Search engine optimization (SEO) is the holy grail of online marketing. It also happens to be the most misunderstood concepts in online marketing as most webmasters are blinded by the pursuit of high ranking. It seems most website owners are willing to sacrifice their investment just to rank highly on search engine result pages (SERPs) despite the increasingly still Google webmaster guidelines.
Shortsighted SEO
One of the most ignored aspects of SEO is the value of content. In the rush to the top of SERPs ranking, most website owners are solely dependent on bottom-of-the-funnel lead generation techniques. This has pushed quality content to the periphery once again. While focusing on lead generation is important, you have to appreciate the place of top-of-funnel content in your SEO strategy.
The Place of Top-Of-Funnel Content
At a glance, it might seem that content might not lead to top-ranking but the question you need to ask as a website owner is the value of the traffic you are attracting. While your SEO strategist might promise quick ranking for your target keywords, you need to look at the larger picture; top-of-funnel content is not a one-off strategy but rather a long time idea to create more meaningful engagement with visitors.
Think of the place of high quality educational pages in helping your target audience make a purchasing decision. More importantly, think about the recommendations you will get from users who have found value on your website by reading your content. Focusing on top-of-funnel content helps to:
• Drive interest in your products and services. This is the dream of every webmaster and remember the more a prospect is on your website the higher the chances of converting.
• Crate awareness and improve visibility: If you want people to share your content, then make sure you are providing value. No one wants to share generic content and hence top-of-funnel content will increase your brand mentions even on social networks.
• Reduce bounce rates: Quality content immediately catches the attention of quality traffic. If someone is looking for herbal supplements at your online store, why not tell them about the ingredients used and the advantages? Any time they need to shop for more supplements they will come to your website to learn more before they make their decision.
• Supporting your SEO program: Good content is invaluable in your SEO campaign. You will be increasing conversion rates across the entire sales funnel as opposed to pitching just for a quick sale. It is important to appreciate the role of quality content in helping prospects make a choice.
Redefining the Purpose of your Website
A professional website is supposed to be a virtual informative point of sale (POS), but the key focus here is the informative. It is thus time to consider whether you are just serving your sales team using your website or whether customers are getting value for the time they have spent on the website. For instance, if you have landing pages that focus on nothing more than offers and discounts, you might send away visitors who wanted to learn more about the product.
It is important to take a step back and put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Obviously, you have experienced instances where you are forced to ignore the top ranking pages for the product you are shopping for because they are nothing more than retail stores.
If you are selling cars for instance, consider the reader might want more information about auto insurance. You should provide up-to-date content about everything auto, as this will take your visitors on to other pages where you will find more services.
The Downside of Lead-generation Content
An SEO strategy focusing on lead-gen content loses a big chance to improve a website’s performance. High quality content gives your website authority in your niche and you will become the go-to online source with time. You will also increase your brand’s awareness and also help people make decisions related to your products and services. With top-of-funnel content, you will be earning the recognition of your niche and customer will trust you more.
Creating the best content for your site starts with knowing who you are targeting. You need to provide relevant and fresh content that is not only optimized for search engines but for your users too. Your keywords must be well researched and if possible, make sure you are answering questions your users are likely to ask.
