23

Apr

What You Need to Know About Your Small Business’ Search Engine ‘Findability’

Posted by: Jeremy Reither

The internet marketing industry term for getting your website “found” on the search engines is search engine marketing (SEM). But if you’re a small business owner, you might not care so much about industry terms as you do about the bottom line. If that sounds like you, then Heather Lutze’s new new book, titled The Findability Formula: The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing, is aimed right at you. And in a recent interview in Website Magazine, the author shared some surprisingly succinct and useful nuggets of wisdom about search engine marketing – or what she calls “findability.”

“Getting your business in a prominent position on the search engines is becoming increasingly complex, but no less essential for success.”

Right off the bat the article touches on the essential importance of findability, but it the same sentence, rightly points out that complexity (and implicitly, competition) is greater than ever. You wouldn’t know that SEM could be at all challenging if you read the daily junk emails you probably get on the subject.

The interview starts with this response by Lutze to a question regarding why some businesses are just starting to realize the importance of search engine marketing and findability:

“‘Findability’ refers to the ability of a user to find you online. Many business owners believe that just having a website is sufficient, and that search engines will do the work for them. Of course, that’s not true. They don’t realize that the [search] engines have a very specific method of ranking websites and that the vast majority of consumers do not look past the first page of search engine results. Simply put, if companies are not on the first page, they don’t exist. Successful companies understand what it takes to have the search engines put them there.”

I’ll give Lutze credit for the concise answer – but I think it warrants one point of clarification: when you say businesses need to be “on the first page” of search engine results, to those who aren’t well versed in search engine marketing, that can be a little misleading. It makes it sound like there are only 10 spots available, and you absolutely must be in one of those spots. Well, think of it like there are 10 spots available – on each search engine – for each search term / keyword. That’s more accurate, and more hopeful, too.

“Most business owners have a keen understanding of their target audience. However, many owners don’t have the time or resources to know all the ways customers might be searching for them. Luckily, the research is already done for them; all they have to do is access available online tools. I recommend … Google External Keyword Tool. With this tool, users can type in a potential keyword and Google will show thenumber of searches in the past month, as well as generate other potential keywords. This can help business owners understand how their audience searches for their products or services.”

Amen. The Google Keyword Tool – and others – should be your best friend if you’re researching keywords for marketing your business online.

“A little time and effort upfront in a paid advertising account can save capital in the long run. For example, a company that only serves a small location can ensure its paid advertising only reaches its geographic market, preventing unwanted clicks from consumers who won’t buy their products or services. In addition, all companies should pay close attention to negative keyword lists on their accounts. So, if you sell televisions, you probably do not want consumers who are searching for free televisions or television repair, so the words “free” and “repair” should be on your negative keyword list. This will prevent you from paying for wasted clicks, and lower the cost of qualified clicks.”

“Increased findability means more traffic to your site, more phone calls, more leads, and more sales. Never underestimate the power of being found on the first page of search results using the right keyword. If you can identify your keyword findability, you will connect with searchers who are ready to take action, not just window shopping. First, use paid clicks through paid search to find keywords, and then transfer real customers to your [search engine optimization (SEO)] campaigns.”

What Lutze is implying is that you should employ a Pay Per Click marketing campaign – whereby you pay for placement on the first page of the search engines – in order to learn which keywords work best for you. Then, armed with information, you should target those high-performing keywords as part of a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign – whereby you work to get your site naturally (aka: organically) listed on the first page of search results (without paying the search engines). Those organic search engine rankings are where the real margins are – and should be what you’re ultimately focused on. On this point – I couldn’t agree more with Lutze. She knows a thing or two about The Findability Formula.