I’m going to take a guess about your character, and I know we’ve just met so this may seem strange, but I think you’re a savvy shopper.
You love to leverage the internet to research everything there is to know about a product or a holiday package before you click ‘buy’. You could scroll through reviews for days and click from one piece of organic content to the next consuming endless amounts of information before you act on a big decision.
Am I right?
If I am right, I must admit it wasn’t really a shot in the dark because 90% of people ‘pre-research’ online before deciding, taking action or purchasing almost anything. Furthermore, 80% of people who use Google just like you, will only click on the organic search results rather than the paid adverts at the top or bottom of the page.
Google plays a large role in our decision-making and what we choose to purchase, so if you’re a business looking to attract consumers, investing in your website, content, SEO/SEM and EDMs is a great way to drive digital impact.
As discussed in our blog ‘What’s the Deal with Digital PR’, the rise of digital and social media has disrupted the way people consume information. Audiences are now highly connected and always on, that’s why digital PR is all about creating a long-term omnipresence that grows a brand’s online authority, visibility & trust consistently.
In this week’s blog, we will be discussing how to use your owned channels like your website, blog, SEO/SEM and content to drive digital impact and increase your share of voice amongst your competitors online.
- Website
Did you know that 67% of people will not scroll past the fifth listing on Google? It’s a startling statistic, but certainly, one that makes you want to ensure that your website is on the first search page.
SEO (or search engine optimisation) is all about increasing your online footprint and visibility in an organic way. Creating strong/relevant content and amplifying various keywords related to your business will help your audience find you when they are searching on Google.
Google rewards websites that cite and interlink other articles from higher authority website domains (like news sites) by providing them with a higher ranking in organic search results. Thus, successful digital PR will integrate the link to your website into your media coverage to help amplify the online visibility of your brand and drive traffic.
Every business’ website is a living, breathing asset that needs to be fed to gain online authority. Using a combination of media articles which include backlinks to your website and social media content which directs users to your website, you will see increased traffic to the site and increased domain authority.
Additionally, SEM (or Search Engine Marketing) is a paid strategy to increase your online footprint and visibility. Brands can use various paid targeted ads to ensure they are reaching the right people and are directing traffic back to their website.
- Blogs & content hubs
So, you’ve got your website, it’s easy to use, has a quick download speed and aligns with your brand visuals. Now, you need to look at your content, as an aspect of your website and business, that digital PR can really drive impact.
To make sure your website is appearing on the first page of Google for your consumers, make sure that your content precisely outlines what you offer. Then repeat it and repeat it again, and then interlink your content with other articles about your service or industry. This is all about having keywords that relate to your offering, so if a consumer looks that term up on the internet, Google will bump your website to the first page saying, “Hey this website talks a lot about this topic and is providing accurate information because it’s linking back to other pieces of reputable content”.
Content hubs can be a great way to integrate your keywords into your website. They are also referred to as ‘key brand messages’ or ‘core communication pillars’ and are a way to maximize your expertise to drive awareness, traffic and rankings within Google on specific expert subject matter/keywords you wish to be known for and your key audience is looking for.
Of course, the proof is in the pudding. Within a month of starting our blog content series at Agent99, we were seeing huge improvements in our website analytical growth.
Our website went up 2x searches for the key term ‘PR agency’ on Google and moved us to the number 1 search position – after our blog content hub on the focus key phrase ‘PR Agency’. Additionally, our website went up to the first position for a bank of B2B related key phrases on Google – including b2b pr Sydney, b2b public relations Sydney – after our blog content hub on the key phrase ‘B2B PR’.
- EDMs
Last, but of course not least, is the importance of email marketing. In a data-driven world, having access to your customer’s details at a click of a finger is an incredibly valuable tool for driving people back to your website, and social channels and converting interest into sales.
Just like other methods of digital PR, EDMs are a powerful way to communicate and build a relationship with your audience, whilst helping to strengthen your brand and position over time. By including hyperlinks to your website, you can measure the click-through rate of readers to see what is attracting the most attention. By promoting your website or social media channels through EDMs out to your database, you are directly funnelling traffic back to your owned media channels.
Remember the benefit of your owned media is that it is entirely within your control because you can create and design the content to align with the messaging that you want to send consumers.
We are here to guide you if you ever need assistance! Find us here.
By Agent Eva
