When was the last time you ventured onto Google’s second page of results?
…
You couldn’t remember even if we paid you, right?
Being on the first page of Google is a requirement in today’s business world, and even more so for tech companies—search engines are their main showroom.
To succeed today, you need to be on the first page of Google.
That’s an undeniable fact.
And, you probably know, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a big part of what’s going to take you there.
However, SEO is more complicated than using the right keywords and making sure your website loads fast enough for today’s attention span. In this article, we’ll explore how SEO can benefit your tech company. More importantly, we’ll provide you with valuable tips and strategies to enhance your SEO efforts.
Fasten your seatbelts, we’re driving into the world of SEO!
How does SEO work for tech companies?
SEO helps tech companies improve their online visibility. How does it do it? Will get to it, but let’s just look at its importance first:
In the highly competitive tech world, simply having a great product and unique selling point isn't enough. The SaaS sector, for instance, is witnessing rapid growth at an annual rate of 22%, which is higher than the average growth rate of all industries at 17%. This means the field is saturated and competition is fierce, so anything you can do to stand out will matter.
With a whopping 90% of web pages receiving zilch, nada, zero organic traffic–making sure yours receive traffic should be a big focus. So, how can you be in the remaining percent that actually gets traffic?
One of the most sure-fire ways tech companies are growing is via search engine efforts. With only 0.63% of Google searchers clicking on a result on the second page, the goal is clear for tech companies: appear on the top of search results or * figuratively * die trying.
This is where SEO for technology companies comes to save the day.
SEO helps search engines discover, crawl (robot for 'inspect'), and present your web pages to (what should be) your target audience. Without it, your chances of being found online are incredibly slim.
And what about the ‘real world,’ you might be wondering? Well, getting ad space on magazines or papers, or running TV commercials or billboards is good for some brands, but for tech companies, and especially those only starting, it won’t be worth it. Its ROI will be low as you’ll need to make a long-term investment and can’t guarantee your audience.
SEO allows your content to abide by Google and other search engines' algorithm and by your bone-and-flesh-audience's checklist so that you can make it to the top of the SERPs. However, SEO is not easy by all means. It involves holistic strategies, technical fixes, CMS optimization, and a lot of mastery over the subject to get the results you want.
Key benefits of SEO for tech companies
If you’re looking to build a business case and win a budget for an SEO strategy, or simply understand SEO better, let’s look at the benefits SEO will bring to your tech company.
Although SEO brings many benefits, here are some of the most important ones–they're likely the ones that will convince your C-suite to invest in it. 😉
SEO will bring increased online visibility
The second page of Google gets less than 1% of CTR. SEO helps your tech company climb the search engine rankings and appear prominently when users search for relevant keywords—on that all-important first page. This increased visibility ensures that your target audience can easily find you, driving more traffic to your website.
SEO will improve your user experience
User experience is paramount in the tech industry. With SEO, you can optimize your website's structure, navigation, and load times, providing users with a seamless browsing experience. A user- and mobile-friendly website not only keeps visitors engaged but also encourages them to explore further, potentially converting them into loyal customers.
SEO will bring higher-quality website traffic
SEO focuses on attracting targeted traffic to your website. By targeting specific (high-conversion, low-volume) keywords related to your tech products or services, you can attract visitors who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
Keywords are the best matchmaker between curious or confused users and a website that will show them exactly what they need to know.
Performing proper keyword research and targeting these keywords with the help of SEO tactics will guarantee the algorithm works in your favor and users find you for what you can offer them. This leads to higher-quality traffic, with a greater chance of conversions and sales.
SEO has long-term results
Unlike paid advertising, which offers short-term results, SEO provides long-term benefits. By consistently implementing SEO strategies, you can establish a strong online presence and maintain a steady flow of organic traffic over time. It's an investment that keeps on giving.
SEO helps improve analytics and insights
SEO tools and analytics provide valuable data about your website's performance. By monitoring key metrics such as traffic sources, user behavior, and conversions, you can gain valuable insights into your target audience, allowing you to make informed decisions and refine your marketing strategies. If you don't know what's working and what isn't, it would be pretty hard to know what to change. Thanks to SEO audits and reports you'll have a clear map of potential opportunities. These discoveries can go on to support your sales, finance, product, and growth teams too.
SEO increases Return on Investment (ROI)
One of the most significant advantages of SEO–and one that your C-suite sits up for–is its cost-effectiveness. Compared to traditional marketing methods and PPC, SEO offers a higher ROI, as you are targeting users who are actively searching for your products or services.
By investing in SEO, you can generate more leads and conversions without breaking the bank. For example, 59.8% of all traffic to tech companies comes from organic search, and B2B and tech companies generate 2x more revenue from SEO than from any other channel.
However, it's important to mention that SEO does take time to show results. Your C-suite team needs to sit back, relax, and trust the process.
Spending money on PPC and seeing 'immediate' results sounds great, but the reality is that the long-term benefits of investing in SEO will outweigh any effort put into PPC. In fact, organic desktop results receive 20x more clicks than PPC ads and SEO boasts a higher average conversion rate of 5% compared to paid search's 3.6% across industries. With this in mind, you know you can’t move forward without SEO, even if it takes a little longer.
4 Tips for improving your tech company's SEO
Now that we understand the importance of SEO, let's explore some practical tips to enhance your tech company's SEO efforts today.
1. Conduct keyword research
Thorough keyword research is the foundation of a successful SEO strategy. Identify the keywords that your target audience is using to search for solutions and information about their pain points and jobs to be done. Remember to include:
- High-volume keywords: more generic terms that reach a wider audience. Eg. Project Management Software.
- High-conversion keywords: those KW that have a higher conversion rate (although lower search volume) because their intent is much more purchase-focused than information-focused. Eg. Good value CRM software for small businesses.
- Low-volume long-tail keywords: specific, niche queries with relatively lower search volume. Eg. Cloud-based video editing software for Mac.
- Branded keywords: those terms that include a branded term. Eg. dslx content agency.
To make your keyword research process easier, use keyword research tools to see search intent, uncover high-volume and low-competition keywords and integrate them strategically into your website's content plan.
Here's a list of the top tools for you to check out:
- Moz Keyword Explorer: the top free SEO keyword research tool
- Google Keyword Planner: for finding paid keywords
- Ahrefs: for simple SEO tools that are easy to use
- KWFinder: best to find keywords with low SEO difficulty
- SEO Power Suite: the all-in-one SEO tool best suited for smaller businesses
- GrowthBar: not only helps find keywords quickly but it also offers content outlines with AI
2. Create high-quality content
Content is the base of everything in SEO. Develop informative, engaging, and shareable content that addresses the pain points of your target audience and you'll be on your way to success. Don't forget to incorporate your target keywords naturally within your content to improve its relevancy and visibility to search engines.
Remember, link-building is a key aspect of SEO, but without high-quality content that actually provides value to users, it would be pointless to try a backlinking strategy. Focus on creating customer-centric content first, and all things will come second.
Additionally don’t forget about Google's latest update that added an extra E to the previous E-A-T in the search rater guidelines.
E-E-A-T guides search raters’ feedback for Google—helping them determine if a website is serving “high quality” content, and if Google’s algorithm is delivering “helpful, relevant information.”
The acronym is now broken down into four categories that can help you self-assess your website's content quality.
- Experience: with the rise of AI, this is hyper-relevant. Is your article written by someone with experience: on the topic, in the field, and as a writer?
- Expertise: Google’s on the hunt for quality content, and run-of-the-mill advice is kicked to the curb. Does your article feature advice from relevant experts?
- Authoritativeness: this is where your larger SEO strategy comes into play. Is your writer, and website, considered an authoritative figure on the topic at hand?
- Trustworthiness: fake news is rife, the guidelines favor trustworthy sources. Is your website sharing trustful and true information? Does it have an SSL certificate?
Checking the above boxes can ensure you’re delivering on E-E-A-T. However, it’s worth noting, that although the framework is present in search rater guidelines, these guidelines don’t directly influence ranking—but they’ll help you deliver more value to your users and make your content more user-centric.
Our systems aren't looking for EAT. Our raters are using that to see if our systems are working well to show good information. There are many different signals that, if we get it right, align with what a good human EAT assessment would be. See also: https://t.co/1fs2oJ9Gtl pic.twitter.com/GBbnYEjJUV
— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) February 19, 2020
Top tip: If you want to create the highest-quality content you can without spending a fortune on it, you know where to find us! 😉
3. Optimize on-page elements
Optimize your website's on-page elements, including page titles, tags, meta descriptions, headings, and URL structures.
Ensure that each page has a unique and descriptive title, and include relevant keywords to improve its visibility in search results. This will help users have a better experience, but most importantly, it will help search engines understand what your page is all about and will be able to categorize it and rank it properly.
4. Use Schema Markup
Schema markup helps search engines understand the context and meaning of your website's content. By implementing schema markup, you can enhance your website's visibility in search results, leading to higher click-through rates and improved organic traffic.
Strategies for measuring and tracking SEO success
Implementing SEO strategies is just the beginning–measuring and tracking your SEO success is just as important. Here are some strategies to help you measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts:
Use analytics tools
Leverage tools like Google Analytics, Screaming Frog, SEMRush, or Moz to monitor your website's performance.
Understand which metrics to track for your goals such as:
- Organic traffic
- Bounce rate
- Average session duration
- Goal conversions
These metrics will help you gain insights into the impact of your SEO strategies.
Make sure you are monitoring your KPIs regularly, but don't forget that some metrics will take longer to show changes, so don't fret, just learn how it works and act accordingly. Monitoring too often can give you headaches, but monitoring too late can mean delaying efforts and spending time where it wasn't needed.
Monitor SERPs
Regularly monitor your search engine rankings to gauge the effectiveness of your SEO efforts. Identify keywords that are driving traffic to your website and track their performance over time. This will help you identify areas for improvement and refine your SEO strategy accordingly.
Additionally, don't forget to be up-to-date with Google's guidelines and algorithm. It is changing and constantly adapting to users' needs, so it should be your north star for a more effective strategy.
Measure engagement metrics
Engagement metrics such as click-through rate, time on page, and social shares provide insights into how useful users find your content. Analyze these metrics to understand which pages and content resonate the most with your audience, enabling you to optimize your SEO efforts further, and build out a more successful content plan.
SEO only works because it answers to what users want, so act accordingly, and put your readers at the center of your whole content strategy.
Track competitor performance
Keep an eye on your competitors' SEO strategies and performance. Analyze their keyword rankings, backlink profiles, and other content marketing strategies to identify opportunities and stay ahead in the game.
The opportunities that technology brings are amazing, but there are also some challenges to face.
For example, the constant flow of new competitors that are finding their way into the arena and working hard to be on top constantly, so always be on the lookout for where you can beat them.
Evaluate ROI
To measure the ROI of your SEO efforts, track the conversion rate and the value of each conversion generated through organic traffic. Compare the results with the cost incurred in implementing your SEO strategy to determine its effectiveness and profitability.
Calculating ROI is not only good for your final report, but it's a key way to prove to your C-suite the value of SEO.
Factors to consider when choosing an SEO agency for your tech company
If you feel overwhelmed with the complexities of SEO–you’re not alone. That’s why leaving SEO in the hands of experts by partnering with a reputable SEO and content agency, like dslx *hand waving emoji **, can be a game-changer.
Just make sure to consider the following factors when choosing an SEO agency for your tech company:
Experience and expertise
Look for an agency that has a proven track record in providing SEO services to tech companies. A solid portfolio and positive client testimonials are indicators of their experience and expertise. Checking case studies can help you better understand what they do and how they do it to achieve real results.
For example, here's our case study about how we managed to go from 0 to 500K unique page views in less than a year.
Services on offer
Ensure that the SEO agency offers a comprehensive range of services, including keyword research, content optimization, technical SEO, link building, lead generation, and analytics tracking–and even better, content creation too. A holistic approach is crucial to achieving optimal results.
Industry knowledge
Tech companies have unique challenges and requirements. Choose an SEO agency that understands the intricacies of your tech industry and can tailor their strategies to meet your needs. Check their case studies and customer reviews on sites like Capterra and G2, this way you'll see if they've worked with similar companies in your industry or niche, and what they’ve been able to achieve for them.
Customization and flexibility
Your tech company is unique, and your SEO strategy should reflect that. Look for an agency that provides customized solutions and is flexible in adapting to your changing business goals, requirements, and budget.
By implementing the tips and strategies outlined and choosing the right SEO agency–hello!–you can optimize your SEO efforts and achieve remarkable results in the highly competitive tech industry.
Let dslx help you embrace the power of SEO and take your tech company to the ripe ol’ land of success you’ve been searching for: increased revenue, and exponential growth–ok, we might be hyping it up but we promise you, you’ll see the results you’ve been dreaming of. *hands together emoji*
SEO for tech companies FAQs
Common SEO mistakes include:
- Neglecting keyword research
- Ignoring on-page optimization
- Overlooking technical SEO issues
- Failing to create high-quality and shareable content
- Repeating meta descriptions
- Creating catabolizing content
- Incorrectly formatting of CMS
Keyword research helps tech companies identify the terms and phrases their target audience is searching for. By incorporating these keywords strategically into their content, tech companies can improve their search engine rankings and attract relevant traffic.
Tech companies can measure their SEO success by monitoring metrics such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, engagement metrics, conversion rates, and ROI. Tools like Google Analytics and SEO platforms provide valuable insights into these metrics.
To measure the ROI of SEO efforts, tech companies should track the value of conversions generated through organic search traffic and compare it with the cost incurred in implementing SEO strategies. This calculation provides a clear picture of the return on investment.
The critical role of SEO in the tech industry is undeniable. By employing clever strategies and techniques, you can significantly boost your website's organic traffic and secure top positions on SERPs. This results in more targeted visitors, increased online presence, and a substantial uplift for your brand and business. SEO has the power to drive success for technology companies.