Written by: Kathryn Sturtevant
Forbes recently came out with an article, PR Trends That Will Help you Dominate 2017: Part I by John Hall. Offering helpful tips for the aspiring to the mature public relations practitioners, Hall describes how to make 2017 your year. What stood out the most was the concept of bridging the gap between public relations and marketing departments when it comes to SEO. Perhaps I’m intrigued because I’m a digital nerd, or the fact that he highlights a topic that is becoming a norm in new media.
If you are like most, you have little to no idea what SEO is or how it works. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the organic, or non-paid, online marketing with the intent of growing attention/visibility through search engine results page (SERP). It means creating web content with keywords that will make the content visible when searching on sites like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. You could compare this system to hashtags that allow you to see posts by keywords on social media but on a grander scale.
Why is SEO so important? Search engines are the modern day Yellow Pages, especially when it comes to shopping. In a recent study by Forbes Insights, 82% of shoppers conduct online research before they make a purchase. That means eight out of 10 shoppers will turn to the internet to be their personal shopper and if you and your client are not in the SEO mindset, then you will be left out of the purchasing game.
Ways to improve your client’s SEO:
- Be a keyword expert. Research what keywords people are searching for and make sure your client is on the radar when put to the test.
- Make sure your client’s content is high-quality. As Hall mentions, Google continues to reward high-quality content on high-quality sites. So make sure your client’s websites are leading in their industries.
- Get in the routine of updating content on those sites regularly. No one likes old news, so make sure the content on your client’s sites are fresh and new.
- Optimize your client’s sites. Use engaging elements like tags, links and interactive tools to provide the best product online.
- Website efficiency. Make sure your client’s websites load properly and quickly. Time is valuable and users will go the next website if it is taking too long to load.
At LuckyTamm, we are experts in SEO and know exactly how to optimize content to help our clients get to the top of their SERPs. We take pride in educating ourselves with the industries trends so that we can create the best product for our clients to put in the online world. Email us now with your SEO questions.