have a review request form that you send to clients when the product or service is provided.
Social
Social media is a blessing and a curse. Don’t like it? Don’t own a business then. You need to have the top three AT LEAST and you need to have links to them on your website. The top three are:
You also need to be regularly posting on these platforms: at least once per week if not once per day or more. Beyond just posting, you need to ENGAGE! Commenting on others content and responding to your comments is what all of the major platforms look at. Don’t create crap; go to Canva.com, get a free or pro account, use their templates to make pretty things, and then write sentances and questions that people want to respond positively to.
Website
Your website need to fulfill a few important things in the engine.
- It needs to be fast: the average Americans attention span is 8 seconds, compared to the goldfish at 9 seconds. If your website is lagging then you’re losing people before they read a single thing.
- You can’t have too large of content: the biggest reason for this is that it takes up space on your server and will slow you down.
- You have to have a video on the homepage: people have small attention spans, everything should be in video format, they’re lazy. SPOON FEED THEM!
- All of your social media links need to be on your website
- The website has to be mobile friendly: more and more users are consuming on their phones
Ecommerce (if applicable)
If you can sell your product online legally and practically then let me step on your toes: you’re dumb if you don’t have a buy now button online. The world is increasingly digital; Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest man on earth and only increased his wealth through COVID-19. Why? Because from the beginning of his business he knew that selling online was the way of the future.
“Well what if I can’t sell online?” Well, you probably can. If you really can’t then create a booking link and have a call now button. Make it happen however you have to. Your website is now your new lobby.
Advertising
Here are the important places to spend the budget if your have it.
- Google Adwords
- Facebook Ads
If you have an extra $500/month laying around then that’s what a minimal budget for Google AdWords or Facebook. The big question is which place will be best for your to spend if you have limited budget.
Some one offs to invest in if you have a lot of money to test new ideas and want to hire me are:
- YouTube Pre-Roll Ads
- Tik Tok Ads
Your advertising is a gear that isn’t always necessary, but it puts your engine into overdrive. However, your message is of the UTMOST importance when it comes to ads.
SEO
Alright, here is the real reason that you starting reading this in the first place. I have some sad news for you, everything that I talked about above is part of SEO/SEM. Beyond the last issues listed, you need to spend time figuring out your keywords.
One especially important part of SEO is plugging in Google Site Kit into your backend (if you’re using WordPress.org). Once your plug it in then attach your Google AdWords and google Analytics. Review these statistics on a regular basis (most specifically, the keywords found in search results that land on your pages) and then start packing those keywords into your site.
Here are a few important ways to pack keywords into your site:
- Create a blog: write relevant blogs that engage people. Even if people don’t engage with your blog, those keywords work in your favor when Google indexes your site
- Your photo titles, description, and alt-text: pack keywords into photos. Google can’t read your photo except for your titles. Every photo should be made to work in your favor.
- Your site description: it’s simple yet powerful. Not only is Google indexing this but so is your prospect.
I truly hope that this blog post added value to you and your business. If you want to dive deeper and receive a free Snapshot report of your businesses web presence the check my schedule below to book an SEO/SEM Web Presence Strategy Session. I want to help you succeed and amplify your message.