Ah, the magical moment when you search Google for your business keywords and there you are – page one! So how long does this take and why can it take so long?
There is not one easy answer. Depending on your business / industry and related noise, it can be difficult. But important.
Search engine users overwhelmingly click on organic results on Google and Bing by a margin of 94 percent to 6 percent[1]
Devising a solid content marketing strategy is the best way to improve your organic ranking. It is worth noting that paid advertisements will not affect your organic search ranking, so if you are going for pure organic – that is good news. If there are a lot of big players in your space with a lot of Internet real estate, you will have to fight harder to get on page 1. For example, a mom and pop toy shop may have a hard time when they are up against Wal-Mart, Target, Toys”R”Us, etc. on a Google search. The more refined your niche, the easier you may be to find, but only if someone is looking for your exact niche. Hence the muddied waters.
You can always improve your ranking if you are committed to a solid content marketing strategy. It just takes some time, patience, and commitment, but can vastly improve your site’s visibility.
Organic Search is the #1 driver of traffic to B2B websites[2]
Here’s a few guidelines to help get the ball rolling:
Content Marketing & Link Building:
Generating good content is critical, however, ensuring it reaches your target audiences is even more important. A solid content marketing strategy includes not only writing quality, original content, but also linking to and sharing content from other sources and experts in your field, including industry analysts, research reports and relevant articles. Link building can involve a number of strategies – including you linking to other sites & vice versa. The more quality sites linking to yours, the better. A good strategy is to get your customers and partners to link to you. Links should be relevant to your site, and can be generated with good content shared via blogs and social media sites (see below).
Timed releases for media outlets are helpful if you have a new product or other news to share. Make sure it includes a link back to a relevant page on your site and of course, make sure all marketing efforts lead back to your site. Postcards, mailers, webinars, blogs, case studies, bumper stickers, t-shirts – if it belongs to your business, slap your URL on it!
Social Engagement:
Just like you and I, Google likes certain social brands, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp and Twitter. Ensuring your company has one of each is a good start (and makes good business sense). Once these are established, make sure you add these links to your online content, press releases and other content pieces. Adding links to your author profile on Google+ can help, too. YouTube and other video marketing is becoming more and more popular not only for personal use, but for businesses too. For example, DollarShaveClub.com has done an excellent job of increasing their brand reach by creating a sharable video on their site for increasing their web traffic (13 million views, anyone?).
Location, Location, Location:
If you are looking for local business, Google+ Local and Google+ Business are incredibly helpful. In fact, 97% of people search for local businesses online. When set up, it allows people to find your physical location on GoogleMaps, contact numbers and hours of operation. It is important to keep this page updated as your information changes so people can find you – from any location, on any device. It also helps smaller, local companies compete with some of the larger brands.
Put together, a consistent and well-planned content marketing strategy can pay off and help you help Google to drive traffic to your site.
Related Links:
Google Reports for Tracking Your Organic Results
Google and Your Business Forum (for answers to all things Google)
