SEO Marketing Consultant Psychology

Written by: Gary Horsman

SEO Content Marketing – The Psychology

Often, as an SEO Content Marketing Consultant I am asked to get involved with the SEO of a website at an advanced stage of website development. Design elements are already in place, graphics created, page structure determined, even the selling and lead generation processes have been finalized before the owner or manager invites the SEO Marketing Consultant to “do the SEO”.

Many of my prospective clients view SEO is a purely technical issue unconnected to marketing. A technical SEO approach is not a very strong approach. There is a technical component to SEO but there is also a very significant marketing aspect that must not be ignored. A proper approach is to start with keyword research before any of the fundamental design components are developed.

Let’s make an analogy. You need a new roof on your home. You decide on using shingles for your new roof. You are familiar with shingles as a roofing material but unfamiliar with other potentials methods or materials. You do no research on your roof except for pricing research for shingles.

You find a place to buy shingles and you find a nice price. You buy these shingles and now have them ready to be installed. You look for a top-performing, cost-effective roofing contractor. Your desire is to have the shingles put in place in the most efficient manner. However, when you start to discuss this task with top-performing roofing contractors they tell you that a shingle roof is not the best choice for your building and explain the reasons why. The reasons make a great deal of sense but you have already purchased the shingles. You proceed with the shingle roof. You purchased the shingles at a great price and you will have a new roof but you will achieve sub-optimal performance and may have complications leading to more cost later.

This can also be true for a website initiative. You need to connect your website initiative to proper up-front keyword research and to plan your SEO strategy around your website content marketing plan (SEO Content Marketing). This approach will create much more value for your business. An integrated SEO approach will harness synergies with both marketing and content creation.

You should not “slap on” technical SEO to a website. This can waste time, lower the potential impact and money. An SEO Marketing Strategy Expert should always be engaged and involved in the marketing and content creation planning.

If a business integrates SEO into their marketing and content creation then they will be in better position to:

1. Increase sales
2. Reduce costs (saved on other marketing channels)
3. Improve resource efficiency
4. Create synergies (that often last for years) 

Don’t Keyword Stuff!

Low value SEO Consultants do little more than keyword stuffing. This approach can be done after-the-fact (like choosing the roofer after buying the shingles). However, this approach leaves much to be desired from the client’s perspective. Opportunities are missed, money is spent, time is wasted and resources squandered.

Many Internet Marketing Experts understand the importance of beginning with keyword research. Once the keyword set has been defined then content needs to be developed which matches the keyword set and that adds value to the target audience.

Keyword research will help you understand what phrases are being used to search for your products and services. Keyword research defines search volume per keyword phrase. Keyword research will help you to construct landing pages that help boost conversions. Keyword research is fundamental to crafting landing pages that compel and convert.

In fact, your business needs to look at every page as a ‘landing page’. And you need to ask yourself these questions:

1. What are visitors arriving at this page looking for?
2. What problems are they facing and how can we help them?
3. How can we deliver the delightful experience they desire and have been searching for?

Do not create a website that’s all about you. Focus on the needs of your audience. Have a prospects’ viewpoint.

Every time a visitor reaches one of your pages they should be stating “This is exactly what I need!”. When a visitor makes this statement then you move from price and into the realm of value. Effective SEO and content marketing consulting can help not only to attract prospects but it can also help to convert prospects into customers.

What Does Intelligent & Integrated SEO Look Like?

• SEO is about technology and human behavior. How and why do people use specific keywords? What concerns, worries and pain underlies them? How do you develop a content strategy that delivers solutions and value?
• SEO and content is not about you. It is about your clients. Boasting and bragging about accomplishments can be counter-productive for businesses. The more relevant questions to ask about your content are “How will this delight my visitors?” and “How has this content created value for my visitors?”.
• SEO and content marketing creates visitors and “sales”. If 9 in 10 visitors to your site leave without converting into buyers (or subscribers), then the #1 ranking on Google you worked so hard for becomes much less valuable. What can you do to better understand (and fulfill) a prospect’s needs?
• SEO needs to be based on “keywords”. The keywords your prospects use really matter.
• SEO also relates to setting goals. Set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Ask “How will your SEO boost sales, conversions and profits?”.
• SEO is business building. Treat your website like a precious and valued salesperson. After all, doesn’t your web presence tirelessly act as a sales rep, pulling in prospects day and night? Why not treat it with respect and appreciation? Even spend a little more on it?

SEO and content marketing go hand-in-hand. Use your SEO Consultant as a marketing consultant and have your SEO Consultant involved early in the process.

Don’t get overloaded with technical terms or specialized in-house terminology when creating your keyword list. Unless your customer also works for your company, then leave any specialized company words at the office. For your website SEO, use words used by normal human beings – these normal humans could be your customers.

Good website SEO is an investment that pays rich dividends by creating a cost effective and successful online presence for your business. It is based upon delightful content that is has been optimized to be found in search.

To help you in your efforts we have create a set of Content Marketing Tutorials. These tutorials will step you through the content marketing process which will include keyword research and SEO. Here is a link to the first in the series – Content Marketing Introduction Tutorial. Do good work, conduct proper up-front market research an experience the rewards!