As a result of the information age reaching unprecedented levels of exchange, creating a comfortable user experience is worth more exponentially in contrast to the means used to initially develop the traffic. With so many options and users suffering from information overload, user engagement is the cornerstone of developing a successful online brand.
What value is SEO if the content and presentation is lacking the necessary ingredients to encourage user engagement? The objective of attracting more potential prospects is not to incur a higher bounce rate, it is to provide a satisfactory experience so that those visitors translate into customers or evangelists for your brand and online marketing efforts.
SEO is an interesting field as it is primarily dependent on the fact that there is competition lurking around every corner if there is a profit to be made, hence SEO companies are like knights in shining armor to corporations and small business alike if they can pave a path to the top 10.
Search engines are only one part of the equation and those savvy enough to understand how monetization works attempt to corner “the attention market” for any keyword that has any potential traffic attached to it whatsoever. This is a testament to the fact that market share as a result of visibility can translate into conversion on many levels.
Some leverage this for lead generation, others for creating sticky landing pages that funnel traffic and attention to their site or group of sites, while yet the majority really want to sell products or services the first time around. Despite the methods utilized or the wide ranging scope of reasons that emphasize why achieving a high ranking position in search engines is important, one underlying fundamental needs to be addressed, reader retention and user engagement.
How long does a visitor stay on your pages? How did they find you? Are they finding what the expected or does your content exceed their expectations? The point being, before you go out and spend $5000 per month on SEO, make sure you have a solid content development strategy that can keep the traffic you receive engaged. It is far easier to sell products or services to an existing client than gain a new one, so look at your content as the cornerstone of a long term relationship if you will. It is a building block of trust that will yield ten-fold in the long run, if you have the patience to invest in organic optimization and solid content and resources for your niche.
Web Analytics and Website User Interaction are the keys to determining which content your audience enjoys the most. When you develop new content, the value of such priceless user data gleaned from statistics encapsulates the most promising rewards of reader loyalty, “conversion”. Continue to increase your unique traffic and eventually, when the purchasing cycle shifts from window shoppers to consumers, your brand is at the forefront of each of those visitors you are attracting with your valuable insights.
Remember people purchase when they are ready to, not when you want them to, so anything you can do to build bridges during the interim is internet brand equity in the long run.
