Create customer-centric SEO strategy | What to focus on

Online marketing department is in charge of SEO activity which is a technical process done by SEO specialists and digital marketers.

In order to build an effective SEO strategy, departments such as marketing, sales, PR, customer service, or HR need to join the discussion about SEO. Each of these departments should consider approaching a customer-centric culture when creating and applying strategies to meet business goals.

When all these departments become customer-centric as part of the holistic strategic plan of the company, they can create long-term results especially when it comes to building a successful SEO strategy.

Once there is a strong connection, transparency and purpose across departments, the company you're leading can reach the right audience, win its trust and generate leads in a much more professional way through a practical SEO strategy.

This can be possible if departments are willing to share information and results between them.

By aligning with the bigger picture goals, SEO specialists will develop fresh ideas and innovative strategies for better functioning of SEO practice.

1. What to focus on when creating a customer-centric SEO strategy?

Digital marketers build and rebuild brands to meet and satisfy the needs and wants of target customers. In the online world, a brand’s image can be perceived differently from that seen in the offline environment and vice versa.

Therefore, your company's product must be customized and promoted taking into account the prospective buyer persona to whom it is addressed.

If your business displays an image that does not reflect reality and users’ feedback on forums and blogs confirms it, then the search engines won’t give quality ranking to its website unless the contrary is proven.

To create a significant customer-centric SEO strategy and targeted SEO campaigns, as an SEO specialist get involved in developing a cohesive relationship with your users and customers through high-quality content marketing.

This step should be taken after you made sure the company's departments have the ability to collaborate with each other and are open to exchanging data with your SEO team.

This is important because when all departments are synchronized and a harmonious collaboration environment is created, SEO responsible can build a relevant content marketing strategy for the target audience. Relevant means when you are able to create different content formats by applying accurate and diverse information obtained from reliable sources.

Thus, your SEO strategy becomes consistent and people-oriented sustaining your brand's credibility and authority online:

1.    Create and post authentic articles on your company’s site and share them on the social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn that are most representative for your brand – keep focusing on your target audience;

2.    Brochures/presentations in PPT or PDF format posted on a specific page, or posted on social media;

3.    Podcasts uploaded on your website or on the YouTube channel about topics of interest to your target audience. Potential customers can download their favorite podcasts and listen to them on their laptop or phone;

4.    Videos in which you as an entrepreneur or popular persons offer advice, solutions, or ideas that your audience and potential customers can apply to get out of difficult (business) situations;

5.    Email newsletter (Mailchimp or other email marketing platforms providers) to keep users up to date with new and authentic content, events, or promotions and pass on the news to others.

* Here collaboration with other departments such as Sales or PR is key.

2. What is the essence of SEO?

SEO is all about the attention you offer to the user/customer from finding you in the search engines to accessing your site and creating a smooth navigation experience on it.

Its essence consists in activating the user's desire to click on the anchor text found in the search engine results pages (SERPs), on social media, or other sites. Once visitors enter your site and stay on the page wanting to discover what you have to offer (content, product, offer, etc.), a strong connection between your audience and your company's product should start to arise.

The concept of the site must be for visitors as an inspirational journey that awakens interest in exploring and sharing it with the world on social media for instance. This implies developing a successful SEO plan to help the company your're working for reach the heart of its customers, keep their buying desire alive and gain brand reputation in the digital world.

When users access your site and search for your product, they feel the need to acquire a relationship.

So, your company must take into account the needs of your users/customers and develop brands with a strong personality and purpose capable of forming appropriate emotional bonds with its target market.

More precisely, marketers and SEO specialists must combine in an original and successful way digital marketing ingredients to be in their customers’ graces. And more than that, it’s important to get involved in maintaining this relationship naturally and not forcibly (as is usually the case).

3. What type of content works best?

A site cannot gain visibility without a comprehensive SEO strategy, nor can the business survive without profitable customers. Pages about products and services are indispensable for SEO activity.

The better they are developed and optimized, the more traffic the site generates and the chances of users being converted to customers increase. However, the more interactive, creative and useful the content is, the more users will feel triggered to take action on the site.

Ad content does not receive as much attention as educational content does because people tend to avoid ads through ad blockers. As long as there is authentic information on the site that your target audience needs, its interest grows and their desire to spend more time on your site increases.

Sites with educational content compared to sites built only for publicity purposes are more likely to be recommended by users because they bring benefits to people's lives, being trustful sources of information and learning.

Conclusion

In conclusion, SEO specialists and online marketers together with other departments need to use a customer-centric approach when they’re in charge of SEO and other digital marketing practices.

By optimizing the site properly, the target market will decide whether or not to identify with the brand and see the site as a viable solution to its problems transforming into an ideal client that generates desirable sales.

Now it’s up to you as an entrepreneur how well you prioritize building a truly sustained and valuable relationship across your business departments: (online) marketing, sales, PR, customer service, HR so that the SEO department reaches its potential.

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