This time in the A-Z of Marketing, I’ve decided to write about two elements of marketing, because when you are promoting a service such as coaching, consulting or training, these two are linked. There is a lot of confusion over both elements, so here is my simplification of them for you.

O is for Optimisation. You might have heard of SEO – Search Engine Optimisation. This is when a website techy or a digital marketing ‘expert’ asks you which keywords you would like to ‘optimise’ your website for. What they really mean is “What words and phrases do people use when they are searching for you online?” If you sell a product, then optimising your website for what you sell is easier than when you sell a service. Think about the last time that you went online to order a product. It might have been a pair of shoes, a book or a particular plant for your garden. You probably knew exactly what you were looking for and how much you wanted to spend. You might have put a phrase into the search engine that included the colour of the shoes, the title of the book or the name of the plant. Websites that sell products will be carefully optimised for these words, which means that when you search for the product, the search engines can find sites selling the ones that you’re looking for.

However, when you sell a service such as coaching, consulting or training, people rarely type those individual words into a search engine. If they do, they will be presented with millions (literally) of sites to look at. Since people rarely look beyond the results on page one, this means that it will be virtually impossible for you to get your site seen – unless you have a truly massive budget to invest. (The sites that come top of the search for ‘coaching’ are mostly coaching organisations.) You could look at the keyword phrases that are searched for on the internet – such as ‘coaching for teenagers’, or ‘coaching for confidence’ but again you will be competing with millions of other websites.

I’ve written before in a number of blogs and newsletters about the fact that when you’re selling a service, people will buy from you because they know you, like you and trust you. They won’t buy from your website if they’ve never met you. They might buy from your website if they’ve been recommended to you, but they need to find your website first. This means that the most important words for which you should optimise your website are actually your name and your company name. If someone who has been recommended to contact you can actually find your site by searching for your name or your company name, then they will be more likely to pick up the phone and speak to you. If they can’t find you, how can they buy from you?

O is also for Organic Search. There are two types of ‘search’ on the internet – paid search and natural, or organic, search. The first is where you pay to help people to find your site – through Adwords, banners and sponsored links. The second is when potential clients can find you just by searching for you. When your site is properly optimised for your name and your company name, then you will come high up in the natural search listings and those potential clients will be able to find you and buy from you.

Is your website properly optimised so that prospects can find you through organic search? If not and you need any help with doing this, do get in touch and we’ll give you some tips on how to do it. Call 01635 578 500 or click here to send an email.