When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), there is a wide range of different tactics to help improve your web rankings, boost your clientele, and gain more leads and sales. Some businesses choose to perform these duties in-house. Others may opt for the services of a B2B SEO agency, focusing their in-house resources making sales and providing customer service.
No matter what you choose, one thing is clear: to compete in the digital marketing your business or agency will require some amount of innovative SEO tactics to garner a lasting following online.
Let’s take a look at what some of today’s leading B2B SEO agencies are doing to make this happen.
A successful SEO plan includes a lot of different working components, everything from monitoring Google algorithms to collecting data on changes in the perception of your audience, so let’s take a closer look at some of the best tactics.
When it comes to search engine optimization, there’s no such thing as too much research, especially when it comes to keywords. Choosing the right keywords for your chosen niche or industry is one of the best ways companies can rise in the rankings. There are a host of digital marketing tools out there that B2B SEO agencies use to collect data and perform keyword research, so take advantage of them.
Tools like WordStream, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Correlate can help you calculate a variety of different things, such as keyword competition, search volume, and cost-per-click. For those unsure of precisely what to do with such data, consulting an outside SEO strategist is often beneficial. Doing so will certify that your digital marketing strategy employs keywords that generate results.
No matter what industry you’re in, knowing what your business is up against and who your competitors are is key to developing a working marketing strategy. One of the first things an outside SEO firm will do is to perform a competitive analysis, collecting integral data about your industry and those leading in the rankings for one reason or another.
Hiring a B2B SEO agency can help you collect invaluable insight and see how other companies are using meta tags (meta titles & descriptions) images, and internal linking to attract clientele. They’ll also be able to help you determine what’s working with your approach and identify areas that give you an advantage over competitors.
No one likes to sit and wait for a slow website to load; often, they don’t. If you have a website that’s slower than your competitors’, chances are there is a handful of potential customers taking their business elsewhere. It’s important to be aware that Google’s ranking algorithms actually incorporate site speed as a major factor, so certifying your site is efficient is key.
Most B2B SEO professionals will recommend a site audit from the outset. Doing so will enable you to determine which components of your site need tweaking, such as image sizes or page redirects. These things can zap a website’s speed and cause it to fall drastically in the rankings.
When optimizing your site speed, be sure you don’t overlook your mobile components as well. Nowadays, Google also incorporates mobile speed into their overall rankings.
Any strategy to boost your web presence should incorporate high-quality content. Whether you decide to enlist the services of an SEO and content marketing team to create it or do so in-house, unique content appealing directly to your audience and will generate the best results.
Gone are the days when posting a few hundred words of keyword-laden content will generate exceptional organic traffic. Nowadays more than ever, you need to create one-of-a-kind content to attract audience members. This means unique static content and longer blog posts (1,200 words or more). The more words on the page, the easier it is to comfortably include primary and secondary keywords. Google also has an easier time determining what the content is about, which helps boost your search engine rankings.
Social media marketing should be an integral part of any SEO/digital marketing campaign. It’s one of the areas where you can potentially see a huge return on investment and easily build a conversation around your brand. Channels like Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere enable you to connect with a wide range of people, some you might not have done so otherwise.
If you’re working with a B2B SEO firm, they’ll also likely offer services to help ensure that all of your social media info is both correct, in addition to using proper keywords and hashtags in descriptions and posts. Many SEO teams will perform ongoing research to make certain they’re targeting the right audience and using all of the most current tools and best practices at their disposal.
Most B2B SEO agencies will use Google Analytics to continually track data and make tweaks in targeted campaigns to ensure the best results. For those unaware, Google Analytics tracks a variety of things, such as who visited your site and how long they stayed, in addition to providing data about monthly traffic and annual analysis tools.
Installing Google Analytics requires a bit of back-end web development work so if you’re not familiar with such things, hiring a web design/development professional might be necessary. However, after solidifying your web analytics strategy, you’ll be able to determine what brings in the best organic traffic and understand your audience better.
One of the best ways to anticipate emerging trends and ensuring your SEO strategy remains up to date is by reading as many articles about SEO/digital marketing as you can. This will ensure that you or your clients never miss an opportunity to improve your processes. Staying abreast of Google algorithm changes is especially important, as they change without warning on a nearly monthly basis.
ALM Corp. has helped hundreds of agencies and commercial enterprises create digital marketing plans that offer a solid return on investment. Let them help you increase your clientele and solidify your brand’s reputation online by contacting them today.
