Online Marketing Scores the Points, SEO Gets You Down the Field
Posted by Byron
on 07/27/15
Differences Between Online Marketing & SEO
We get a lot of questions from our new clients concerning the differences between online marketing and SEO strategies. Our impression is that the commonly recognized technical strategies for organic rankings are outdated and ineffective. We see a lot of business owners who have been exposed to the SEO term. Unfortunately they do not realize that not employing online marketing can seriously hamper their efforts.
The Old SEO Strategy – a Very Brief Tech History
Many years ago, agencies were mainly concerned with optimizing meta data and using keyword strategies to achieve high rankings for their clients in the search engines. As the population of internet users increased, this strategy failed to work. Competition grew to staggering amounts of companies essentially shouting at the public. Something along the lines of: “experienced personal injury attorney georgia,” and not much more than that.
Consumers may have been manipulated into clicking onto a website. However they would quickly abandon ship once they realized there was nothing of quality on the website they selected. These businesses lost credibility with their potential customers. Being considered junk spam sites they ultimately get penalized by the search engines.
Internet Users are More Sophisticated Today
Today, developers know that in order to represent their clients effectively, it is essential that they create a unique online marketing strategy tailored to every business. The competition is so high now, you can do everything “right” to abide by the algorithms of the search engines. Yet your business may still not reach the coveted top slots on the first page of Google search results. Even if it does, consider this question – what does it really mean for your business? That your business is succeeding at shouting the loudest? Or does it mean that you are doing a good job with the products or services that you offer?
Ultimately, the short answer is that the best of the best do both. SEO tactics may drive people to you. Hence, online marketing is how your business connects with your customers and keeps people coming back to you.
Internet users are typically looking for a quick answer to a question when they are typing into a search engine. Once they find you and seethat you have quality content, they will see your business as an industry expert. To inspire trust by a new customer, you have to offer something of value. Some of the online marketing techniques are providing useful information to your audience, commenting on relevant news, and committing to responding to inquiries within a defined time. Strategically you also want clear, strong call to actions that funnel a visitor to take the action you want. Such as submitting a form, clicking on a phone number, or even going to another specific page.
Online Marketing Scores the Points, SEO Gets You Down the Field
It is extremely difficult to rank locally in search engine results if you are located in a large city. Bear this in mind if you are launching a new site. Rather you are competing with other businesses that have established a web presence that is already years in the making. This translates to years that your competition has already invested in creating a quality online marketing content development strategy.
This is why using social media as a major part of your online marketing strategy is so important. Facebook, Twitter, and a content development strategy for your blog are some of the ways. SEO might be the mechanism by which some people first find you. Online marketing is how you keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. Finally, content is how you define your brand. It also describes what makes your product or service different and better than your competition.
In the simplest terms, think of it this way. Some agencies solely focuse on getting you those SEO ranking. We want to help you turn those rankings into conversions.
