Everyone knows that Google plays a huge role in getting found online. In fact, there’s over 5.1 billion searches every day on Google alone.
For this reason, countless companies have cropped up over the years offering search engine optimization services and SEO tips for manufacturers. The problem is, many of these companies utilize outdated techniques for driving traffic to their client’s websites.
As an industrial manufacturer, it can be hard to define a strategy that will bring your company into search engine relevance. You may have specialized products for a specific niche, or a highly diversified offering for a variety of industries.
Either way, you can follow this set of SEO tips for manufacturers to start ranking for the keywords that matter the most for your company.
[box type=”note”]Note: These tips bring incredible results, but it’s going to take consistency and some hard work. If you’re looking for an overnight fix for your search woes, I advise looking elsewhere. [/box]
Before you start: Lay the ground work
I truly believe that behind any true success lies a well implemented strategy. In the same way, it’s important to lay the foundation for success before diving into a keyword campaign.
It’s not enough to simply make a list of valuable keywords for which you’d like to rank. If you’re putting time and resources into staking a claim on a keyword, you’d better have done the research to know that it will drive enough leads and sales to justify the effort.
So, how do you get started?
Clearly define your target personas
It all starts with defining your target personas. These are the people who you want as lifelong customers, but they’re not all the same.
For instance, if I’m a steel manufacturer, I work with maintenance managers and assistants every day. These men and women are on site all day to ensure that the operation doesn’t skip a beat.
However, I don’t only talk to maintenance people. I’m also working on getting technical specifications for engineering firms, and coordinating pricing and logistics for purchasing managers.
Everyone asks different questions, but they’re all buying the same exact plate!
By sketching out 2-3 target personas in detail (download our free template), you can ensure that you are targeting keywords that will draw in your best prospects and leads.
Identify their most pressing questions
Once you have a clear vision for each of your target personas, dig into the questions that they often have throughout your sales process.
These can be highly technical questions about your product specifications, or something as simple as the lead time required for orders on a specific piece of equipment. Huddle up with your sales team and identify the 10 most asked questions by your prospects. These are great topics to target when planning your keyword campaign.
More than ever, people are searching for product information online before contacting sales (many times through search engines). In fact, a recent study shows that over 57% of the purchase decision is completed before anyone in sales gets a phone call.
It couldn’t be more important to target your most valuable leads and to answer the questions they’re asking online. Laying this groundwork will enable you to effectively draw in new business from your website, rather than ranking for unvalidated terms.