What Is SEO in Digital Marketing?
Every website aims to gain visibility and conversions to increase its bottom line. One of the most effective ways to drive traffic and increase conversions is by incorporating search engine optimization (SEO) strategies into your digital marketing game plan.
This is important because, according to research, approximately 75% of internet users will not go past the first Google results page. This means the higher your website ranks, the more likely a user will visit your page and ultimately make a conversion.
This is easier said than done, as SEO involves multiple factors and requires expertise to be used effectively. Luckily at Cork Tree Creative, our team is trained and experienced in SEO writing and can successfully implement SEO tactics into your website strategy.
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
SEO stands for search engine optimization and is the process of improving a website's placement in search engine results pages (SERPs). To rank on search engine results pages, an author typically writes content that has three primary goals in mind: EAT. EAT stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. So, what does this mean for your content?
Prior to writing, an SEO author conducts extensive keyword research and gets familiar with their target audience. This enables the author to create content that aligns with what their target users are searching for and caters to their user intent. Contrary to popular belief, SEO should not come across as artificial and lifeless but rather empathetic, answering questions that users didn't even know they had. When you hit this sweet spot in SEO content writing, more people engage with your page, and Google recognizes your website's success, gradually pushing it up on the search engine results page. Websites rank higher when the content is easy to locate and read and when it's relevant and corresponds to people's search queries.
Fundamental SEO factors include creating quality content, improving user experience, and on-page optimization for specific keywords. Your website content must include competitive keywords that match your target audience’s search queries. It should also have accurate information so that readers and Google view your website as credible.
On the more technical side, SEO also deals with components, including optimizing page titles, headers, meta descriptions, image alt text, and internal links, all to improve user experience. The user experience involves mobile compatibility and user-friendliness, enabling effortless information retrieval and consumption.
Why Is SEO Important?
Visibility is one of the biggest benefits of SEO because it drives sales and conversions. Marketers who incorporate SEO strategies into their websites increase their search engine rankings and improve their bottom line. Having higher rankings gives your website more branding awareness and traffic. The more people click on your website, the more likely they will convert.
Conversions happen when users do something positive on your website like purchase a product or fill out a form. According to research, 78% of Google searches result in an online conversion. Although paid ads are an easy and effective way to convert, not everyone has the budget for this type of pay-to-play game. SEO is cost-effective for businesses since they generate conversions and boosts their return on investment (ROI).
How to Use SEO For Your Business
To enhance your business's success rate, it's important to utilize different types of SEO, including on-page, off-page, technical, and local SEO. These tactics work together and are crucial for increasing website visibility and sales. Cork Tree Creative has expertise in all types of SEO and can help optimize your website for success.
Our SEO process at Cork Tree starts with understanding the target audience of the business we're working with. We then conduct competitive keyword research to find out which keywords their competitors rank for. Next, we look for relevant and effective keywords that the website can rank for. For example, a large corporation with extensive knowledge may be able to rank for a keyword with 80% difficulty, while a newcomer to SEO may only be able to rank for a keyword with 40% ranking difficulty.
Once we've conducted our thorough keyword research, we begin piecing everything together. We focus on internal links, user intent, empathy, and keywords. Once we've written the content, it undergoes multiple rounds of edits before we upload it to the website. We carefully choose the meta details, such as the SEO title, meta description, and website slug. To increase the page's interactivity, we also include relevant alt text and titles for featured and internal images. Once everything is perfect, we publish the page.
However, publishing the page is not the end of the process. We add the page link to other relevant pages on the website to help users navigate the site. We also create social media posts to drive users to the website and ensure the page remains relevant by updating internal links and copy. These elements are crucial to achieving SEO success.
How to Use Keywords for SEO
Keyword research is a vital aspect of SEO. Picking and using targeted keywords in your content increases your website rankings. Search engines rank keywords that align with words users type into search engines.
We recommend developing content for SEO that matches your keywords and the user’s intent. You want these two things to complement each other. An easy way to find targeted keywords is by using free tools that generate top-rated keywords. Once you have found your keywords, it is important to implement them properly.
This very strategic and technical process involves writing quality content that targets your audience. Since search engines base their rankings on expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, your website should intertwine these three qualities. Craft your website copy with on-page SEO tactics and keyword research for maximized results.
What Is Technical SEO?
SEO is more than just writing; it’s also about user experience. Technical SEO improves the nitty-gritty of SEO, like site speed and loading time. You want your website to be user-friendly and easy for Google to crawl, making it easier for search engines to rank it. Successful technical SEO focuses on improving website user experiences so they stay on the page longer, make a conversion, and recommend the website to others.
With millions of websites on the internet, it is too easy for users to quickly exit a page if they find it hard to navigate. This is why it is crucial to make websites user-friendly so they stay engaged.
Organizing your website’s structure, improving your website’s mobile responsiveness, and increasing your website’s security help improve your website’s technical SEO for higher search engine rankings.
Local SEO Services
Local SEO optimizes websites to rank higher in local Google searches. Any business can benefit from local SEO if it has a physical location or serves a geographical area. Google search engine algorithms consider the user's location when they search local keywords. This happens even when a user doesn’t search “near me.” Optimizing your business for local SEO boosts ROI and visibility.
At Cork Tree Creative, we have the tools, skills, and experience to optimize each SEO type successfully. Our SEO-savvy content writers, web developers, and strategic planning services work together to create effective SEO solutions to drive traffic and improve your website performance.
