SEO Is Not a Sales Strategy
TL;DR
- Earning trust from the people who find you through Google is a completely different problem than getting ranked by those people.
- Creating Traffic using keyword opportunities without a constant point of view does little for converting that Traffic.
- The search intent behind a search means as much to a business’ success as the actual search terms themselves. Getting ranked for the wrong type of attention will fill up your website’s metrics, but leave your pipeline empty.
- Stop evaluating your keywords. Start evaluating your invitation.
SEO is a map. It tells people your location. However, it never explains what you do or why someone should spend thirty seconds of their time with you once they arrive. All of that still rests completely upon you.
The Hunt Most Companies Don’t Realize They’re In
Many companies use SEO like a slot machine. Find a keyword opportunity, write content around it, watch the rankings go higher and the hits roll in. Then watch it all level off after a couple weeks. Restart. Each time you start over again, you are resetting all the ground you built over the previous few months.
Those who succeed remain in the hard part. They write consistently from one point of view to an audience which stays the same long enough for the algorithm to see them as authority on something specific. There isn’t much patience like this. And this is what sets those who get discovered apart from those that keep writing content nobody asked for.
One more Thing - Whatever terms you rank for must come from your business aspects and not just some suggestions made by keyword tools. When your SEO reflects a real point of view, you will attract people searching for exactly that perspective. Not just anyone that types similar words into a search engine.
Being Visible & Valuable are Separate
Ranking for a term and having something worth saying when someone lands on your page are two different issues. You can have technical visibility and still fail to establish a connection. Many websites contain content which is genuinely useful and yet no one ever finds it due to the strategy never really providing it with a legitimate place to live. Both matter. Specific enough to appear in front of the right people, and clear enough to gain their trust once they have arrived. Whether you are attempting to turn browser into buyer or simply attempting to explain what you do before anyone contacts you, this applies.
The Intent Gap
There is a genuine distinction between individuals searching for generalized concepts and individuals searching for specific services or solutions. The former individual is browsing. They may love what you produce, however they aren’t prepared to purchase. The latter individual is near purchasing decisions.
If your SEO only focuses on the former type, you’ll be boosting your website statistics while leaving your pipeline empty. Although your site may be raking up broad keywords, the individuals who could support your work are looking for something much more specific than “awareness” Traffic needs balance.
What High Traffic & Low Sales Are Saying About Your Brand
When creating content you typically do one of three things: build awareness, drive a transaction, or build trust. Most SEO strategies concentrate on the first two areas and overlook the third. Trust is what changes strangers into someone who takes the next action.
If visitors land on your site, leave without taking any action, the answer to how to fix this problem typically isn’t more keywords. The solution is either clarity or credibility. They have no idea what you do. They have no idea if you can help them. And nothing on the page provides them reason enough to stay around long enough to discover if you might actually help them.
Audit Your Invitation
Instead of asking yourself ‘what am i Ranking for?’ ask yourself “what happens when someone gets here?”
Read your own homepage like someone who has accidentally come across it through a search. Does it immediately clearly explain what you do? Clearly define whom it’s for? Is there one apparent next step or six competing directions fighting over the visitor’s attention?
Your home page should feel like a single introduction. Not a puzzle that they need to decipher before they determine if you’re worth a second look. SEO brings people to the doorway. What happens behind the doorway is entirely up to you.
If this article has helped spark a thought process or changed how you see things, please post in the comments section. Some of the best articles we write lead into some of the most interesting (and informative) comments.
And if you're currently trying to navigate a marketing or design issue - That is exactly what I am here for. Do you have questions regarding developing your company's branding? Do you need a Content Plan that reflects your business? Or simply a fresh perspective on something you've been staring at for so long? Let's Talk. No obligation. Just an open conversation about where you are now and where you would like to be.
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Lionel Lowery
Marketing Strategist & Creative Lead
Lionel works with small and mid-size businesses and nonprofits across the Triad, including Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and beyond, to clarify their message, strengthen their brand, and build marketing systems that actually hold up. Through LIONEL.MKTG, he brings together digital marketing, social media strategy, and graphic design for organizations that are done guessing and ready to move forward.
