How do you best generate leads using SEO? There are lots of different resources out there, and it can be hard to pin down exactly what you need to do. We’ve compiled a list of Dos and Don’ts for SEO lead generation best practices.
Keyword Dos and Don’ts
SEO is all about the keywords. Lead generation SEO revolves around researching to find the best terms and applying them to your website to climb the search engine rankings. But that doesn’t mean that you can just throw words on a blog post expecting to achieve results. Here are some key factors to keep in mind.
Don’t Ignore the Research
You likely feel a strong urge to start generating your content as soon as possible, but just firing off a blog loaded with keywords may not be an SEO lead generation best practice. Instead, you need to be sure you are taking the time to understand the consumer you want to reach, their search habits, and what it is they are searching for (also known as intent).
Do Keep an Eye on the Competition
One way to ensure you are generating leads is to check out the competition. One great way to improve your SEO is to see what the competition is doing and adapt or counter their SEO strategies. Follow their blogs, track their media mentions, and check out their keyword rankings to see how you can effectively tweak your approach to SEO lead generation. Once you understand their keywords and figure out if they are working, add them to your keyword list, or find even better terms to counter their strategies.
Don’t Stuff Keywords
Google has made it clear that keyword stuffing is a sure way to reduce the chances of your content ranking well on their search engine. Keyword stuffing refers to the practice of loading a webpage with an unnatural amount of keywords in an attempt to influence its ranking on Google’s search results. While you might have gotten away with that approach twenty years ago, it will actually damage your keyword rankings under Google’s current algorithms. Naturally, keyword stuffing is far from a lead generation best practice.
Do Choose Specific Longtail Keywords
Sometimes less is more when it comes to your keywords. While it may be tempting to try to rank for a keyword generating 100,000 searches per month, you’re often likelier to succeed with terms that have more modest search volumes. Broad terms like “women’s tops” or “power sprayers” will be highly competitive and very difficult to achieve strong rankings for. More specific searches, like “women’s boutique long-sleeve tops” or “pest control sprayers” will have lower search volume, but you’ll have a far greater chance of ranking on the first page for these terms. Also known as long-tail keywords, they comprise the vast majority of searches — up to 92%. Using the right long-tail keywords could help drive SEO lead generation.
Don’t Ignore Local Listings
Is your website taking advantage of local SEO? Local SEO is a massive consideration; in 2019, 46% of all Google searches sought local information. Local SEO ranks on location-specific search terms and can utilize a whole range of SEO strategies and optimizations. This type of SEO is best suited to businesses operating in specific locations or that have physical addresses, but ranking on such regional searches is vital to SEO lead generation for virtually all businesses. You should also ensure you claim any local listings on websites such as Yelp based on your niche. All of these factors are considered part of off-site visibility — your more presence across the internet beyond your own website.
Do Start a Blog
Regularly updating content is a significant aspect of SEO lead generation. Specifically, generating new, highly relevant and authoritative blog content is essential to boost your SEO value. Companies with a blog have an average of 434% more indexed pages than those that don’t.
Generating new content is vital, but don’t neglect to repurpose or to update old content, either. For example, updating your existing blog posts with new, more relevant information is a lead generation best practice.
You Don’t Need to Figure Out SEO Alone
Achieving good lead-generating SEO strategies for your website can be reached independently, with solid research and attention to detail. However, why not consult with an expert? Our methodology has created a ranking of the best SEO services on the internet to help generate leads for you. If you have questions about how these services stack up, you can always contact us for more information.