It Can’t All Be SEO: Why Word Of Mouth Still Works

As online marketers, you’d think we adhere strictly to the Book of SEO. We don’t.

SEO is great, it really does help direct search traffic to your site when done properly, but that’s the thing, it is not always done properly; although not for a lack of trying. With all the updates to the Google, Yahoo and Bing crawlers, what worked five years ago, even five weeks ago, your SEO practices may be outdated.

And it seems like something is always changing. We do our best to keep our clients current on the latest trends in SEO, but we also believe that success can’t be achieved solely from inputting the right keyword into the right space the right number of times. Yes, it will bring people to your site, it may even result in a few sales, but without word of mouth, it’s not likely you’ll be reaping the full benefits of having a well-optimized site.

Websites like Yelp, TripAdvisor and Foursquare are popular because people want to hear from other people why your business is great (or not so great). We can send out postcards, emails, even populate a Twitter and Facebook page extoling your business’s virtues, but unless your business has positive online feedback, it may very well be for naught.

As a small business owner, it can be tough (some say impossible) to get that number one ranking on Google, and you shouldn’t count on it happening just because you pay someone to optimize your site. A lot of how your business ranks (for now at least) is based on its ‘trust score’. A trust score is determined from a lot of different, and sometimes confusing factors. What you need to know though, is that Google is just as concerned with reputation and the number of inbound links flowing to your website as it is with your use of long tail keywords.

So how do you increase the value of your site? Talk to your customers and ask them to review your business online. Send them to Google to write a review or have them check-in to your business on Foursquare when coming to your office. The more positive vibes you’re getting, the more traffic that is on its way as well.