Well, we’ve all experienced how marketing strategies have significantly changed over the recent years.

The evolution of the marketplace has put other modern platforms on a pedestal.

In a day and age that social media marketing has grown exponentially, we often look to these channels in an attempt to grow our businesses.

Social media platforms and other more modern channels are undoubtedly effective in generating leads.

However, not all businesses who rely on alternative methods see remarkable changes to their engagements.

Why?

The reason being most of us has put some important business aspects on the back burner.

Much like search engine optimization (SEO).

A lot of people understand SEO to be some sort of tool they can use alongside the methods that they are using at present.

We often look at SEO as a second-option attempt at generating leads.

But in reality, SEO is so much bigger than that.

Well, SEO is not a lead generation strategy, but it encompasses a whole other aspect of it as a whole.

Anyhow, SEO can be an indispensable factor in the framework you use for lead generation because of what it does to your visibility.

The first step to generating any leads at all is to be visible and present, after all.

What is SEO lead generation?

Search engine optimization, commonly known as SEO, is enhancing your website to land a spot on search engine results.

Refining your website will increase your visibility on search engine results pages.

Now, this is important because the better visibility your website has, the better chances you have of attracting prospects and leads, as well as reeling existing customers back in.

For this reason, search engines will have varying algorithms in place, collecting information from pages and storing them in an index.

Depending on their criteria, they rank each and every factor from a website to determine the order in which websites will be most relevant.

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SEO lead generation

(via NetMarketShare)

We know that Google ranks the highest because of how invested they are in providing users with the best possible experience.

Their algorithms are constantly being changed and updated each and every day.

Marketer often frowned from the way the algorithm works.

But in reality, algorithms just distribute rewards accordingly.

Search algorithms supposedly provide users with ease of access, efficiency and accuracy.

The more you focus on optimizing a website to the best of its abilities, the higher the rank it gets.

The case is, search engines aim to provide users with the best, most accurate results for their search queries.

And the only way you’ll get to the top is if you build and refine your website to be the most substantial it can be.

Keyword optimization with a Rank Tracker and the quality of the content you put out are big contenders in the way you ranked.

Site architecture is another.

What role does SEO play in lead generation?

For a starter, SEO holds a tremendous responsibility in the digital marketing world because of the way we are using search engines.

Looking at the stats, Google is accountable for a colossal amount of searches per year.

Bringing in 2 trillion searches annually, which is about 3.8 million searches per minute.

Crazy, right?

As marketers, we need to remember that almost everyone that we want to convert into customers has to be looking for some sort of answer.

Searches allow users to gain access to our information, which just might be the answers they’re looking for.

Understanding the importance of SEO in lead generation is understanding the concept of user intent.

User’s intent lies behind their search queries.

The purpose behind their searches and what they are looking for varies depending on what exactly they type.

There are five types of user intent:

  • Informational
  • Navigational
  • Transactional
  • Commercial 
  • Local

In other words this means that there are users who want to:

  • know something about a specific topic, product or service.
  • do a specific thing online.
  • buy a specific product or service online.
  • visit a relevant webpage or website.
  • search for local establishments.

With lead generation, however, users’ intents can be distinct by two major goals:

  • Information – When someone is interested in gaining knowledge about a certain topic.
  • Purchase – When someone is looking for a product or service connected to the keyword.

Pages that rank higher on the result pages with the highest amount of keywords typically show you what kind of content users are looking for.

Using different keywords that mean one thing can bring about different results.

Being able to decipher what users are searching for helps you figure out your plan of action for the content you put out. In cases when you cannot decipher such things, then you can maximize the effectiveness of your lead generation efforts by seeking the assistance of an SEO expert who can help optimize your website’s content and keywords based on user intent. By outsourcing SEO services you ensure that your website ranks higher on search engine result pages, attracting more organic traffic and potential leads.

A business of any sort should be able to put out content that is high quality and contains strong pages made up of relevant keywords.

For sure, SEO brings in leads organically, since you can’t exactly pay for ads the way you can on social media platforms.

They keep it fair this way.

Now let’s see how content can improve SEO for lead generation

Content that is engaging, helpful and relatable to buyers are constantly being developed and put out.

We know that users of search engines are looking for content that will hit all the right notes in relation to their searches.

They don’t feel like wasting time scrolling through thousands of pages to find what they are searching for.

But it is important to take a step back and ask whether or not this content is reaching who you want when you want it to reach them.

Not that the buyers’ journey has gotten a little more complex, what with the changing times.

Creating the best content you could come up with will not automatically bring in a steady stream of leads.

Worry not, as you create content that applies to those who are ready to make a purchase, it will be easier to convert them into paying customers.

Always keep in mind the focus on SEO for lead generation, should be the foundation that you set for the steady stream of visitors to your website.

How do I optimize my site for more SEO lead generation?

There are a ton of different ways that you can improve your website and content. Even the smallest details we overlook can help.

SEO for your lead generation

Headline/Title Tag

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

Just like news headlines, making use of a catchy title will be attention-grabbing and overall more appealing.

If you are blending into what other people have written, chances are you’ll get muddled with all the similar articles.

Whereas if you used a more original title tag or heading, you’ll attract more leads.

Be it because they found humor in your tagline, found it informative, or simply just caught their attention, it’ll drive in leads for sure.

Long-tail Keywords

We went from using one to two search words to long-tail keywords because we want specific results.

While core keywords had a higher search volume, they would usually rake in a ton of different and competitive results.

This made it difficult for users to find that specific thing they were looking for.

Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, have garnered a reputation of their own.

Over the years, search traffic started improving because of longer keywords.

Before, search engine rankings were easily reachable, there were less and less competitors, and it was overall easier to enhance and optimize pages that were targeting those very keywords.

Searching for a specific set of words is much like talking (or typing) to a friend.

This also works hand-in-hand with user intent.

The thing about long-tail keywords is the fact that the specificity of a user helps us distinguish whether they are looking for information or looking to purchase.

With a specific set of words, you can tell whether or not a person is ready to convert into a paying customer.

Apart from this, long-tail keywords also give you a more relevant and accurate set of results.

High-quality and rich results will come about, which makes for a higher conversion rate.

By optimizing your long-tail keywords, you conclude that those leads who are ready to convert into paying customers will find your goods or services easier.

While they have a lower search volume, they are bringing in targeted traffic and leads that are more likely to convert.

You can use long-tail keywords in both the headers of your text content or the body.

URLs

Optimizing URLs to be straight-forward, compelling and as accurate as possible will help users and search engines to rank and understand them.

Hyphens used in between words can be helpful for improving readability.

Remember the significance of when to capitalize letters.

When formulating your URLs, also consider using keywords.

This may, in return, improve your site visibility.

Overall, make sure to keep URLs concise.

Meta Descriptions

First thing you should know, meta tags are attributes within your page that appear on a page’s source code.

They describe the contents of your page and relay what your web pages or websites are about to search engines.

Meta descriptions are HTML elements that summarize your page’s content for search engines and users alike.

These are usually the brief descriptions that you see when you search for something on a search engine.

SEO lead generation meta description

These usually contain a brief description of what your site will contain when they click through to it.

While meta descriptions can contain as many characters as you would like, the recommended length would end somewhere between 155 to 160 characters.

Keep them long enough to display essential information that will capture the attention of anyone who comes across it, resulting in more clicks.

Remember, meta descriptions act as organic ads, which means that a convincing meta description dictates the rate of click-throughs your website gets.

Optimizing your landing pages

Landing pages are usually digital advertising pages for campaigns.

Always opt to optimize them for organic searches as well.

This can be used to your advantage because while homepages are indeed important, they are not the best way to generate leads.

You should know that landing pages optimized for search engines aim to target specific visitors who are ready for conversions.

Publishing custom URLs can do this for your landing pages.

Use keywords you find relevant to your campaigns and figure out which ones can be seamlessly and strategically added onto the page.

And most importantly, don’t forget to add backlinks to your page!

If your landing page content makes rounds, chances are people will want to link back to your website.

Optimizing your website for mobile users

More and more people use their mobile devices to search for anything and everything.

Desktop searches are still completely relevant, but nothing beats the convenience of having your mobile device wherever you are and having access to the information you need.

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Which makes it clear to us that mobile-optimized websites definitely help raise overall conversion rates for businesses.

Tools like Accelerated Mobile Pages help optimize your website for mobile users.

Without exception, Google ranks optimized pages for mobile higher because of its ease of access.

The odds for attracting high-quality leads have just increased because of improved user experience.

Updating outdated content

People who are on search engines are looking for the website that will provide them with content that is accessible and useful to them.

While SEO drives more traffic to your websites, the volume of people on your site won’t count if there is no conversions.

Quality content still trumps all!

It is what reels people in, makes them engrossed enough to stay, and ultimately converts them into customers.

Examine old content you’ve put out and determine if they are still relevant.

In case you find them relevant, ask yourself these questions:

  • what improvements and updates can you do to create a better user experience?
  • Does this offer valuable information to readers?
  • Do you think they are substantial and still readable?
  • Are they organized in such a way that readers will have no problem reading them?

Upon updating your content, run it through an analytics tool so you understand what and how to refine other pieces of content.

Don’t forget the importance of your images

Images and aesthetics aren’t exactly the most talked about when it comes to SEO for lead generation, but they still definitely count.

Content that isn’t aesthetically pleasing or appealing are less likely to get conversions.

Using high-quality images enhances the visual appeal of your page.

Choose images that are striking, original and related to your topic rather than just using stock and generic images.

To optimize them for SEO, however, you will want to focus on a couple of things you probably never thought to do before.

An alt text that contains your keyword will still count when searching for that certain keyword.

You should always keep the Alt text at a maximum of 125 characters.

Page speed

In relation to optimizing your images for SEO, it is important to note that larger file sizes can slow down the load time of websites.

Everyone these days has quite the minimal level of patience, which means long wait times can cause higher bounce rates.

File size and the proper extensions are vital to the speed that a site performs.

Having too many images with a large file size will slow down your site.

Compress images and try to disperse them through your website.

Tools like Google PageSpeed help determine how fast or how slow your site is currently loading.

Secure your website

ssl certificate

(via Omniconvert)

Leads and even just anyone browsing the internet will steer clear of websites that qualify as unsafe.

Protect your own work from attacks like hacking and viruses like malware by adding a firewall service or using cleaning software.

SSL certificates are data files that help to padlock encrypted information such as credit card details, data transfers, emails and addresses, and the like.

It helps keep data secure between servers, builds trust between companies and customers.

Which then improves conversion rates, and of course it improves your overall Google ranking.

Website security is much more than just the things it offers, because it gives both customers and your company peace of mind.

Refrain from obnoxious pop-ups

pop ups

(via Search Engine Land)

Let’s face it — pop-ups are annoying which make them ineffective.

You just want to be able to read content and then some random pop-up appears.

Well, Google ranks websites with these pop-ups at a lower rate and considers full-page pop-ups nuisances.

Consider cookie information, login dialogues, permissions and age-restriction policies are exceptions to the rule.

Allow users to share your content

We’ve all agreed that social media has taken over the marketing industry like no other.

Linking content on Facebook and other platforms has become a common way to share content that is relevant to a user who thinks it might be relevant to someone else.

This doesn’t necessarily correlate with SEO, but it brings more traffic to your site.

Apart from buyers wanting to see your content, they will share it and we all know how things go viral on the socials.

Other times people will even search for the link themselves when they don’t have it directly, which is an overall win.

Gauge your competition

A little friendly competition hurts nobody.

In an industry and market with this pace, different kinds of businesses will also have a good number of competitors.

Believe it or not, having competition will also help you optimize your site.

See what mistakes they’re making and remember not to repeat the same on your site.

But also, see which areas they are doing well in.

If a competitor is doing better at ranking in the SEO world for their lead generation, get to the root cause of why this may be.

Analyze how their content flows, how they use backlinks, what their content contains that yours doesn’t (yet).

You can also work with an SEO agency to understand how content with similar nature is doing will help you come up with strategies that will help boost your own.

It can even help you become more creative.

Is SEO a lead generation process?

The answer is no.

SEO has been around for as long as we can remember, and everyone uses it for quite a lot of things.

Only recently has it really helped the process of lead generation, and largely at that.

Optimizing your website for SEO visibility can bring about significant results, no doubt.

But SEO optimization is for websites that have content ready to put out for its prospects.

This means you are ready to be visible and put in the effort needed in this process.

In summary

You must know by now that the usage of SEO for lead generation is a process. right?

It takes a lot of refining and enhancing and refining again to bring in those leads.

But in hindsight, it’s been around for how long it has been around because it simply works.

Humans are, by nature, curious beings. Whatever they find topics that intregues their hunger for knowledge they search about it.

We sometimes find ourselves searching on Google the most random of things.

For that, surely you can find a lot of prospective customers doing the same thing, too.

Whether they are looking to purchase or are just in the process of doing their research, you want users to say, “Hey, I really enjoyed that site.”

With a market that is evolving constantly, we have to keep in stride with it.

The primary focus is to optimize content on a regular basis for the changing times.

We hope that our methods will be of use to you as your journey through the process that is search engine optimization in lead generation.

How LeadFuze can help with SEO lead generation?

LeadFuze specializes not only in one channel for lead generation.

Not to toot our own horn, but we probably even have everything you’re looking for… and more.

Most definitely, SEO optimization is an aspect of lead generation that we touch on.

If you’re still confused about how to optimize your website, shoot us an email and we’ll try our best to help.

Editors Note:

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