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Selling the Value of SEO to your CEO

by | Jun 20, 2022 | Digital Marketing

Is your CEO not familiar with SEO? You’re not alone.

To be fair, put yourself in their shoes. When you’re busy running a company, you can’t possibly know everything there is to know about marketing, especially when digital marketing has become more complex and complicated than ever before. And if you were focused on other things like growth and acquisitions—and you didn’t really understand the topic anyway—you might be tempted to cut corners.

For example, imagine your company just acquired another brand that desperately needs a new website. The CEO comes to you and says, “We just need a website to tell the customers what we do, right? You don’t need all that fancy SEO stuff.”

After you’re done cringing, what’s your response? Chances are you’ll explain what SEO actually does and why it’s needed.

The thing is, SEO is similar to the roads in your neighborhood. If you don’t think about how people will get to your house, they’ll never find you. The same is true of SEO. You must set a proper foundation to ensure your website is visible on search engines and provides a good experience for your visitors.

Here are some things to consider the next time someone asks you if SEO is really worth it.

Content

It’s true that you and your team know the products and services like the back of your hands. To some, it might feel silly to drone on about the details of each product or service. But, guess what? YOU ARE NOT YOUR AUDIENCE. Prospects searching for and researching your services likely don’t know what you provide, let alone the intricacies of how it’s done. You need to explain the details.

SEO is all about algorithms, the secret sauce of search engines like Google that determine exactly how (and where) your website appears in the results when someone performs a search. Relevancy is important to the keyword and appearing high in the rankings, but so is copy depth. In the SEO world, copy depth refers to how detailed the content is on the subject. Simply put, more copy (relevant copy, that is) can signal that the content goes in-depth, which can provide valuable boosting power to rocket you up the rankings.

Consistency

Like families changing houses, businesses also move locations. And if your business is on the upswing, that could mean moving into a bigger place to accommodate more people, products or services. That’s the good news. The bad news is that all those moves can leave a trail of outdated and incorrect information strewn across the internet.

It’s vital that you take the time to correct your business’s name, address and phone number anywhere it is listed. Updating each of these citations makes it easier for the search engines to understand which contact information is correct. Mismatching information can lead search engines to believe each of those citations is a different business, which can hurt your chances of customers finding the right you.

Clarity

We mentioned relevancy and copy depth earlier, but there’s another aspect of content that you must stay on top of: Clarity. Using pain language is essential for a number of reasons, including the fact that it prompts better SEO results and higher placements in search engine rankings. Additionally, plain language has been shown to result in longer time on site metrics, and it will help you cater to a wider audience of varying education levels.

Besides just words, don’t underestimate the magnitude of images and the power of demonstrating your products or services via pictures. Images add value to your SEO efforts in that people tend to find sites with images more engaging. Photos, videos and infographics are also effective tools that can be used to explain company processes. Lastly, don’t forget to add alt text—tags that search engines place high value on to determine the subject of the image for the visually impaired—to each of your photos for a shot of SEO “juice.”

Brag

We’ve all been on the hunt for an award-winning [you fill in the blank] and took to a search engine for help. You likely found who (or what) you were looking for because that person incorporated some tips we discussed earlier, like having consistent citations and using plain language. But they also probably took the time to brag about how good they are at what they do—and you should too.

Your website is your opportunity to brag about your expertise and know-how. Use your digital domain to boast about awards, accolades and how long you’ve been in business. If possible, include case studies where you can highlight your core competencies.

Ok, you get it. SEO is important. So, what do you do now?

We know that you get it—even if your CEO doesn’t. And we think we’d be great working together. The skilled team at Heart & Hustle Brands has extensive experience in content creation, strategy and SEO planning that will drive quantifiable results. Interested in learning more? Contact us today to get started.

Stacey Harrison

About the Author

Stacey Harrison is the lead brand strategist and designer at Heart & Hustle Brands and has provided creative direction for healthcare, industrial, and financial services brands for 20 years. She started Harrison Creative Group in 2017 to serve businesses that need a professional brand image on a budget. In 2021, the company rebranded to Heart & Hustle Brands to walk in the shoes of clients that experience a change of name or brand refresh.

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