The Role of SEO in an Effective Multifaceted Marketing Strategy

The current economy has slowed business for many companies whether online or brick-and-mortar. Everyone involved in the business is looking for the “quick fix” that will sustain them during the tough times, the one thing that will keep them afloat. And, while participating in search engine optimization (SEO) is always a good idea, it’s not going to save you as a last-ditch effort.

SEO should not be your entire marketing strategy.

Every successful online business has a multifaceted plan that reaches its target markets through a combination of SEO, email, paid advertising, articles, press releases, social media, and more.

Here’s why:

If you started your website from a design standpoint, instead of from a search marketing standpoint, it’s going to take more time to get on track with SEO. It’s like starting the marathon an hour or more after the starting gun, the SEO project will start in last place. Even the initial research doesn’t get done quickly – it takes time to identify the best words, prepare a comparison to top sites in your field, etc.

There is no magic wand that gives you instant optimization. It would be great if things worked that way but there’s more than just keywords. You have to add comment tags, alternative text, reword links, and anchor tags. Unique titles and descriptions must be prepared for each page, and landing pages need to be created. Sometimes the entire layout/navigation scheme must be changed. If you think optimizing your site will work like magic, don’t count on it.

Like fine wines, SEO improves with age.

Once your website has been fully optimized, it will begin to get more traffic but that is a slow process. One reason is that search engines only index sites every few weeks, and revisit every few weeks. So for a search engine to rank your relevancy to different searches will take time.

Incoming links are still important. But the days of user requests for reciprocal links and link farms are over. Instead, you must take advantage of links based on the public’s perception of the value of your site.

You can create your own links by submitting articles, sending out online press releases, using social media, etc. but the best links come with time. If your site has been on the web for a while chances are you already have some good links established.

SEO is an inexpensive form of marketing, but it can’t stand alone in your overall marketing strategy. The search market is very volatile, the parameters can change their algorithms or drop your site in the blink of an eye. Instead of relying solely on search engine optimization, use SEO as part of your overall marketing strategy. As mentioned previously, paid ads, email, blogging, etc. should all be a part of the overall marketing plan. But remember that you should be using your website in direct mail, print ads, radio, etc. Your website can even help you track which ads perform the best.

SEO is not easy, nor is it fast but, when done right, it has the potential to bring additional customers inexpensively. Be sure to integrate the SEO with your overall marketing plan from the start. Don’t start the marathon in last place.