Episode 567 - SEO and how fiddling with Google can create customers for you

Welcome to episode 567 of the show. So as promised yesterday, we're going to look at how to create customers using SEO and just in case I say lead generation at any point. During today's recording, just remember that I am using lead generation and creating customers interchangeably. And I'd advise you to do the same as well in case you are on YouTube or some other business resource and you see them talking about lead generation,

effectively what this People are talking about the authorities what they're talking about. They're talking about creating customers, how we create customers for our businesses and SEO is a good form of lead, generation also known as well as in my own, in my own way, creating customers. Now, what does SEO Min SEO means search engine optimization. That is the technical definition of the term, search engine optimization now, that means what we regular.

X is when were using SEO principles and tactics. We are trying to do our best to look at attractive to search engines so that people can find us. We want to make sure that the website is made as attractive as possible, so that when people find us, they think that we are good enough Authority or that we have the specialty in the Problem that they're trying to solve and so because of that, the pick up the phone or send us a DM so that they can end up doing business with us.

Now, even though SEO technically, speaking is search engine optimization that is you know, website related people still pretty much use the same principles when relating to social media as well. So when it comes to setting up your Instagram profile, you know you want to be sure that your content is optimized. The right way that you use the right hashtags, use the right profile picture. ER the same thing on LinkedIn. You want to make sure that you have the right profile picture,

let's see what else that things are neat and curator properly. Well, you know, whatever tips and tricks that you have to do across all these other online assets. The idea is to make yourself look and sound, right? So that people are attracted to you and then they pick up the phone or they send you a message and they decide to do business with you. So that's the idea behind search engine. Position or any kind of optimization that you're going to do around your online assets.

So it's not a bad idea to take whatever principles that you can. If you do some more research on search engine optimization and then apply that to your Pinterest, to your Instagram, to your Tick, Tock to, your whatever it is, don't remember that. These general principles, apply, what the particular way that you apply, the principles are going to differ depending on what Online asset. You're talking about now, how do you do search engine optimization?

There's a lot of technical stuff around this, but basically for simple folks, like you and I, you do SEO by making sure that you use the right keywords or what the pros like to call keyword optimization, you want to be sure that you have backlinks. You also want to be sure that you have shares and then there's a bunch of other proprietary stuff relating to the algorithm to Google's algorithm that we have. Absolutely no control over so.

Well, I mean for we simple folk. Anyway, we have no control over that so that's just in Google's domain. So the average person like you and I going to be focusing on keyword optimization and we're going to be focusing on backlinks and we're going to be focusing on shares. Now, keyword optimization what that just means simply is that we want to be using terms that customers actually use when they're searching for our product or service.

For instance, back in the My wedding photography days. It's possible that you could have put up your wedding photographer website and you use terms like documentary photographer lifestyle photographer. Let's see what else photo journalistic, ethics photographer, journalistic, style photographer. You know all those kinds of things. Now those are the kinds of terms that we use in the industry, we use it amongst ourselves.

So the photographer's can distinguish themselves. The so what kind of photographer are you? And you say, oh, I'm Did one photo journalistic or stylized one this or I am that. But the thing is are those the terms that your customers are actually going to use when they hit up, Google to look for you. It's possible that even though you are using highly specific industry terms like photojournalistic photographer, it's possible that your target audience might just be typing in best photographer in Abuja or best photographer in Lagos or something like that.

So you have to do a little bit of research to find out what is it that the customers are actually searching and that is what you should optimize for. Of course, optimizing for the industry, terms is not a bad idea, but we have to look for what customers are searching for. So if you sell inverter batteries, it's not enough to saying to make sure that you have amongst your keywords, you know, line, Ox D bz, 400 solar panel xkg, What age this data now, all those are highly technical terms and yes they should be part of your website.

If you're on top of your game but you also have to make sure that you put the kind of keywords that people are your customers are searching for. So maybe your customers are searching for, I don't know. Best solar panels in Abuja or inverter batteries that don't swell. So, okay, that's a good run, the better batteries that don't sell. So one of the problems that folks have had for in bed, inverters and solar panels and all that at least in the past anyway, was that you'd have batteries that And after a year or two, when the rundown they would swell and there are rumors of some exploding or Catching Fire or whatever.

So it's possible that people who are actually going online to search for these sorts of things using those kinds of things in the search terms, inverter batteries, that wants well, inverter batteries, that won't explode. Let's see what else I'm doing, things like that. Anyway, remember guys, I'm just freestyling here, so, if you sell inverter batteries and you Do Alternative Energy Solutions. These are not the search term that I'm recommending that you should use.

I am just saying that when it comes to keyword optimization you might be thinking they should put their that you have line knocks DB 700 500, GB 700 wet cell batteries, blah, blah blah. Now that is good from an industry standpoint because you industry people you know that wet cell batteries are not going to swell but dry cell. Batteries are those that are going to sell. No, but the thing is your potential customers. Don't know the difference between a wet cell and dry cell,

so you might have to start putting in all those terms on your website like batteries, that won't swell, batteries, that won't explode. So, instead of just putting the idb 700 line, Ox, wet cell battery. You also put a passage, they are about, you know, how the advantage of wet cell batteries are wet cell batteries, don't swell. They don't corrode. They don't explode, and they are safe to have in your house and around.

So that's how you do SEO. So industry terms, yes, pay attention to those but you also should be thinking what is the everyday person going to search when they're looking for my product or service? And that is what you should be looking for now backlinks, this is the idea behind backlinks. Now for those of us who have undergraduate degrees, I got mine at the Obama will award University in Haleiwa and then also the University of Aberdeen.

Well, that was my Advanced degree anyway. But for those of us who have that background, you know you went beyond second Preschool, I went beyond your so-called, oh Andy, and you had to write a paper to get your degree, your degree award. You used to this idea of citations now, citations are those things that we cite in our papers to show that we are quoting an authority and that same idea also applies when it comes to search engines.

Sorry to the internet and websites as well. If you make yourself that website, that is the Proof of authority and other. People are linking to your stuff. So, excuse me, other people are linking to your stuff. Well, that's what a backlink is, basically, it's a, it's a link on somebody's website that if the person clicks on it, it's going to go back to you. That is why it's called a back link. So the backlink just means that you are the authority in the space and of course, if you're the authority in this case,

other people are going to share. You are going to link to you and share you as well. So yeah, let's talk about backlinks and shares. In the same in the same breath. So for instance, with this podcast, the number of you who derive value from it and I've had people from time to time, shout me out on Instagram, put the link up there, put the link on the LinkedIn, the link to the podcast, things like that. So that's the kind of activity that I'm talking about here.

So if Google notices that you have a website and just like how people are sharing and linking back to this podcast, people are sharing on the Back to your website. Then we mean that. Okay, I guess you must be the authority when it comes to inverter batteries in. Abuja also, when people search inverter batteries, that won't sell the swell or best inverter batteries or best solar panels in Abuja, is most likely that you will come up on page one.

And so that's the whole idea about SEO search engine optimization. We're just trying to look pretty, we're trying to look at attractive. So when people find us, you think we're legit where they should with authority and because of that, they want to do. Do business with us. So like I said, the other factors involved but all that is proprietary algorithmic stuff. So, you have to either be a specialist or work with Google to know all the fancy stuff on the updates that go on behind the scenes before the ordinary everyday folks like you and I,

as long as you're making sure that your website and all the other things that you're putting out there have the right terms, the right keywords, the right phrases that people search for You're providing valuable content so that people can share and backlink to your site or to your resources, you should be fine. So, how to achieve keyword, optimization, backlinks, and shares, and all that, like I said, earlier, for keywords,

talk to your customers. How did you find me or you follow me on Google? Oh cool. Please do you remember what it was? That you search for and then people tell you different stuff, you write that down And then, you know, now that you're supposed to optimize your web sites for that. If you have a Google, my business profile, Google my business also helps because at the end of the month, they send you a thing called they send you a report.

Which says that 500 people found you, your website in a month of January 2023. And these are the terms that they search for and then you will see there. And if you see that the terms that they put their include included best inventor battery in Abuja, best solar panel in up. Pooja, solar panels that don't melt inverter batteries. They don't explode, you know, blah blah blah. All those terms wouldn't be a bad idea to see how you can make that part of the content on your site.

So right about those stuff, what else? Right about those stuff make videos about those stuff, put them up on the website and then that will help. So that's how that's part of the research for getting the keywords. Now, when it comes to backlinks, Basically get backlinks by doing lots of networking. You want to be talking to other people and in your space Not Just networking with your customers but networking with on the other industry people as well.

Then you do business collaborations because it's because of business collabos. That people are going to link back to what it is that you do. For instance I've done some work in the tech space in Abuja I've done some work with some what are they called? Tech incubators and things like that. So, from working with business incubators and Tech hubs in Abuja, and I do a good job and a linking back to my site, on my other resources.

I mean, you kind of get the idea how it works. So if Google Sees the okay, this guy has this podcast. It seems to be some sort of Authority business business, incubators, and Tech hubs in. Abuja, linking back to him. This guy, must be legit. So when people are looking for Business Consultants and stuff like that, those Might be one of the reasons why I will show up on Google page 1, but although I must admit, I'm not on Google page 1.

In fact, I should be taking my own advice because I haven't taken my Google game. Seriously, not support from having my Google, my business profile, when it that's just for another day. So when it comes to getting your backlinks basically, networking business called collaboration, sometimes you incentivize people to share by giving good gifts and coupons and stuff like that. Let's see, you know, like similar to all those like-for-like was share for share things that people used to do on Instagram back in the day.

So, you know, you network to people like, okay, where we are in a related space. We could form of customers to each other, so I'll link to your site. If you link to mine, this content looks nice ties into some of the stuff that I have. So let's let me provide a backlink to you. If you provide it back me to me here, that's some of the stuff. That the people do you want to take these things seriously? Now, how do customers materialize?

If you pay attention to all these things backlinks, keywords, shares and a bloody block. Now, this is how the materialize. If you have a look at what they see and they like what they see online and they think you're legit and you think you're the real deal, then they're going to call or they're going to DM and that is how SEO creates customers. Now, what next? You need to be sure that you have an effective sales and framework.

Sorry an effective sales framework or effective sales processes so that you can convert the people who call you up or who send you a message because people sending you messages and calling you up is one thing, you having the requisite skills to be able to handle the conversation, figure out what they want. Build the relationship, make an effective sales pitch and then The deposit so that they become a customer. That's another thing entirely.

So, don't just place, all your hope in SEO thinking that if you do all that online, Digital internet stuff, then you're going to be rich. There's a second part of the equation. The second part is making sure that if you do all these SEO thing, correct and fifty people reach out to you in February because of all that good work. You've done online want to be sure that you end up doing business with a good chunk of them because you want to be same.

If 50 people are reaching out to you every month and you only end up doing business with two of them, I mean that's kind of poor. Well the say an Optimum ratio of how many people she end up doing business with it. Depends on the product or service and the industry. But in my own opinion if I got 50 leads in the month of January, this is the first time I'm trying it out and I only ended up doing business with 10, you know, it's not bad.

I'll still see how we can optimize, what we need to tweak in the sales process. You know things that I need your but yeah so that's it. What? Next make sure that you have a good sales framework. Make sure that you have effective sales processes and that your secretary, your sales bore your sales, go your social media manager, whoever it is, that man's the phone or handles your Instagram profile or handles the business email address.

Make sure that they're all trained up so that they can convert all these people into paying customers once they reach you from the internet. So that's it for episode 567. Thanks for your time and attention. I'll catch you guys on the next recording. I don't have my list here so I can't remember what it is that we have to do next but we're still going to be on the same theme of methods of lead generation. And remember that for us over here on the podcast lead generation just means creating customers so essentially we're going to move on to the next new school item whenever I see a new school that means online related.

I'm going to look at the next new school method for creating customers for your business. I'm going to look at the next new school method for creating customers for your business.