SEO or Sales … What is More Important?

eLearning for Smarties
Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Website Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

At first glance, you might think this is a trick question.  It is actually more important than you might imagine.  We will examine both options to arrive at a conclusion that may surprise you.



Search Engine Optimisation
Wikipedia defines SEO or Search Engine Optimisation as, the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via natural or unpaid search results.  The core purpose of SEO is to get your website found when someone types in a keyword or keyword phrase.

Most businesses want and need their websites to appear on the first page search listing.  The competition for this prestigious position is intensely fierce.  Besides researched keywords, you also need website marketing strategies, external links and visitor traffic to attract search engine attention.  Equally important, website copy must capture and sustain the interest of site visitors.  It is a challenging assignment for any worthwhile SEO website copywriter.

Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation.  The survival of a business depends on its total sales revenue and a reasonable, profitable return for the sale of their products and services.  The various methods of selling vary widely from face-to-face selling and telemarketing to websites and webinars.  Regardless of the method, without sales the business withers and eventually disappears.

What is More Important … SEO or Sales?
They are equally important.  The short answer may not be a surprise at all for the following reasons:

•  Without the application of effective SEO strategies, browsers will never become buyers if they cannot find your website.
   
•  Without effective sales copywriting, browsers that find your website will never become buyers if they are not convinced that your products and services satisfy their need.

It is pointless to pay big dollars every month to a company that provides SEO services if your website content was not written by a copywriter with sales training and experience.  Appearing on the first page search listing is a futile and costly exercise if your target audience is not convinced to buy from you.

Sales People and Staff
At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, “I will ask one of my salespeople to write the content for our web pages.  After all, they know how to sell.”  It may also occur to you that, “I like the way our secretary writes, she can create the website copy for us.”

Tempting as these money saving options may appear, it is highly unlikely that the outcome would be successful.  Most salespeople excel at ‘talking’ as a method of convincing prospects and customers to buy.  They may be capable of occasionally writing sales emails that are very impressive.  Choosing this option is a common mistake.  The style of copywriting for business websites is unique and quite unlike other forms of writing.  Without proper training, skills and talent, sales people lack the knowledge to write the SEO compliant content demanded by this specialised type of media.

Businesses choosing the secretary option, with her flowery writing skills and best intentions, face the same outcome as using their sales people to write website copy.  The secretary you choose may lack SEO copywriting knowledge and possess only a fundamental ability to sell. Not the best choice to achieve the results you expect.

‘Call the Guy’
Websites with the highest traffic appeal are the embodiment of the following skills applied by knowledgeable industry professionals:
 

• Website HTML code written to World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards
   
• SEO strategies created by trained and qualified providers
   
• Copywriting written to SEO standards
   
• Compelling sales content written by copywriters with advanced sales training and experience

If you or your staff meet or exceed the minimum criteria listed, you have a decided edge over your competitors. Without in-house expertise to fulfil these requirements, you should consider outsourcing the SEO and sales aspects of your website to competent providers with the integrity, knowledge and talents to create or upgrade a new or existing website.

The First Step to Ultimate Search Engine Optimisation and Sales Strategies
You have learned that top search engine ranking requires more than simply using fancy words.  Cut through the competition and get your website displayed in first page search results.  Armed with website design compliance, web marketing tactics, SEO sales copy and other essentials, your website begins climbing to the top of search engine results...and stays there.

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About the Author
Bob Hoffman is a SEO Digital and Print Copywriter. He has more than 30 years business experience in management, sales and graphic arts and is currently the director of Pebble Ridge Corporation Pty Ltd trading as PRC Marketing.

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