Wondering why your website isn’t receiving the traffic you want? It could be that you’re not ranking for the right keywords. Try expanding your keyword list to include terms that your potential customers are actually searching for. You might be surprised at what you find!
Very Few People Search For Your Business Name
Users search for businesses that can solve their specific problems. They are not necessarily looking for your business by name. Unless you are a nationally recognized brand, it’s unlikely that people are searching for your business name on Google. Most people only become aware of your business after seeing your ad or finding you in the search results. What they are really doing is looking for a business that suits their needs, not necessarily yours specifically.
People Don’t Just Type In Your Product Name
People don’t just randomly enter the name of the item they are searching for in a search engine. They will conduct different types of searches for products depending on where they are in the buying process. Wide-ranging, all-inclusive terms like “I need a new website” might be used by someone who is just beginning to research a good or service. However, a buyer who is prepared to make a purchase will use more specific phrases, such as “Best web design firm for small businesses” or “Web design company near me.”
It’s clear from this that they are limiting their list of potential companies to those in their area.
How Does This Affect Your SEO Strategy?
Keeping an eye on customer behavior and understanding how they react to various changes in the marketplace is essential for any business owner. However, this can be difficult to do on your own. That’s why it’s important to have an SEO plan that will help you keep track of these changes and adapt your online marketing strategy accordingly.
Here are a few tips to help you get started:
SEO Tip #1: Use Location-Specific Keywords
Make sure to include location-specific keywords on your website if your company has a physical presence in a certain region. You will gain better-quality clients and rank higher for less-competitive keywords as a result of this.
For example, if you have a legal firm in Los Angeles, you would want to use search phrases like “Los Angeles law firm” or “Legal firm in Los Angeles”.
However, Los Angeles is a large city, so you could also target keywords like:
“ Pasadena law firm”,
“Long Beach law firm”,
“ Beverly Hills law firm”,
“Malibu law firm”,
“Culver City law firm”.
These will target specific areas within Los Angeles that are less competitive and will be more rewarding for a small business or startup.
SEO Tip #2: Get specific with your keywords to attract more relevant traffic.
What did you recently search for on Google? If you’re like most people, you probably used a longer, more specific keyword (or what’s called a “long-tail keyword”).
Why? Because we want relevant results! We don’t want to wade through pages and pages of irrelevant content to find what we’re looking for.
The same is true when people are searching for businesses like yours. They use long-tail keywords to find exactly what they’re looking for.
Customers might search for a product or service with a specific problem in mind that your business can solve:
For example, if you sell cosmetics, a long-tail keyword could be “makeup for sensitive skin.”
Or,
they might search for the action they want to take, like “how to do your own makeup.”
In order to meet their unique needs, they might also look for a particular category of good or service:
For example, “best foundation for dry skin” or “how to find a good makeup artist.”
Or,
they might search for a location-specific business or service:
For example, “makeup artist in Los Angeles” or “wedding makeup in New York City.”
By aligning your SEO with long-tail keywords, you can target potential customers who are further along in their buyer’s journey and more likely to convert.
So if you want to attract relevant traffic that is more likely to convert, start using long-tail keywords in your SEO strategy!
SEO Tip: Don’t forget about mobile users!
Google reports that voice searches account for 27% of all searches, which are conducted on mobile devices. With numbers like that, it’s important to make sure your website is accessible and user-friendly for mobile devices.
Consider the kinds of long-tail, question-formatted keywords that mobile users are likely to look up, such as “Where is the best location to buy a wedding dress in Dallas?” or “Which kind of wood makes the greatest cutting board?”
Another thing to keep in mind is that mobile users usually search for nearby results that are quick and easy to find. So if you’re a business that serves customers in a specific location, be sure to include location-specific keywords on your website.
Bonus SEO Tips
Have Answers For User Requests That Trigger Emotion
Let’s say you own a small business that sells organic dog food.
One way to connect with your audience and get them to conversion is by using keywords that trigger emotions like these on your website. For example, someone might be searching for “the best way to keep my dog healthy” because they feel insecure or self-conscious about their pet’s health. Or someone might be searching for “how to save money on dog food” because they feel stressed about their finances or worried about their future.
You may better relate to your audience and encourage conversions by incorporating these emotions into your SEO approach. Therefore, try to identify any emotional demands that your target market might have and incorporate those into your website’s keyword list.
Dispelling The Myth: National SEO Is The Way To Go
Many business owners have the false impression that to be successful with SEO, you must rank for national keywords. In contrast, nothing could be further from the truth! It is frequently considerably harder and more expensive to rank for national keywords than for local ones.
Even if you are fortunate enough to rank for national keywords, you will probably get clicks from visitors who are either outside your target market or not yet prepared to make a purchase. Instead, it’s crucial to concentrate on ranking for local keywords. By doing this, you will increase your chances of receiving clicks from potential customers who are genuinely part of your target market.
It is unquestionably worthwhile to concentrate on local SEO and target those long-tail keywords if you run a local firm.
If you’re feeling lost with all of this SEO talk, or you don’t know where to start, check out the best 10 SEO Companies in Rock Hill, SC.
