10 Secret Tips Experts Use To Convert Visitors With Content
SEO is one of the most fun endeavours people pursue because it requires hard work and the pay-off is extremely satisfying. I have always believed in the idea that the things that are truly worth it in life are things that you have to work hard for – and SEO is one of them. Nothing is more satisfying than watching your website grow; along with that growth come an influx of visitors, both returning and curious people who are looking for what you offer.
In short, these visitors are your returning customers as well as potential customers that you have yet to convert. Of course, converting people into active supporters require considerable effort and patience as well as the ability to dish out content that people may find informative or satisfying.
Many SEO specialists think that technical SEO should be the number one priority. I believe that finding the perfect balance between technical SEO as well as content writing is the key to making your website work. Let me tell you why in 10 easy steps.
Make your Content Free and Valuable
You may have heard of the saying that if you’re good at something then never do it for free. I believe that line was famously delivered by Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan’s widely acclaimed film The Dark Knight. He’s right – and many people would agree that making valuable content free is a contradiction in itself. In SEO that isn’t necessarily correct. Let me tell you why.
Offering valuable content for free is a much better alternative to charging for information because it builds trust between you and your customers. Your content will not only help them out with their current problem, it could also enlighten them to things that they could have missed. After all, you’re the expert and they’re people looking for answers.
Giving them valuable content for free instead of giving them a small taste will not only make them appreciate you, it will also give them the impression that your premium services are well worth it. Your content is also a free-way for you to market your services because if it satisfies the curiosity of one of your customers, then chances are they will refer your website to their friends or colleagues. It’s a win-win and a good trade for your valuable expert advice.
In connection to my point about free-marketing, you can also use your free-content in your emails as well as your curated lists.
Be Social!
Let’s face it, one of the easiest ways to earn a solid reputation as well as a decent following is of course through word of mouth. When people like what you offer, they are likely to tell their friends and colleagues about your website. In short, one of the easiest ways to market your website is by letting your customers sell your website for you.
Allow people to share their testimonials or reviews on your website. Now some people might call this a double-edged sword but I believe that it’s a win-win for you and your customers. See, feedback is one of the most valuable things you can earn for free. If it’s a good feedback, you get an acknowledgement of what you are doing right. If it’s negative feedback, you get an assessment of what you could be doing correctly. Learn to take criticism and use that to your advantage. Your visitors will love you for it.
Videos galore!
You may have heard of the saying “a picture says a thousand words” but what about a video? It’s safe to say that videos say much more than just a thousand words. The thing about videos is that not a lot of people have the patience or the time to read all of your content; Some people might not have the attention span for a 15 minute article but a 5 minute video which explains all of that might just be the right fit.
Another great advantage of creating videos is the fact that you are giving your visitors even more opportunities to interact with you which will also increase their average dwell time as well as your website’s reputation.
Practice Smart Marketing with Direct Competition
A lot of people are satisfied with simply letting people know about their products. Good marketers, however, know that they need to do more with what they have to achieve the best result that they can get. One good way of doing this is by directly comparing what you offer with that of your competitors’.
One thing people do online is search up a term and then they compare each website with one another. This gives people the ability to choose between their options. However, it is more prudent to do the comparing for them. You can highlight the good qualities of your products as well as have another opportunity to interact with your audience.
Some marketers do two things in this regard. They can either create a post directly comparing their products with that of their competitors or they create a simple infographic with the facts and figures that customers need to know. Of course, both aren’t enough with simple pictures and they will only be effective with a good write-up to support your claims. Another thing worth remembering is that pictures or images aren’t indexed by search engines so you really do need a write-up, either way, it’s a win-win for your website.
Sell Yourself Better
One of the most easily overlooked portions of a website is the “About Us” page because not many people place importance on introducing their brand. I however think that is a waste of valuable information. The thing about people is that they are more willing to trust in a company that they understand or a company that they know.
Nothing says “more personal” than a great about me page! You can get creative with what you put there so long as you introduce your company, what you aim to do and how you plan to do it. Tell a good story that will let people relate with your company and let them know that there are people behind the website that they’re viewing. This creates a bond between you and your visitors which will allow them to trust your brand more – so long as you leave a lasting impression that is.
Some companies tell their story though pictures or a timeline while others use a video to tell their story in full. The possibilities are endless so have fun and experiment!
Landing Pages are Better Custom Made
People land on your pages (okay, no more puns) through a variety of means such as organic search or even through paid advertisements. However, it isn’t wise to let them all land on your home page or whatever page you set as your landing page. Sometimes it is better to create a custom landing page suited to your keywords. This tells your visitors that you pay attention to the message that you are trying to send and that you are ready to satisfy their demands.
Also, landing pages are some of the most versatile tools that an SEO specialist can use precisely because you can do so much with just a simple landing page. You can either re-introduce your brand to your visitors or you can lead them to one of your call-to-actions. The possibilities are endless so don’t limit your landing pages to a specific page, instead make several pages to meet every demand you can think of!
Facts and Figures Go a Long Way
One of the best ways for people to trust you is if you could show them that they could trust you. One great way of doing that is by investing some time in creating an informative case study about your products and services. Solid facts and figures are what some people require in order for them to take action. It’s precisely because some people need convincing that a case study might just be the last step you could take in order to convert them into leads.
Case studies can also be used in conjunction with your call-to-actions or customer reviews. It’s a great way for you to make use of all of your available content as well as interacting with your visitors directly.
Emails? Emails.
It isn’t enough to create quality content for people to check your website out. Sometimes, the best way to give your customers a good reason to return to your website is through Emails. This is done because Emails are a more personal way for you to interact and build engagement with your readers and majority of working adults spend the first few minutes of their day checking emails.
A great way to make this effort effective is by personalizing emails for your customers themselves. A good example is by directly referring to them in the subject line.
Great emails are also effectively done by offering your free-content as discussed above. People are more inclined to check emails if they have something they can gain from it. In other words, make it worth your customers while.
Storytelling Is More Useful Than You Think
One of the most effective ways of reaching out to your customers is by telling them an engaging story that they can relate to. In other words, make your website more personal or something that appeals to people’s emotions. This is called Emotional SEO and it’s extremely effective because nothing appeals to the human mind more than an emotional connection.
Balancing Emotional SEO and Technical SEO is important and it’s admittedly hard to do. However, the best way to go about this is by simply doing what you can with what you have. Start with something small like by pimping out your About Me page and from there, it’s all about the practice and effort you put in into perfecting your craft.
Calls-to-Action: Definitely Effective if Used Properly
One of the more jarring things about SEO is that reading a list such as this makes you want to try out a lot of things all at once. While it’s good to innovate and learn, it is however unwise to do everything all at once. Everything you put out on your webpage must serve a purpose; this is done because doing more might do more harm than good. If you send out emails and content without stopping, Google might mark you as spam or some people might simply find you annoying. This applies especially with Calls-to-Action.
Try to balance what you churn out. Instead of focusing solely on content, try sending out CTAs on an alternating basis. Address certain issues or tackle problems by offering expert solutions to your visitors. They are surely to appreciate you more that way.
