In a recent survey by IEEE Globalspec, 61% of B2B marketers reported they were re-allocating portions of their budget to digital marketing in response to the COVID downturn.  It’s not surprising–purchase decision-making IS still taking place, and more than ever it’s centered around online research that begins via organic search terms.

Many approach organic search engine optimization in a superficial manner, or have some magic trick they use to game the system such as backlink purchases in bulk.  But there’s no substitute for playing the long game here – organic search requires time, technical competence and content.  Any vendor who tells you otherwise is doing their version of a snake-charmer’s dance to lure you in with false predictions of some shortcut to success. 

GGC believes in a balanced and interdependent approach of content supporting back-end optimization, and vice versa.  The more content you write, the more authoritative your site becomes in Google’s eyes, and as a result the higher your rankings will be.  At the same time, the more technically sound your site is for Google’s algorithm signals, the more likely it is that your content will be found and indexed correctly and quickly. 

GGC has developed a rigorous two-step approach to put clients on the right path with their SEO programs – a detailed audit, followed by a process-driven monthly content optimization program. 

SEO Audit as A Roadmap to Success

Any good program requires a plan, and our SEO Audit provides the specific steps we need to pursue for dominating page 1.  Our audits typically look at both organic search elements, as well as overall site effectiveness at generating leads.  In other words, it’s great to get organic traffic to the site, but if we’re not doing a good job of converting those anonymous visitors into leads, we’ve just created a lot of activity without a lot of the outcome that we want. 

Our audit process is based on a time-proven set of deliverables: 

• Review of Google Analytics, SEO Tools, Google Search Console (include Adwords if paid search is part of your review) 
• Competitive keyword review 
• Schema review 
• Review of backlinks/toxic link profile 
• Branded vs. non-branded traffic review 
• Historical SEO rankings 
• Back-end review of website 

Note that occasionally we’re asked to review website conversion rates as well. The benchmark goal is that 2% of all visits should turn into a lead, so there are a few data sources we investigate 

• Audit of any CRM or marketing automation software stats 
• Google Analytics path analysis 
• Hotjar tracking (1 month) to determine barriers to lead conversion.  Hotjar is a tool that tracks and records actual user sessions, so you can actually see mouse patterns and detect where barriers may occur on a page or form. It’s far more robust than Google Analytics’ heat map tool, which actually is a bit repetitive and predictable in its insights.
• Website conversion ratios of the sales funnel
• Google Tag Manager review (for any paid search analysis) 
• Verify third party tracking code and pixels 
• Determine if customer analytics tracking is being used (UTM codes) 

Monthly SEO Optimization Program 

That audit provides us with a treasure trove of data, so we can plan an effective SEO strategy. On a monthly basis, then, GGC’s SEO methodology blends both on-page optimization and back-end code improvements to drive rankings: 

• Monthly keyword ranking review in depth, to look at underperforming keywords from priority list – analyze why and make recommendations for improving  
• Uncover long tail keyword opportunities 
• SERP click through rates, meta description copywriting to improve organic engagement 
• Competitor rankings 
• Competitive/difficulty rankings 
• Back end coding changes 
• Domain authority improvements 
• Snippet targeting 
• Internal linking strategies 
• Review backlink profile – domain strength assessment, opportunities for new, disavow toxic  
• Optimize blog and/or webpage content prior to posting  - H1, keywords, image alt tags, internal links  
• YouTube optimization - Titles - Descriptions - Links back to website - Insert end cards to link to site - Transcription for optimization - Control “next up” discovery video panel on right
• Complete monthly recommendations from prior month

Winning the battle against Google – and your competitors – isn’t for the faint of heart. But with a good roadmap, good technical programming skills and a strong content calendar, you’ll find your competitors looking up at your rankings and wondering how they can enjoy the same Page 1 Prowess you’re experiencing!