Does My Google Keyword Rank Mean Anything Anymore?

Over the last decade the focus has been on keywords, keywords, rank and keywords. Marketers and business owners wanted to see those keywords showing number 1 page results on Google, Bing (and Yahoo?). Why? Because we knew that our websites were showing up in the results of people’s search when and where we wanted them. We used Google Analytics and many tools built around Google Analytics … but somethings have changed.

Keyword ranking is still important – right? Kind of… based on the above you don’t have that much visibility to the rank, but they still effect your search engine results’ ranking. But here is another wrench to throw into the mix. The ranking varies by who is searching, from whose computer you are using and the location you are in while searching. Your average death-care company may be trying to maintain and grow their keyword/SEO ranking, but they hit a MAJOR hurdle just finding an accurate keyword ranking report.

Ranking is no longer universal. Everyone’s preferences and device-type make the results different for different people. Layer in all the geo-targeted content online and you will be hard pressed to find your true keyword ranking. Try searching from your own computer, from your hometown, from a computer that sits in your office then, Google your keywords and guess what might show up top of your search results? YOUR WEBSITE! However; do that same search 800 miles away, from a different machine and profile, with different search history, interactions and preferences and your website may show up on page 100.

They are STILL important, but they should no longer be your core strategy. So what now? The answer is content. Rather than trying to game the system with strategically placed keywords, you should be creating great content – content that is relevant to your target audience. Examples of valuable content for the death-care industry include articles and campaigns on dealing with grief, pre-planning, aftercare – and so much more. The great part about this is the more quality content you put out online, the more your local community will grow into your audience. This creates brand loyalty, trust AND higher search rankings – all good things to have when members of your community need your help.

So you are thinking – great! I will have all this amazing new marketing content on my correctly configured website. Who is going to just come visit it? That sounds like a lot of work when I don’t have that much web traffic anyway. The answer is when you create content for your website, you must distribute and promote it in many places to drive traffic to your site. That doesn’t happen on its own. So you must incorporate a multi-channel marketing approach. Things that work well include; interesting emails, consistent newsletters, Facebook ads, Instagram posts, and of course great website landing pages.

Having the tools in place is key. Marketing isn’t a perfect science, so testing and measuring is important. Using you results to optimize your future marketing content and campaigns are critical. Ways to do this include Campaign Analytics and a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM).

If you don’t know where to begin on implementing this strategy Funeral Innovations is here to help. Our full product suite – called The Growth Engine – manages all the moving parts. From writing and designing a steady stream of quality content for you, to the distribution via your marketing channels including Facebook, Email, Newsletters, Website and even Campaign Performance Analytics and a CRM – we have your affordable, automated, end-to-end, digital marketing solution. Contact us to get started.