Businesspeople often ask: if search engine optimization (SEO) and lead generation are separate marketing concepts, why do they keep overlapping?
Here, we will discuss the role of SEO in lead generation so it becomes easier for business owners like you to focus on other priority aspects of your company.
But, before we explore how these two ideas complement each other, let’s take a look at what they mean.
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization is the process of adjusting different aspects of your website to improve its visibility and rank on search engines like Google and Bing. Properly-optimized websites can help your business appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) every time someone searches for something related to your business.
Optimizing your website includes keeping visitors on the page by improving its speed and performance and creating relevant content using keywords. Applying techniques of local search engine optimization in Toronto can offer you:
But how does SEO help with the generation of sales leads? First, let’s define ‘lead generation’.
What Is the Meaning of Lead Generation?
For most business owners, lead generation means getting a consistent stream of quality leads who are ready to make a purchase. Lead generation is a marketing campaign that focuses on capturing the interest of consumers in your product or service with the ultimate goal of making a sale.
Amongst fierce online competition, lead generation campaigns play an important part in the growth and success of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies.
Lead generation helps in:
Lead generation involves different strategies, including paid advertising, landing pages, calls to action, and quality content. All attempt to persuade your website visitor to convert into a paying customer.
Now that you have a clear idea about SEO and lead generation, let’s see how SEO’s best practices can help generate more traffic and quality leads.
1. Keyword Research
When it comes to SEO, keywords play a major part in turning visitors into leads. How? At a basic level, there are three stages to the sales funnel: awareness, consideration, and decision. So, if you want to convert a visitor into a lead, you have to do your keyword research in a way that identifies their needs at every step of the sales journey. This will eventually lead them towards a purchase decision.
For example, if a user is searching for a ‘new shower glass door’, they will type those words into a search engine. Next, they might search for variations on shower glass or prices. So, you have to use keywords that align with your business and ideal leads (consumers who are searching for information about what your business offers). Without proper keywords, prospects may never find you when they go looking, which is why keywords are the cornerstone of your SEO strategy.
You can use your researched keywords in the following places:
You can use Google AdWords to start your keyword research. There are many other keyword planning tools like Google’s Keyword Planner and Google Search Console to further improve your keyword research and enhance your content. You should also research long-tail keywords. (These are search queries that consist of 3-5 words and tend to be more specific to the user’s search intent). These are easier to rank for than short-tail keywords and have relatively lower competition and higher conversion rates.
When you have the right keywords in your toolbox, they will help connect you with prospects looking to buy what you are selling.
2. Quality Content
Keywords are nothing without stellar content. This powerful tool not only engages visitors in your business but converts them into customers. You can even use content as a shareable resource to reach new audiences. Here is how content works for your business.
When readers use a search engine to find information about a product/service that you offer, they will come across different content that answers the question they want answered. Examples include blogs, web pages and social media posts that provide information that facilitates a purchase.
So, when you offer high-quality, engaging, and trustworthy online content, users will find your brand before others. This will help convince leads that you are the best possible company for what they are looking for. This will also allow you to build relationships and convert leads into paying customers.
That’s why a major part of any SEO campaign is creating targeted copy written with the focus of turning your most important leads into paying clients. Some of the most popular and effective content used for marketing purposes are:
Using varied content forms like these with relevant keywords can drive more customers to knock on your e-commerce door.
3. Link Building
When it comes to SEO, link building is another critical aspect of the process. By creating links to your website, you can improve your SERP ranking, leading to more leads and sales.
There are many ways to build links to your website. The most popular is to publish guest posts on popular websites. This allows you to get your business website in front of a new audience. It can also build backlinks to your website.
Another method of link building is to submit your website to directories like Directory Mozilla (DMOZ). This multilingual open-content directory of World Wide Web links is compiled by volunteers and can help get more exposure for your website. When other websites link to yours, it gives Google a message that your website is valuable and worth ranking in the SERPs.
But before you start link building, you need to know that not all links are the same. For example, the value of a link from an established website like Forbes or Deloitte is not equal to one from a new website. Getting links from those big websites is tough, but it is worth it to get links from sites with a higher domain authority.
You can also share your content on different social media platforms to get more exposure for your website and build links to it.
4. Local SEO and Mobile Optimization.
In today’s world, two of the most significant changes in SEO practices are the emphasis on local SEO and mobile optimization. Since almost everyone uses a smartphone, most web traffic happens on mobile devices. This emphasis on local SEO became more prominent during the pandemic.
Local SEO has become more essential for consumers who are using mobile devices to search for businesses because a large portion of those searches have local intent. People are more likely to visit a local business after doing some primary research about nearby businesses. So, if you want to drive business to your physical or e-commerce store, focus on local SEO and ensure your digital presence is optimized for mobile.
G Web Pro Knows SEO
If you want to stay competitive and relevant, SEO is the key to your business’s success. It will not only increase your reach and visibility but also help boost your sales by generating more leads. But driving potential customers through the sales funnel can be time-consuming. When you don’t have the time or expertise to do it yourself, a trusted SEO agency in Toronto like G Web Pro does. Our talented internet marketers are passionate about SEO, and their expertise can help grow your business to new levels of success.