Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
How to Become an SEO Expert
Search Engine Optimisation – three words that have become commonplace in the current landscape of marketing due to the sheer level of importance they hold right now. After all, search engines have become so prevalent in the internet space that it has become the need of the hour for businesses…
Search Engine Optimisation – three words that have become commonplace in the current landscape of marketing due to the sheer level of importance they hold right now. After all, search engines have become so prevalent in the internet space that it has become the need of the hour for businesses to understand the relevance of sites like Google and see to it that their ranking on these search engines is at a respectable level. This, in incredibly simplified terms, is what SEO is all about – adopting certain marketing practices that help improve the visibility of the website on search engines which, in turn, improves overall traffic.
However, simply knowing about the concept of SEO doesn't ensure that your marketing strategies will witness breakthrough success. Here are some things that a business needs to keep in mind if they wish to optimise their SEO practices and make the most of their investment in this particular marketing strategy.
- Get an understanding of how SEO works: It’s honestly surprising as to how many businesses skip this crucial step. After all, it’s imperative to attain some basic knowledge about SEO before one can choose to practice this strategy from the get-go. Learning the basic concepts and then educating oneself about more complicated terminologies is the preferred course of action to take. Google actually has a starter guide that will help immensely in this regard, along with a few courses to understand the more complicated aspects of this strategy.
- Understand Search Engine Marketing (SEM): One might think that Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation are two different things, which is right to an extent. However, at the same time, someone can also argue that they’re two sides of the same coin. Therefore, it’s imperative to ensure that a business understands the various strategies that fall under the umbrella of Search Engine Marketing. Knowing about these strategies and executing them to a T is a sure-fire way to ensure success for your entire digital marketing strategy, including SEO.
- Track and analyse the metrics: SEO is all about the numbers, which makes it essential for businesses to understand exactly what makes this strategy tick. This is where SEO metrics come into play. Everything from keywords, hits, rankings, and whatnot play a critical role in measuring the effectiveness of your SEO services strategy. If a business wants a respectable ranking on a Search Engine Rankings Page (or SERP for short) for their website, then these metrics should be analysed at all times for greater effect. Google Analytics is probably the best and most popular tool in this regard.
- Stay updated about the rules: There are no such things as hard-and-fast rules in SEO. The algorithms that govern the functioning of search engines keep on changing all the time. Becoming an SEO expert mandates the need to stay up-to-date with these ever-changing rules so that the SEO campaigns being carried out presently don’t become irrelevant. Something as simple as reading up on SEO news outlets and figuring out what Google is up to will go a long way in this regard.
Converting leads into customers is one of the biggest challenges faced by any company – a challenge that can be met through the application of inbound marketing. By invoking a genuine interest in the brand, customers will be more inclined towards the products and services that are offered.
Thinking specifically about inbound marketing projects, what are your company’s top priorities?
A major aspect of inbound marketing is the generation of organic reach, which can be done through the tried-and-tested practice of 
Given different marketing challenges based on your industry and business model, you, as a marketer, can address your organization’s business pain points via creating content that is aligned the overarching business objectives. By generating a certain level of trust and rapport with your target audience through effective inbound marketing practices, generating traffic and leads becomes significantly easier.
What content distribution channels do you plan to add to your marketing efforts in the next 12 months?
The consensus in the marketing world is that video content is the easiest to digest, and the prominence of free video platforms like YouTube, Facebook Video, and Instagram help promote this notion.
Focusing on customer retention is the biggest acquisition lever you have in the long-term. Losing a prospect midway is incredibly frustrating for any company, however applying inbound marketing methodology – attract, convert, close, delight – can offset the negative impact of your customers leaving you too soon via effective nurturing and listening.
What is more difficult to do in sales compared to 2 or 3 years ago?
Outbound marketing technically forces the consumer base to interact with the brand – an action that has many negative connotations. By enticing your customers to have a vested interest in the brand through inbound marketing, the frequency of customer responses will unequivocally increase as a result of earning their attention over a period of time and creating value across the customer touchpoints.
In your opinion, what part of the sales process do reps struggle with most?
The entire process of identifying, prospecting, qualifying, and closing becomes easier when customers are genuinely interested in what the brand has to offer. However, sometimes, buyers, instead of following a linear journey arrive into a ‘spaghetti bowl’ – they’d still need directional content that can move help them move swiftly through the sales funnel. And that’s where using inbound marketing flourishes.
What has been the most successful channel for your sales representatives to connect with a prospect?
A direct call is always effective when it comes to connecting with a prospect, but if it seems too intrusive then other channels can be taken to contact a potential lead as well.
Which is the top source of leads for your sales organisation?
The major reason why inbound marketing is gaining so much traction is that – unlike outbound marketing – sales are generated by constructing a proper reputation for the brand, which will compel people to interact with the brand of their own volition. Thus, doing so will help improve the overall sales of the organisation by a considerable extent.
A disconnect between the sales and marketing divisions can prove to be quite costly – take the example of a 2015 case study, where it was noted that a disconnect between these processes led to 
This graph speaks for itself – no matter how effectively your business might be functioning, it’s only through the application of quality 
The business that want to ensure the success of their strategies must understand how imperative a Service-Level Agreement (SLA) is. It is a contract between the sales and marketing departments that defines the level of service expected from each division of the business. This helps facilitate a sense of transparency and allows for both departments to perform to their utmost potential.
At the end of the day, trust is the most significant factor that will compel a buyer into purchasing a product. Establishing this rapport is crucial to ensure the success of one’s business ventures.
How do you prefer to communicate for business purposes?
By keeping a track of consumer preferences and following the proper lines of communication, marketers will be able to deploy optimal marketing strategies and solutions to suitably target their audience and increase sales by a substantial margin.
So, what are the takeaways from this report?
How long has it been since you logged into your Facebook or Twitter using a laptop? We are assuming that you cannot even recall the last time you did it. Well, owing to the digital transformation affecting the businesses as well as consumers at a rate faster than ever, everything is in your hand; just a click away! Not only this, with growing digitalisation, searches are happening through the voice medium more than the traditionally written word searches, which makes it imperative for marketers to get the best out of their marketing automation efforts.
For instance, companies are increasingly using ‘Chatbots’ to deliver unmatched personalised customer care services to their target audience. Though the use of chatbots has increased and their scope has widened with brands using them to cater to all their customers’ needs and queries, the question that still remains is - are we personalising them and making them more humanistic? Automating marketing processes is essential, what is more important is personalising them. It is vital to understand which marketing processes to automate to maximise the efficacy of marketing automation.
