The importance of SEO for an online company

O’Brian, et al (1963) ‘Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practise of assuring that websites are indexed and effectively presented in internet search results’. In simpler terms, this means to make your website appear in internet searches, making them more easily accessible to your desired audience.

Why is SEO good for your company?

Whether you be a small or large business here is why SEO is right for you…

According to Improve My Search Ranking.com here are 5 key benefits of SEO for a small business:

  1. User-friendly websites: SEO can help small business create a better, easier and smoother running website for their customers.
  2. Bring in more customers: websites who use SEO bring in more customers and grow at a faster rate (almost double) than those websites which do not.
  3. Better conversion rates: websites which are optimised by SEO are easier to read, get around and load faster. They are also formatted so all users whether be on a laptop, mobile or tablet all have the correct layout.
  4. Build brand awareness: customers only tend to look on the first page of search engines. Therefore, small companies who want to build brand awareness should invest in SEO in order to gain top rankings for key terms.
  5. Bypass competition: two companies, same products, one with SEO one without. Which company will attract more customers from a simple search online? Correct… the one using search engine optimisation!

Although Word Stream’s blog is about why SEO may be harder for small companies to use SEO … these are also reasons why big companies should use SEO:

  1. Money: the more money you are able to put in the more benefits you will receive. Especially if you are in a highly competitive market.
  2. Time: just like money the more you put in the more you will receive back. If you put more time into making a successful SEO for your company, you will be able to stay on top.
  3. Dividing tasks: big corporations are able to divide tasks and cover all areas a lot easier, compared to smaller businesses. If you have a specific team covering SEO for your company, you will more likely be successful in your links.
  4. Software: being a bigger company means you are able to invest more in your company. Investment into better analytics, more advanced research and optimising tools.
  5. Relationship with Google: bigger companies tend to have better relationships with these search engines. They pay a sum to have specific advertisements on these search engines, leading to personal relationships inside.

LyfeMarketing set out a few tips on how to maximise the benefits of SEO for your company:

  1. Title Tag: the first thing a customer sees on a search engine. 70 characters or less; focusing on your business name and what the content is.
  2. Meta description: this is a little more detail about what your page is about… relevancy is key.
  3. Sub headings: easier for your visitors to read whilst improving your SEO performance. The use of H1, H2, H3 tags in order to help search engines understand your content.
  4. Internal links: hyperlinking to other content engages SEO to understand your site better.
  5. Image names: using images on your website you should tag what is in the photo. Search engines are able to indicate your website when users perform an image search for particular key words.

Escalon made a whole page on the pros and cons of SEO:

Pros:

  • The more money and time you invest in SEO for your company, the more you gain.
  • Using SEO builds trust and credibility of your company.
  • SEO delivers free, traffic into your website. Boosting figures.
  • Customers are 8.5 times more likely to click on a website which has a paid research result

Cons:

  • It takes time, if you are not able to invest time into SEO you will not get the full benefits.
  • As your SEO builds, your competitors may start to do the same.
  • If your SEO, progresses really well, you may not be able to keep up with the sales.
  • Be careful of the resources you use, some may cut corners, or break the rules leaving your company blacklisted.

If you would like to read more about the pros and cons click here.

To avoid any mishaps here are a list of reliable websites and guides to help you progress and succeed with SEO:

  1. https://seranking.com
  2. https://www.boost-your-website.co.uk

 

References:

OBrien, P. and Arlitsch, K. (2013). Improving the Visibility and Use of Digital Repositories Through SEO (A LITA Guide). Chicago: American Library Association, p.Chapter 1.

Enge, E., Spencer, S. and Stricchiola, J. (2015). The art of SEO. Beijing: O’Reilly

Samson.S  (2015) SEO 101: Search Engine Optimization, Learn the Basics of Google SEO in one day. Committee of Publishers and Associations

Hamit, J. (2019). 5 KEY Benefits of SEO for Small Businesses | IMSR. [online] Improve My Search Ranking. Available at: https://www.improvemysearchranking.com/5-key-benefits-seo-small-businesses/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].

Gabbert, E. (2018). 10 Reasons SEO Is Harder for Small Businesses. [online] Wordstream.com. Available at: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2012/10/15/why-seo-is-harder-for-small-businesses [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].

Standberry, S. (2017). What is SEO and How Does It Work? [Here’s the Answer]. [online] Digital Marketing Blog. Available at: https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/what-is-seo-and-how-it-works/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Escalon Services. (2017). Pros and Cons of Investing in SEO. [online] Available at: https://escalon.services/pros-and-cons-of-investing-in-seo/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

 

 

 

How important is search engine optimiser (SEO) for marketing?

Search engine optimiser or SEO for short is the process of affecting the online visibility of a website or web page in a web search. it is regularly referred to as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ results. The purpose of this is to track and monitor the amount of traffic a website gets from its users. While using SEO this ensures that a website is friendly to search engines which in turn help generates organic search traffic, creating more awareness to customers online and encouraging greater profits, according to Samson. S (2015).

Search Engine Land has a huge range of resources including the periodic table of SEO success factors and access to a whole range of books and online guides for you to learn and use for your business. Hubspot 2018 created an eight-step guide to starting and creating a successful SEO, this website also has a free SEO template to start you up.

Step 1: Make a list of topics. 

  • Pick 10 small words and use Google keyword tool to identify their search volume and see if this will benefit your website. Each of these keywords is called pillars.

Step 2: Make a list of long-tailed words based on the topics you picked in Step 1.

  • For each pillar, you will identify 10 – 15 words which dig deeper into the original topic.
  • These are called clusters. So for every pillar, you will have roughly around 10 subtopics.

*The more specific your content the more specific the needs of your audience are*

Step 3: Build pages for each topic. 

  • Each webpage needs to have relevant content, enhancing customer experience.
  • Take the 10 pillar topics and create a webpage for each.

Step 4: Set up a blog. 

  • This is an amazing way to rank in the web searches also link your blog to your web pages and websites.

Step 5: Blog frequently developing page authority.

  • This is more for a relationship with your audience and customers.
  • Write about customer’s interests and make sure to use keywords where needed, this will make your audience start to notice.

*these are all ‘On Page’ SEO Tactics*

Step 6: Create a link building plan.

  • This being an off-page SEO tactic, this is the process of inbound links. (linking to other websites)
  • Share your blog on Twitter, Facebook etc. Getting your website more noticed.

Step 7: Keep on top of current SEO news.

Google, Bing, and Yahoo are the biggest search engines used around the world, yet they all use a different format of layout for their searches. Layout and visibility to the user are very essential if it is too much for the consumer to take in, they will simply use another site. Searchers look for ‘good quality, relevant, trusted, and what is ranked highly in the search’ (Enge. E et al, 2015)

 

Here is an example of how Google lays out their search for stuffed animals and the main key areas what appear on a search.

  1. Search query box
  2. Verticle navigation
  3. Results information
  4. PPC advertising
  5. Google Product search result
  6. Natural/ Organic/algorithmic results.

Benefits of using SEO:

  •  Nezar 2009 stated the primary advantage of using an SEO is that your company will be ranked top 10, users are more likely to choose from the addresses what appear on the first page of results. Making your website much easier to be found.
  • A successful search engine marketing strategy can generate steady levels of traffic to the website, a great return on investment and enhance brand awareness. (Shih et al. 2013)
  • The search engine journal reported that SEO can go as high as 14.6% in comparison to email marketing which is only at 1.7%.

Cons of using SEO:

  • SEO results take time, it is a very slow process. If you need immediate results for your business, then SEO may not be for you.
  • SEO will require a big investment if you are in a niche market, therefore it is not totally ‘free’. You will most likely need to hire external help.
  • You have no full control… Google algorithms no one can work out. What you think matters may not, and your results may not be the complete opposite of what you expect. The traffic you generate you have no control over.

*If you want to read more pros and cons for SEO click here*

Very little research has been conducted on SEO, one study by Singh et al. (2011) investigated the impact on SEO on advertisement in IT companies in India. The use of qualitative and quantitative data found that Google, Bing, and Yahoo were the most commonly used sites, and 90% of customers select the product from the first page only. The study concluded that companies using SEO for advertisement are getting more new customers than those using traditional methods.

 

References:

Samson.S  (2015) SEO 101: Search Engine Optimization, Learn the Basics of Google SEO in one day. Committee of Publishers and Associations

Enge. E, Spencer. S.M. , Stricchiola.C.J. (2015) The art of SEO: mastering search engine optimization. Third edition. Beijing: O’Reilley pg. 30

Kharim, H. (2015). The impact of search engine optimisation dimensions on companies using online advertisement in Jordan. American Journal of business and management, 4(2), pp.76-84.

Gregoreo, J. (2016). The Pros and Cons of Using SEO for Your Business. [online] Digital Marketing Philippines. Available at: http://digitalmarketingphilippines.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-seo-for-your-business/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2019].

Search Engine Land. (2019). What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization? – Search Engine Land. [online] Available at: https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo [Accessed 19 Feb. 2019].

Fortin, D. (2018). How to Create an SEO Strategy for 2019 [Template Included]. [online] Blog.hubspot.com. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/seo-strategy [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].

Moz. (2016). SEO Software, Tools & Resources for Smarter Marketing. [online] Available at: https://moz.com [Accessed 22 Feb. 2019].

Seobook.com. (2014). SEObook: We Love SEO. [online] Available at: http://www.seobook.com [Accessed 23 Feb. 2019].

 

 

 

Beauty Bay Company Audit – Blog Post 1:

Link

Beauty Bay is a beauty website with a variety of over 7000 items, and new products being added every week. Beauty Bay’s customers are of all ages and all genders, everyone who shares their love of beauty and makeup. The reason Beauty Bay is such a popular online retailer is due to them stocking brands and products which customers cannot access without having to pay custom charges and taxes. Beauty Bay’s main competitors are Feel Unique and Cult Beauty, these are both online retailers which are also very popular.

When you first enter Beauty Bay’s website the main screen is very overwhelming, although the background is white, and the products are clearly laid out; the home page is filled with what the company is trying to push out. This is the latest collaborations, Christmas edition makeup, there is a lot of colour clashes, it is too much to take in especially the first thing you are greeted with. In relation to Cult Beauty you are greeted with one main collection on the home page which then automatically slides off the page and you are greeted with a new one. The rest of the page is filled with a white background (once again making it clear and easy to see) and other products. This is less overwhelming and a lot better as you can process what is being shown. Similarly, Feel Unique is like Cult Beauty’s homepage with the sliding promotions, yet underneath is more promotions but off a smaller scale. All products on each site, have a star rating given by the customers who previously brought the product, also following a description and ingredients of each item.

Beauty Bay is very clearly laid out, the white background enables the items to ‘pop’ attracting the customers attention. The company’s customer service is rated 4/5* and they also have quick and cheap/free delivery. Several people have made YouTube Videos of their hauls and how good their experiences of Beauty Bay, which is free advertising also for Beauty Bay. Adding to this an issue of Beauty Bay what the other websites do not seem to have is for example, you are on page 3 looking for a particular item, you click on something and when you press back to continue looking you are taken back to page 1; which can be very frustrating. A benefit for Beauty Bay and its customers, it sells products and brands what no other company does in the UK unless you ordered directly from the brands website which you would encounter extra charges. Brands such as Jeffree Star cosmetics.

Customer Journeys:

  Search Discover Purchase Use Share
Website          
Mobile App          
Social Media        
In Person        
Chat Support          

Personas:

 Robert 30 years old YouTube influencer

 Khloe 18 year old university student

 

Robert being the YouTube influencer, earns his money through social media; meaning he needs to be constantly active and updating his followers with items he has purchased and where. Searching through Beauty Bay’s app, being in constant contact with customer service. Prehaps asking for advice, what to buy for his skin type, latest favourites etc. then goes onto purchasing through the website, using the beauty product in person and sharing online. Showing watchers how to use a product and the best way of application.

Khloe aged 18 spends alot of time online, she knows the ‘best’ websites for what product she wants. Searching on Beauty Bay’s website for an eyeshadow palette she has been wanting for ages. She purchases the product, using in person and realises she has fallen in love with the makeup; she then decides to share it with her friends when they are getting ready.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Anastasia Beverly Hills is a makeup brand, which was created by the beauty entrepreneur herself, Anastasia Soare! The role of the website is brand building, selling their own makeup and beauty essentials; and of course what ABH is most well known for… their brow products!

The Target audience for makeup is for everyone, boys, girls, women, men; of all ages. When you first log onto the website, you are hypnotised immediatley by the large photo of their latest eyeshadow pallete, dripped in jewels and sparkles, with the holographic refraction of light beaming! Once scrolled past this, you have subsections of their latest, hottest products for sale including glitter pigments, lipglosses and building your own eyeshadow pallete. However, this is alot going on for the first main page. Personally, makes me feel a little overwhelmed with products, as I do not know what to click on first! At the bottom of the page, is their contact details, shipping and postage information and prices, plus all their socials.

The website, is very sleek and clean. Only using two simple colours, black and white. Which makes their products “pop” with colour, as their pigments, shadows lip products are all very colourful.

Once finally deciding what section of makeup you wish to look at first, being eyes. They have rows in sets of three and as you are scrolling you are given the options of seeing videos, on how to apply a specific product, in the best way possible. All the models they use are very beautiful! However, their products are either rated five stars of have no stars, which I personally find odd! Of course I hear people talking good about their products; yet one palette of theirs in particular “Subculture Palette” recieved alot of backlash! Where people were really unhappy with the product, and this still has a five star rating.

Coming soon to their website, is “ABH PRO”, it is a yearly subscription. Where you recieve a collection of deals to which no other customer can recieve; it includes 35% discount, pre sale items before any other customer can access.

Overall, the website is very easily accessable, easy to get around and find what particular product you like, whilst getting convinced to buy other products. All their products are clearly presented and enticing.

Game of Thrones Case Study

Aside

The game of thrones article talk about the application of data to marketing. How you can access a specific audience who you believe will be the target audience; from social media you are able to find what your target audience wants and how you can deliver. In the article they used through twitter #king linking it with a real life statue; and every time the hashtag was used the king would gradually get hung. This encorporated real life involvement no matter where you were in the world.

Brandwatch: is one of the worlds social media monitoring and analytical platforms, their technology gathers millions of online conversations providing chart tools to analyse them. Enabling brands to make more smarter, data driven business decisions. The company has won awaeds for its technology and renowed corporate culture. Brand watch is used by over 900 brands/ agencies.