The ins and outs of search engine optimisation

These days, merely having a website is not sufficient in terms of a company’s online presence. Any good online marketing strategist will tell you that Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the basis of a successful online marketing strategy. The website needs to rank well in search engines for key-phrases relevant to your business activity in order to increase quality traffic to your website. One of the best ways to achieve this is by ensuring that your website contains well-optimised and relevant content.

Increased traffic to your website is all good and well, but the challenge lies in converting those visitors into leads or customers. In order to increase return on investment from your website a mixture of persuasive copywriting, subtle calls-to-action and easy navigation are used.

In addition to delivering a positive return on investment through an increase in quality traffic, leads and conversions from your website, SEO is also sustainable and cost-effective when compared to a traditional medium like print media. Many South African companies have realised the power and possibilities of the Internet and increasingly companies are including an online marketing campaign as part of their overall marketing plan to create a holistic through-the-line strategy.

Oasis Counselling Centre approached AlterSage in 2008 to design and implement an SEO campaign for them. As a drug and alcohol treatment centre situated in the scenic Garden Route, Oasis wanted to enhance their online presence. With consumers ever more turning to search engines to find what they are looking for, Oasis deemed it vital to rank well on the search engines for key-phrases like:

• “addiction recovery counsellors”
• “alcohol addiction counsellors”
• “detoxification programme”
• “plettenberg bay rehab”

AlterSage initiated the SEO campaign in August with incredible results, as can be seen from the graph below.

Generally SEO results can take approximately three months to appear due to the initial phase of SEO as well as its organic nature. During AlterSage’s initial phase a comprehensive website audit is completed and a detailed SEO strategy is created. After the strategy is implemented the website starts producing results within search engines. With Oasis’ campaign, traffic has increased steadily with improved rankings and wider visibility on the search engines.

During December there is a decrease in traffic, but this is quite typical due to seasonal fluctuations and the number of holidays during this time of the year. Since January 2009, there have been tremendous improvements in visitor numbers. The increase in traffic has lead to an increase in conversions, indicating that the website is attracting qualified visitors through relevant content. Conversions are measured by the actions visitors perform on the website and will differ for each campaign. A conversion can be described as filling out a contact form, downloading a brochure, signing up for a newsletter or making a sale through the website.

One of the key benefits of online media is that it is completely measurable. Almost everything can be tracked, from the number of visitors, key demographics to key-phrases used to find you in search engines. By analysing this information the SEO campaign can be modified to improve the targeting, messaging and reach of your company’s website. It is important to remember that SEO is not a once-off process. Search engines favour websites that update their content on a regular basis therefore it is important to maintain the SEO campaign.

Once the website has been made “search engine friendly” and SEO is implemented, you can enhance your online marketing strategy by introducing additional elements such as Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, Online PR or social media marketing for maximum effect and brand awareness.

Ask yourself: What can online do for you? Can your company afford to lose potential business to competitors that are ranking well? If you would like to determine the possibilities for your website, contact AlterSage. With over a decade’s worth of combined experience in the marketing and online industry, AlterSage offers custom created online strategies tailored to each client’s industry, audience and goals with the aim to gain increased and targeted exposure as well as proven ROI.

This article was originally published on Bizcommunity.com on 14 April 2009.