Once upon a time in 2013, I wrote an article for my Forbes column with the title 4 Tips For Hiring The Right SEO Firm. That article generated a flood of attention and led to several million dollars in revenue for MWI.
Why did that article perform so well, and what can you learn from our experience that will help you grow your business?
- Rank. Because the article was published on Forbes, it outranked everything else in Google search results. For many who are trying to improve SEO results, they would look no further and say, “We need to get an article about us on a top-tier website that will rank well!” but that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
- Authority. I’m talking about brand. Before people even clicked on the link in Google, they saw that the article was in Forbes. Forbes is a massive, well-known brand, so naturally people thought, “This article ranks #1 in Google, and it’s on Forbes, so it must have something important and credible to say.” Again, it would be easy to look at the article ranking #1 and the Forbes brand and say, “We need to get into a top-tier publication because then we’ll rank well and we’ll get the credibility boost as well!” But again, this doesn’t complete the puzzle.
- Intent. This is the real kicker. The article I wrote caught potential clients at exactly the right moment. Think about it—what is someone who types “How to hire an SEO firm” into Google looking for? They’re looking to hire an SEO firm, of course! And at that very moment, they saw our founder’s article at the top of Google, published through Forbes, and all that wrapped together turned that article into lead generation dynamite for us.
What are the key takeaways you can integrate into your SEO strategy?
- Focus on more than your own website. SEO is more than just how well your website ranks, it’s how well your content ranks on other platforms. How can you collaborate with other channels to get your content where it will rank well, and rank quickly? A side benefit is that backlinks from these types of platforms are extremely valuable.
- Think about the credibility of where your content is. This is especially important if your clients may not have heard about your company previously. Can you publish your content in a place where its credibility is enhanced simply by nature of it being on that platform? (btw, we have a subsidiary that specializes in top-tier PR placements)
- Most importantly, consider the intent of your target audience. Ask yourself, “What is the big problem our target is trying to solve? What are they complaining about all day, every day? When they decide to search Google for a solution, what will they type in?”
If you believe we here at MWI can be of assistance, contact us. It doesn’t cost a thing to chat and find out if we’re the right match for you.
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