Not every web property is designed to draw visitors by appearing in web search engine results. For those that do plan on using search marketing as a means of generating traffic, a top priority is to develop content that “attracts” search engines.
While there are a number of factors that contribute to successful search marketing, content is the foundation on which these other tactics rest. Without that foundation, web properties run the risk of failing to meet their search marketing goals.
Some items to consider when preparing a web property to attract visitors through search:
- Links presented near the top of the search results page produce significantly higher volumes of visitors than those lower on the page or on following pages.
- Search results are primarily driven by the presence, placement and frequency of “key words” – words that will be typed into the search engine’s entry field.
- Most products and services present designers with an overwhelming number of potential keywords– more than can be reasonably incorporated into a single web page.
- Sites that have not carefully developed their content for search marketing will most likely be present in the search results, but rarely near the top of those results.
Not all keywords are equal. Some words and phrases can be mapped to potential actions or visitor intent. Grouping keywords by intent presents a much smaller universe of words and phrases that can be considered for website use. Intent based keywords allows developers to focus on words and phrases expected to attract visitors who are on the path to convert – commit to a desired outcome, whether it is a shopping cart purchase or a newsletter sign up.
Developing intent focused keywords is only the first step in successful search marketing. It only helps to bring the best possible visitors to your site. To fully maximize the value of your visitors, you must also focus on a number of additional design elements to persuade your visitors to convert. While there are a significant number of search marketing tactics available, without the foundation of content, these tactics will lack the long term impact of a content-based web property.
