In this blog post we’ll look at what may be deemed a very critical element of web analytics; search engine optimization (seo). What is it? In a nutshell, it’s the different tactics used to enhance or improve a website’s performance in search rankings on a search engine results page (SERPs). Think of the numerous Google searches you would have conducted. Have you ever paid attention to which results appear at the top of page? Or even asked yourself how results end up in the number one position? That is, the search results that don’t have Ad at the top left, indicating that it was paid for. We won’t focus on these in the post. We’re only concerned with the results that appear organically. Meaning results that utilised techniques to optimise their positioning.
GOOGLE SEARCHES
Based on the searches you’ve conducted, ever found results on the first page only having links to the same company or brand? Try this, the next time you’re on Google conducting a search, take the time to conduct this micro experiment. For your first search, type YouTube in the search bar, then review the results, then type online video platforms in the search bar. Do you see any results for YouTube on the first page? Now try this, in the Google search bar, type liquid makeup, look at the results. Then type liquid foundation, do you see a difference?
YouTube would have dominated the first page of your initial search. Though it appears at the top of the listing for online video platforms,
it’s not included among the results on the first page. In the second search conducted, Amazon held the first two positions after the images and people also ask
followed by target in your search for liquid makeup, but when you searched for liquid foundation, this wasn’t the case, as
www.byrdie.com would have been in the top ranked position.
Should this be important to marketers? The answer is a resounding, YES! Is it possible to operate in our digital age without understanding these results? Short answer, yes, it is. However, given the number of media channels available, the dominance of social media and the prevalence of handheld devices to access information, marketers will need to understand how search engine ratings work and how they need to rank for them if they wish their websites to remain competitive. In other words, it is a fundamental element that can be capitalised on to ensure your intended target audiences are receiving your messages, in the designated places you have positioned them. To do otherwise, in this digital age, is tantamount to giving over your market share to your competitors and negating your growth potential.
With this understanding, we now need to look at how we should approach this critical element of web analytics. It is mind boggling the amount of information available everywhere on this topic. As a marketer, it’s not only important to know what seo is, but how best to maximise your efforts to strengthen your online presence by generating increased traffic to your website. If this sounds technical, it's because this is no easy feat.
IMPORTANCE OF KEYWORDS
This week I learnt the value of keywords and their role as one of the strategies that adds value to seo. Keywords and keyword phrases may be considered a website’s lifeblood and is essential to improving a site’s rankings. Moreover, when used effectively they serve to position a company/brand in the highly sought-after top position on SERPs.
SEMRUSH
Those of us who are more the creatives of the marketing industry may not have the web development and technical skills required to navigate the minefield of the HTML in the background our company’s/brand’s websites. Fortunately, there are tools available to aid in this endeavor and one such tool that consistently appears at the top of the rankings is SEMrush.
This software is considered an all-in-one marketing tool and is ideal in helping you manage and monitor the performance of your campaigns. But one of the most compelling arguments for this product is its competitor analysis. One of the more tedious assignments for marketers is monitoring the competition. If you happen to have the advantage of being a part of a very small niche industry; then monitoring your competition may be slightly easier. But for many of us, this is not the case. And when the field is vast, competition monitoring can be daunting. Hence, every competitive advantage should be sought to tackle this task and the SEMrush software, provides just this competitive edge.
Imagine you’re a newcomer to the cosmetics industry and you intend to launch your own liquid makeup. Think of the competition you’d have to face with already established brands like Revlon, Maybelline, L’Oréal, and Estee Lauder for example. In addition to competing with store brands like NYX and Morphe. Now think back on our earlier Google search experience where Amazon enjoyed the top two rankings in this category. Amazon is a GIANT and attempts to outrank it, would be futile. So how would you even begin to launch your product and make a splash instead of a ripple, even with the advantage of social media platforms at your fingertips?
The best way to stand out in this already saturated market is to find a yet untapped segment or create your own niche. How do you do this, by letting software do the work. It would help you determine which keywords would be more attainable for you to rank for to best position your new brand. Specificity in research would therefore be optimal. In this case, the ingredients of your product could be used as a selling point, along with the fact that its best suited to women of colour, who have oily skin and are more mature in age. So, by plugging in phrases like women of colour liquid makeup or best makeup for darker skin mature women, you should yield more manageable results than what was obtained in your earlier search. Though considered on the pricey side with a $100 monthly fee, SEMrush allow for full service digital marketing assistance that's guaranteed to increase your company's online presence.
IN CLOSING
Until next time, I’ll leave you with this link to
WebFX which breakdowns the benefits of SEMrush as a fundamental tool to search engine optimisation.
Reference:
WebFX. (n.d.) What Is SEMrush and Why Should I Use It for My Business? Retrieved from https://www.webfx.com/digital-marketing/glossary/what-is-semrush/
