Although it may seem easier or even logical to kill two proverbial birds with one stone and combine your SEO and lead generation strategy, there are a number of problems that arise when this happens. Integrating both lead generation and SEO into a broader strategy is a good thing. Trying to fuse the two and expecting to see results from both sides is another thing altogether. Focusing on one and ignoring the other is never a good idea, either.
The primary reason for this is that the goals, approach and processes for both are unique to each channel. You may get some results when you put all your effort into your lead generation strategy without considering what that strategy might do for your SEO, but you are more likely to see your rankings take a hit. The good news is that it is completely possible to bring in traffic and convert leads. The trick lies in planning your strategy carefully. In this guide, we share some of the biggest ways that SEO results could take a beating when you do not plan your lead generation strategy thoroughly.
When Your Lead Generation Strategy Interferes With SEO
From focusing on all the wrong keywords to a highly specific content strategy that is geared more towards hard selling than ranking, there are many reasons that your SEO may be affected by your lead generation strategy. Here are some of the primary reasons that you may need to take a closer look at how you can avoid losing rankings and leads.
You are using the wrong keywords
A good keyword plan should always form the foundation of any strategy, whether you are focused on traffic or lead nurturing. The problem is, the types of keywords you may choose for general traffic to your website are very different to those you would choose to attract and nurture leads. Using a broad-based, generic keyword approach is even worse, as these keywords are typically designed to attract people looking for information rather than those specifically wanting to purchase products or services.
When your keywords are carefully planned, you have the chance to draw in traffic that is more likely to convert to sales. Think about it this way: there would be far more chance of a visitor completing a lead form or taking action with a keyword that was specific to their search, area, and even goal (let’s say ‘buy computer parts in cape town’) than there would from a visitor using a keyword such as ‘computer parts’. Always make sure that you invest in a solid keyword strategy that is rich in long-tail keywords that help SEO as well as lead nurturing, and you will be off to the right start.
Your content is not optimised
The content on your website is another way that you may lose rankings online. Landing pages are frequently used as lead magnets, making them a very valuable tool. Conversational marketing can also be used to enhance your content. If your content is so focused on selling that you forget to optimise any of your pages for SEO, you will end up missing out on the chance to increase your results in the SERPs. That means that you will have far less chance of potential leads finding you in the first place, which defeats the entire purpose of your content.
Optimising your lead nurturing content means keeping conversion and ranking in mind. Make use of your carefully researched and planned keywords to create highly relevant, targeted content that is designed to achieve specific goals. Using our computer parts example, you could have specific pages or blog posts on the most common repair issues, specific components that you sell or repair on a regular basis, common problems that customers face while trying to get their computers fixed (and how your company can help), what to look for in a computer repair service, and various other content that makes use of your keywords. When you take a customer focus, planning your content around what your target customer needs, it will become a lot easier to convert more leads.
Your goals are not aligned
Although they share very similar goals, SEO and lead generation are not exactly the same. An SEO strategy focuses on getting people onto your website. Lead generation focuses on turning those visitors into customers once they have arrived. When you do not align these goals, it becomes far harder to achieve either goal. You will need to think very carefully about what you want to achieve from an SEO and lead generation strategy point of view. Then, you will need to look at ways that you can align these goals so that you do not jeapordise your rankings or lose potential leads.
You may be wanting to drive traffic to a specific page – a contact form, perhaps, or a page to download your free ebook. You may be aiming to drive general traffic to your home page or you might be focusing on your product or service pages. Once you have identified your goals, you will need to take a good, hard look at how you can align them in a way that works. You could consider tools such as behavioural analysis, competitive analysis, conversational marketing, repurposed content, calls to action, and various other strategies that help you keep people on the page once they arrive.
You are not investing in a cross-channel approach
Finally, another major mistake that could be costing you rankings and leads, according to my friend who works for an IT Company St. Louis branch, is not investing in a cross-channel marketing approach. SEO and lead generation do not have to exist as solely separate entities. They are just two out of many other strategies that all work to help you bring in more business. Treating them as a ‘one or the other’ thing is never a good idea. Instead, look at how you can enhance your lead generation efforts with additional strategies that add equal value – SEM, social media, ecommerce marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing, and even SEM can all help you improve your lead nurturing efforts. All of these strategies are designed to work together in a way that helps you grow your business authentically. Rather than picking and choosing just one or two channels, instead aim to see your overall goals as a way to use all the tools you have available to increase clicks, grow traffic, boost followers, and, ultimately, drive more sales and even increase customer retention.
Your Lead Generation Strategy Should Support Your SEO Efforts
Start seeing your digital marketing as something that is holistic rather than standalone and you will notice an impact in your lead generation efforts as well as your SEO results. Treat each as something separate and you will soon begin to struggle to drive traffic to your lead pages, then you will battle to convert your leads once they arrive on your site.
Lead generation is a powerful tool that has the ability to not only bring in new customers but also help you grow your reputation online. When you step back a bit and start to look at the bigger picture, you will start to see that you don’t have to grow leads at the detriment of your SEO results. Used together as part of a broader digital strategy, these two channels can happily work side by side, turning your lead generation strategy into something that is sure to deliver conversion.
