When making the decision to invest in search engine optimisation to bolster your in-bound marketing efforts, you want to team up with a local SEO consultant in Sydney who:

• has a holistic understanding of your business,
• is available to engage with you and
• is just as passionate about seeing your business win as you are.

The most powerful tool you have in your search are the questions you ask yourself.

Don’t worry, this isn’t some kumbaya-mumbo-jumbo-dig-deep stuff, this is just you understanding and prioritising your needs as a company.

And here are 6 questions I want you to think about:

1. 1. Are you thinking holistically and strategically about your business?
   2. Do you understand search intent
   3. Do you understand your website and how your users engage with it?
   4. Have you asked and answered the question, “What’s Next?”
   5. Does your product solve a genuine need that your customer has?
   6. Do you understand your customer’s journey?

 

Are you thinking holistically and strategically about your business?

 

It’s easy to think, from week to week, that you’ve found the silver bullet that’s going to solve all of your company’s marketing problems.  One week, you might land on social media marketing, the next on e-mail marketing and the following on paid search marketing.

But have you stopped to think holistically and strategically about your business?  What are your over-arching goals?  How do you plan to get there?  And how does SEO fit into that mix?

Marketing in a holistic way is the best approach when you are “under the strong belief that all aspects of your marketing strategy are interrelated.”

Creating content that’s been optimised for search engines is just one way of reaching and attracting your customers.

Understanding this for yourself before engaging an SEO agency will strengthen your marketing results in the long run.  But most importantly, it will help you avoid wasting resources because you’ll have a clear idea of why you’re choosing SEO as a means to reach your customers.

Do you understand search intent?

 

This concept is simple on the surface, but requires thought in practice.

I want you to ask yourself why are people searching for the terms for which you’re trying to rank.

For example on my website, RaiSays.com, there is a blog post entitled, The Ultimate Breakup Guide for Letting Go of Someone You Love.

When entering the search term “Breakup Guide” in a search engine, I imagine, a reader might be looking for help on all aspects of the recovery process after a breakup.  They want a one-stop resource that doesn’t just provide surface information about feel-good music and eating chocolate, but about all of the facets of support and encouragement surrounding the process of healing and recovery after a breakup, such as helpful books, counseling advice and emotional support.

Unless I were selling a product like a breakup guide, I wouldn’t push hard to sell anything in this particular article.  This is because the search intent is likely informative and it has the ability to allow me to develop my expertise in the eyes of the reader.

Types of Search Intent

Digging deeper into this idea, SEM Rush explains there are generally four types of search intent.

• To get to a specific website

We’ve all simply Googled a brand name with the hopes of getting to their website.  Whether the user doesn’t know the web address or can’t be bothered entering it in, the result should be the brand’s online presence.

• To learn information

This type of search should be known as the journalist’s search because it uses all of the key question words like how, what, where and why.  This search is purely to have a question answered.

• To take a certain action

These searches can be your money keywords because the people are looking to take an action, like sign-up, purchase or call.  Searches like these should be answered with clear calls to action.

• To avoid paying and get a freebie

This search aims to find some resource or service that the user doesn’t have to pay for, as a result the website shouldn’t aim to sell in these types of searches.  Even still they can still be useful in your portfolio of articles.

Do you understand your website and how your users engage with it?

 

Before investing money into getting more people to your online presence through search engine optimisation, it’s a good idea to understand how people are currently arriving at your web site and what they’re doing while they’re there.

You can consider this information to be a bit of ammunition that you can arm yourself with before going into your meetings with your local SEO consultant.

A tool like Google Analytics or Crazy Egg’s Heat Map can help you understand what’s happening when people are on your site.

If you don’t have Google Analytics set-up on your website, you can use this step-by-step video guide to walk you through it.

Once you’ve gotten a tool like Google Analytics set-up, one of the metrics you’ll want to monitor and work to keep as low as possible is your bounce rate because it’s “the key metric you need to look at to find out what’s wrong.”

What is your Bounce Rate?

The Bounce Rate measures when people arrive on your site and immediate leave it.

According to Yoast, there are 3 reasons your Bounce Rate might be high:

• The quality of the page is low
• Audience isn’t interested in what’s on the page
• Visitors found what they’re looking for

As you meet with your consultant, you’ll want to know the answers to key metrics, like your bounce rate.

Now I must put in an aside.

As you gather all of these questions and chase the answers, remember, you don’t have to do everything mentioned yourself.  If you find you don’t have time or the skillset and would rather leave it to the experts, don’t fret!

This is why you engage digital marketing and SEO consultants, however, being informed allows you to ask the right questions and get the best results possible.

The most important thing is that you’re able to engage in conversation around it, understand the concepts and understand your business.

Have you asked and answered the question, “What’s Next”?

 

Another important question you must ask yourself is what’s next?

It’s common to get so singularly focused on getting visitors to our websites that we lose sight of the conversion event we’re hoping for.

So plain and simple, what do you want your visitor to do once they’ve arrived at your website?  Always keep this at the forefront of your mind while ensuring the goal aligns with the search intent of your visitor.

While an SEO Consultant can get traffic to your site, it’s important to consider what action you want your website visitor to take once they make it there.

For example, do you want them to join your mailing list, make a purchase or simply be informed and begin to view you as an expert in your field?

Understanding this will help you view your experience with your SEO Consultant more favorably and will help you achieve your long-term goals.

Does your product solve a genuine need that your customer has?

 

This question might seem a little redundant at this point, but when you’re planning to invest in SEO for your website, you want to make sure that your product is truly addressing your customers’ needs.

The reason I ask such a basic question is because it’s not worth investing in such a key part of your marketing if your product-market fit is off.

This question requires honesty on your part and is an exercise that can be best completed with a group to create a system of accountability.

At some point during the campaign, if things don’t go as planned, your SEO Consultant may venture to say that the SEO campaign is going well, but the product is mispriced or doesn’t meet the needs of the market.

Having a clear understanding of product/market fit can avoid wasted resources during the campaign and allow the consultant to focus their energy on the areas that truly need adjustment.

Do you understand your customer’s journey?

 

Prior to purchasing any product or engaging with any service, every customer has a journey they take towards becoming aware of your product all the way through to the purchase.

Try mapping out the various stages your customer might go through and use this to guide you in understanding your customer and the content you need to create for each stage of their journey.

Why Choose a Local SEO Consultant in Sydney

 

Partnering with a local SEO Consultant in Sydney has distinct advantages and can be a great step towards strengthening your marketing efforts, increasing your profile and increasing your revenue.

Take a few moments to reflect on the questions we just discussed to enhance the experience, save resources and make the experience as useful and profitable for your business as possible.

Rachel Lemons runs the websites RaiSays.com and Flying Sparks Communications, a Strategic Communications Agency