Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a key component of any website.
Essentially a website is great tool for potential customers who have already heard of you or your stud to find out more about you, see your animals, the environment in which they’re raised and understand what differentiates you from your competitors to help inform their purchasing decision.
A high performing website will work like a sales agent, it should advertise your stud to potential customers who have never heard of you or your stud and create leads that you convert into sales either at your selling outlet or out of the paddock. Supported by other technology (e.g Customer Relationship Management System or Digital Platform i.e. facebook) it can also let your existing clients know when your next sale is coming.
If you think about it simply most digital searches start with the bull buyer typing something in like “brahman bulls for sale queensland” into Google. Googles search engine then uses a number of techniques to show which content to display first. This is the starting point for search engine optimisation-its about ensuring your website has the right characteristics (content, keywords, speed) to align with Googles search engine.
Just like your cattle stud the more times people access your website the more your reputation grows and the more prominent you become. For that reason the search engine will prioritise you higher on the list (closer to page one). The more times people click on your webpage and spend time with your pages open means that the search engine knows people like your page so it increases your priority over other websites.
Google is in the business of making money and it offers businesses the opportunity to skip all of this if they choose to pay for adwords which is highly expensive which basically means that you pay on a cost per click basis and go to the top of the list. Nearly all businesses try everything they can to avoid using paid adwords to increase their digital presence as it can be extremely expensive.
Unfortunately the SEO needs to be fed and it feeds on activity. It prioritises video over photos, likes web pages with plenty of relevant content and again likes seeing key words in all content. Googles search engine is set up this way because analysis shows that as humans we have particular content that we like and we have a preference for how it is displayed and Google is always measuring and recording statistical information on our internet behaviour.
The best way to feed your SEO at a low cost is to integrate your webpage with digital social media
The best way to feed your SEO at a low cost is to integrate your webpage with digital social media e.g. anyone who clicks on your facebook post is automatically directed to your website page. Take it to the next level and you will include regular articles/blogs (around two per year is usually sufficient) and reference your traditional marketing efforts back to photos/ videos/ sales catalogues on your site so potential customers go to your website to find out more.
Lastly as consumer behaviour changes googles search/ prioritisation techniques also change so a periodic review (possibly two yearly is usually a smart investment) to make sure your website is still aligned. This should only take an experienced web developer around two hours and is often included as part of a complete website hosting and maintenance service.
