12 Ways To Maximise ROI From Your SEO Spend
People who make the most money from SEO do two things very well:
Firstly, they identify an SEO company that gets results.
Secondly, they squeeze every last drop of money, getting potential out of the traffic their Google rankings generate.
Because let’s not kid ourselves… SEO isn’t cheap.
If you’re ranking on the first page right now and profiting from free traffic - it didn’t happen by accident.
Either a nice sizeable monthly investment or hours of hard work and promotion went into getting you there.
So, of course, you want to get maximum ROI from the traffic you’re now getting…
Right?
OK good.
We’re on the same page then… because what I'm about to reveal will be very profitable for you.
How Our Smartest Clients Stretch Their SEO Investment Twice… Sometimes, Even THREE Times
Before we get into these 12 profit-squeezing strategies, let’s clear up a question that’s probably already on your mind:
What is SEO Compounding?
And get this… if you’re currently ranking and driving traffic, you’ve already completed the hardest part of SEO Compounding.
I hope you’re excited!
Because this is going to be fun - so let’s dive right in…
Here are 12 SEO Compounding Strategies You Can Use To Double, Triple… Or Even Quadruple The Return On Every Dollar You Spend On SEO.
1) Is The Offer Stupid?
This is a basic one, but it must be said.
Reason being.
90% of clients that come to us get this wrong.
Without fixing this critical element, the SEO campaign will never yield the return it could.
So here it is.
First, work out exactly why people are reaching your site.
Then, give them what they’re after.
It’s easier than what you may think… you don’t have to get cheesy and throw in the steak knives bonuses or dramatically cut your margins…
It’s much simpler than that.
If your prospect:
- wants a quote: have a quote form available
- wants to speak to someone: display your phone number
- wants to learn more: have a button that takes them to a page explaining what you do
- wants to find you: display driving directions to your location
- wants to buy/order: install a “BUY NOW” or a “ORDER NOW” button
BONUS TIP: Make sure that all of the above occur above the fold - which is the top area and the very first thing someone sees when landing on your website.
And, of course, sometimes the process is a little bit more complicated, but just getting the above basics right is going to increase your conversion rates dramatically.
And to make things even easier for you - here are some real-world examples of this SEO Compounding Strategy #1 done right:
2) Syphon Additional Local Traffic
80% and upwards of clients we work with want to rank in their local area.
For example, the keywords they would target would be:
“Dentist in Brisbane” or “Denture Services Sydney”
There are different strategies to get rankings for these sorts of keywords (the homepage strategy or the landing page strategy); however, what we implement for every client, regardless of the strategy, is our local relevance technique.
…and if your rankings are stuck or you just can’t seem to get onto that first page - this strategy might just be what you need as well.
Let me explain.
Staying with our dentist example, just having the one-page themed around “Dentist In Brisbane” means the site lacks what we in the industry call "Theme Relevance."
But don’t worry.
Creating theme relevance and getting unstuck or quickly boosting your rankings is easy.
All we do is create MORE pages around your city keyword and link these pages to your main sales page.
Here’s the breakdown.
You have a page dedicated to “Dentist In Brisbane” - your landing page.
Now, to build topic relevance to this page, all that's required is creating additional pages relevant to the city.
BONUS 'NEXT LEVEL' TIP: To make this a 1-2 punch strategy that’s going to trump the competition, ensure this page is also something your target market might be interested in.
For example.
- Top 10 Places To Eat In Brisbane
- 10 Fun & FREE Family Activities In Brisbane
- Review Of The Best 10 Nightclubs In Brisbane
Here’s the kicker.
If your SEO company knows what they are doing and you create great content above, ranking for these kinds of keywords is VERY easy, and traffic will quickly follow.
Now, here’s the thing...
Yes, this theme-relevant content is going to boost your rankings - but the traffic from these pages is not likely to convert to sales for your services...
...Not right away, anyway!
But don’t you think down the road… maybe... just maybe… people interested in doing things in Brisbane and living in Brisbane will eventually need a dentist in Brisbane?
Yep!
And here’s where this strategy gets crazy.
People are visiting your site for free via your local syphoning strategy.
And even though maybe not right now... eventually, this traffic will be interested in your services.
So here is what you can do in the meantime.
You can actually “tag” this traffic and follow your new prospects around the Internet.
Until either your ads (hopefully, you’re using Incredible Free Offers) catch their attention or they realise it's time for a visit to the dentist.
And guess who and what will be in front of them right there?
Your AD!
Yep, this is all possible with an advertising method called retargeting.
This leads me to SEO Compounding Strategy #3.
3) Retarget your SEO traffic with online advertising
OK, so above, I’ve quickly broken down how retargeting works.
Here’s the official explanation from our friends over at Adroll:
Retargeting converts window shoppers into buyers. Generally, 2% of shoppers convert on the first visit to an online store. Retargeting brings back the other 98%. Retargeting works by keeping track of people who visit your site and displaying your retargeting ads to them as they visit other sites online.
source: https://www.adroll.com/getting-started/retargeting
And here’s what this looks like:
It’s a no-brainer... Right?
Especially with SEO traffic.
People have found you after looking for someone who provides your kind of products or services.
You’ve got hot and heavy prospects - ready to buy.
However, we've probably all experienced it and know that only a percentage of this traffic will convert right away.
So what about the other 90-odd per cent of people that don't convert?
Should we just let all this traffic and opportunity pass by?
After all, good money has been invested to get them to the website in the first place…
…shouldn't we at least try and give them another chance to buy?
I think so 😉
Once you test this strategy and see the additional traffic and leads come in, you will think so, too.
If you’d like help getting something like this set up, check out our PPC service.
4) On Page Retargeting
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of creating GREAT content… I mean, if you’ve read this far, you’ve got to admit this is pretty good information I’m sharing for free... Right?
That's because while our core business is Websites & SEO - we publish a ton of actionable marketing advice for business owners.
Why?
I know many people who read this information also need Web Design and SEO.
The thing to remember again with this traffic is that those who find us via our blog posts don’t visit because they are looking for an SEO or a Website company.
Our content drives all kinds of free traffic, so getting smart at directing this traffic properly and ensuring opportunity is not lost is a must.
We do this via a strategy called “On-Page Retargeting.”
And rather than giving you a long-winded explanation... Here are some real live examples of on-page retargeting in action:
Tips to make this strategy work:
- Make your redirect content FREE.
- Make it something of interest to your traffic.
- Build curiosity
- Provide VALUE!!!
BONUS TIP: You won’t get many people clicking on “HEY BUY MY STUFF” buttons 😉
5) Mailing List Remarking
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase:
“The money is on the list.”
While this is true… it’s been widely overused, and without understanding the timing of this strategy, it could be a complete sales killer for you.
Let me explain…
Yes, you want to get as many people on your database as possible.
Emails are a cheap and very effective way to market to prospects who have shown interest in your business.
However, unlike many of the “online gurus” who think the No.1 objective on every page is to get someone’s email address - I’m here to say…
Focus on the sale first!
That’s right.
Hands down, there is no better buying traffic channel available on the Internet than Google.
If people are looking for the services you provide on Google - they are ready to take action.
So please don’t jeopardise the sale by offering a subscription to your free newsletter when the thing your prospect really wants is your phone number or a quote!
Make sense?
There is a time and place for free offers, newsletter subscriptions, and free training in return for your prospect's email address.
However, mostly, it won’t be on your SEO landing pages.
These offers should be made via your content, retargeting and on-page redirect channels.
Don’t overthink this strategy too much - think of it more as an additional strategy to capture the details of people who aren’t ready to buy right there and then.
6) Sign Em Up For Website Push Notifications
This one is a great SEO Compound strategy.
I like it because of the quick simplicity of it all.
Even though I’m a big believer in going for the sale first - this piece of technology gives you yet another way to quickly and, most importantly… without breaking the flow of the site - tag your prospects to continue marketing to them after they leave the site.
Here’s how it works:
A small box that looks like it’s part of your browser pops up as people visit your site.
When this box appears, you can face your prospects with a question:
"Wanna get notified when we XYZ..."
This question could be anything from
…when we publish the latest news on XYZ.
… hold our next HALF OFF sale.
… open the doors for our exclusive membership.
You get the point.
Make the question something that doesn’t require too much thinking.
A no-brainer kind of question works best.
So what happens next?
Well, the software from the guys over at Push Crew then does all the magic in the background.
Here’s exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.
The push crew software connects to your prospect's browser.
This means you can send “push notifications” to your prospect's browser anytime you like!
And get this…
… this is crazy!
They don’t even have to be on your website anymore - but they’ll still receive your notification.
Let me repeat that.
They could be surfing anywhere on the web - and when you press send, the push notification will show up on their computer.
Talk about INSTANT TRAFFIC to your limited-time offers…
Add just a little bit of urgency, and you've got yourself a super hot, highly targeted traffic channel!
(I might even write another post in the future breaking down the exact strategy we use and recommend making this work like gangbusters - let me know in the comments below if this is something you’d be interested in)
7) Get Your Call To Action Right!
Before we get into this point, check out this call to action from Netflix:
OK, let's dig in and uncover how you can have the "I MUST CLICK" kind of call to action on your website as well.
I gave you a simple one (the offer strategy) right at the start… and here’s the extension of that point.
It’s really a simple strategy - but daily, I’m faced with clients who ask us to drive more traffic, and with one look at their website, I see that they haven't attended to this cardinal rule of marketing.
So here it is:
Tell your prospects what you want them to do.
Don’t ever assume if someone lands on your website, they'll know what to do.
If you want them to call… tell them.
If you want them to press a button… tell them
If you want them to visit the contact page… tell them.
The best ways to do this are right at the start, the middle and the end of your content.
There is obviously a sweet spot 😉
However, if you can naturally integrate a call to action within your content, you’ll increase your conversions overnight.
And because I’m a giving guy, here are some real-life examples of segue phrases you can use;
- Here’s what to do next.
- Here’s your next step.
- Get In Touch With Us Today On ##########
- Call us now on ##########
- Get A FREE Quote here.
- If you’re ready to move forward, contact us here.
- Get in touch with us here.
- Get Started Now
- Come in for a free demonstration at (ADDRESS)
- Visit our store for a free demonstration today at (ADDRESS)
8) Ask Them To Share Your Content!
We all know that referrals are one of the most powerful strategies to get new business.
The problem with referrals is that most business owners don’t have an actual system in place to encourage them (this, too, is a post for another day)
So, the last thing you're probably thinking about is a referral "Sharing" system for your online presence.
Just like relying on referrals from people without an active encouragement system in place, just creating good content is not enough to get people to share it around the Internet.
I’ve tried this approach before...
And guess what?
My posts crashed and burned.
But then I applied this one little change to my posts, dramatically changing the number of shares of my website and posts.
Here’s exactly what I did.
Wait for it… this will blow you away…
Ready?
… I asked!
That’s right.
When I share kick-ass information on my blog, I make sure I let my readers know about it.
I build the value of what I just gave them and then in return ask them to return the favour by sharing the post with their friends and family.
There is no need to come up with some elaborate Social Media marketing strategy - just engage with your readers in your posts the right way, and they'll return the favour.
9) Repurpose your content for additional traffic channels!
This one is an oldie when it comes to SEO techniques - but it’s a goodie!
And here's how repurposing works:
If you’re creating great content on your website as part of your SEO campaign, you’ve invested time and effort to write, design and publish.
So why not leverage all this effort and make your content go a little bit further?
Here’s what I’m talking about.
With minimal effort on your part, you can easily repurpose your content for different media channels - receive additional high authority backlinks and, more than likely, direct traffic as a result of your efforts.
As always, I’m not going to make you guess.
Here are examples of how to execute this strategy:
What you need: 1 Blog Post Discussing an interesting Topic In Your Market.
How to leverage YouTube: you can download a program called Camtasia, which records your screen, and if you have a camera on your computer, you can even record yourself.
Next, create a quick comment about the blog post you just published.
You can delve a little deeper or give some examples of specific points raised in the post.
And, of course, finish with a call to action explaining where they can get the full article and more information on your website.
Upload the video to YouTube and...
Badda bing, bada boom, you’ve got a great video that will benefit your market.
How to leverage Google’s Own Property: Google has software called Google Drive. It allows you to upload documents and share these documents around the web.
This one is really simple.
You only need to copy and paste your blog post into Word.
Export the document as a PDF and upload it to Google Drive.
That's it... you have a link to your site and can share this document on your social channels.
Additional properties you can leverage with this strategy are:
- Issuu.com
- 4shared:
- Scribe.com
- Slideshare.net
- dropbox.com
- authorstream.com
How To Leverage Audio Sharing Sites: This one is so quick and simple you’re going to wonder why you’ve never done it before.
If you followed the YouTube strategy above, you’ve already created your video.
What you can do now is extract the audio track (using Camtasia) and what you're left with is the audio file of your video.
So, what should you do with this file?
Upload it to popular audio-sharing sites such as:
- SoundCloud.com
- Last.FM
- BandCamp.com
- Pandora.com
- ReverbNation.com
And that’s just a handful of them - there are hundreds of these sites that you can get additional traffic from with minimal effort.
10) Optimise content that you’re NEARLY ranking for.
You’d be surprised at the amount of gold you might be sitting on without realising it.
Many times I see people giving up too early and end up in this situation...
Here’s what I’m talking about.
All too often, I review new client sites, and with just a little bit of digging, I uncover gold... pages that are ranking just off the 1st page of Google for some great keywords.
By making only a few changes to the current page, e.g. optimising the page correctly (follow this guide here) many times, we can push the page right onto the first page.
And when this doesn’t do the trick alone, we send a little bit of promotion to the page using the repurposing technique you just learned earlier on.
Many times this is all that’s needed to build traction for the content and start driving additional traffic that you never had.
So, how do you find this content?
Look at your webmaster tools and Google Analytics account - it will show you what kind of keywords people are finding you for and where you’re ranking for these keywords.
I bet you’re going to be surprised by the Gold that’s just waiting to be discovered by you 😉
11) EVEN MORE Ways For Them To Interact - Live Chat!
You’ve got to give your traffic EVERY opportunity to connect with you once they are on your page.
I’ve already talked about getting your offer and call to action right.
But what if you had another way to push your traffic to get in touch with you?
What if you could interact with them right there and then as they have questions while browsing your site?
Well, it’s all possible with Live Chat!
Now before you go out there and sign up for the latest live chat software, please bear this in mind.
We’ve tested this software on numerous companies - some responded incredibly well but for others, it just didn’t work.
And here is the data we got back.
While this isn’t conclusive data, it gives us insights into the kind of business that could apply this strategy.
Here’s what we found.
- Websites selling high ticket items didn’t convert well on live chat - people wanted to see someone in person before making a decision.
- Websites with technical jargon or where browsers needed quick answers engaged in live chat - not to buy, but rather to get questions answered.
- Websites offering low-ticket items or services that were optimised to drive buying traffic via Google converted the best.
Customers many times asked how they could sign up directly on the live chat.
So, it’s a matter of testing and measuring this strategy to see if it will work in your business.
12) Get Others To Promote Your AWESOME Content.
This is a strategy I learned from a fellow marketer by the name of Brian Dean.
He calls this technique:
“The Content Roadshow”
And it makes sense.
You see, I used to play in bands in my early years.
When we released a new record, we’d promote it as much as possible - obviously in the form of live concerts.
But on the Internet, promoting your content is much simpler than trying to score a ton of gigs around the country.
It’s as simple as getting in touch with influencers in your industry and asking them to check out your content… Don’t be desperate or salesy about it, though.
Something as simple as a Facebook message along the lines of this works perfectly:
“Hey just saw you shared XYZ’s post last week, I’ve also published something on the topic of XYZ - would love to hear if you like it.”
This has proven to work incredibly well in our testing.
Don’t try to sell your products or services - the objective is for them to share your content with their followers.
You can also take this concept to another level and build long-term relationships with publishers that regularly send out emails and newsletters or write blogs and ask them to promote your material.
Just remember - your content needs to be AWESOME, and it can’t be a sales page!
Your content needs to be:
- Educational
- Share-worthy
- Valuable
- Interesting to the marketplace
And really… why would you want to publish anything less?
I promise you.
When you start posting AWESOME content, you'll see traffic numbers come in that you never thought possible.
And here's the kicker.
You get influencers in your industry sharing your content and linking back to your site.
When you implement this strategy, you’ll never look at SEO the same way again!
- - -
Now It’s Your Turn
I want to hear from you.
What do you think about this list?
Which strategy do you think will work for your business?
Or maybe you’ve got some questions…
Get in touch on how we can help.