Most SEO professionals learn about the value of writing "keyword rich" content that usefully relates to their product or service that they're offering online. If you sell insurance of some type you probably have thought of keyword phrases related to "insurance quotes." If you sell health products you have probably thought about attracting the more health conscious crowd to your Web site with vitamin or supplement related keyword phrases.
But here is a question....
How many of us really learn to explore the "search interests" of entirely new audiences for our Web site?
Okay, now think about "topic interests" which compliment your specific product or service, you may have a few ideas that come to mind but eventually you may feel the challenge. A certain feeling of limitation. Maybe you think that there are no other possibilities but let's talk about it for a bit.
For many folks here is what the main challenge is. It is in seeing beyond the product or service we are trying to offer and expanding our scope of research beyond our own objectives for our Web site. If I sell insurance, what else is there beside "insurance quotes?"
The challenge for most of us is that we can't "shift our focus" to something that does not seem to immediately serve our interest. If it does not make sense and tie in directly with the sales objectives for our Web site, why even bother exploring it, right?
Think about this. Many of us only tend to focus on the audience that we are "in the habit of serving" from recent and past experiences.
The truth is that we often may not give all future potential prospects our full availability (or visibility) because of the very narrow focus that our recent experience tends to limit us to. Now think about this for just a minute or two.
Do you just have one specific audience? There may be some who feel they have a product that only services one audience. In fact I know some who may be convinced of it. But with a little brainstorming and research, you can explore and find entirely new audiences that need your product or services. There are new audiences out there right now that are searching for your solution, but the only trouble is, you are not making it very easy for them to find you because the focus of your Web content may be far too narrow.
I'll bet that after reading this article you'll begin to explore new horizons. At least I hope you find it helpful. I'm going to share with you 5 simple tips to help you shift your focus and find multiple new audiences for your products or services online.
1. Shift your focus by stopping the hunt for "keywords" and start thinking about "behaviors."
Realize that people are using the Internet to perform research on topics that are "important to them" and "based on the conditions and circumstances in their lives." Stop thinking so mechanically about "what keywords people are putting into that search box in Google" and begin to understand that it is the conditions in the searchers life that are dictating how the searcher is using the Internet. It is fascinating research!
For Insurance Web sites - Perhaps all you've been thinking of is trying to optimize for a phrase like "insurance quotes."
Instead, you consider exploring other terms like VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) and ask yourself how this might fit into your Web. Ask yourself "Is it not likely, that people searching for a VIN number, probably own a vehicle?" Then why not create a helpful database to identify where those VIN numbers are located on various vehicles. (This is just meant to be a simple example, there are many other behaviors you can learn from.) But serve the needs of the searcher first and in the meantime, if they want an insurance quote, they can request it with the right type of compelling ad copy contained in the site. Trust me it works. Focus on satisfying the searchers needs before your own objective. That can be hard to do if you don't perform excellent research and stop relying on guess work.
For Travel Web sites - Perhaps you've continually focused on keyword phrases involving "travel" or "cheap airfares." You think to yourself that this is all there is. Expand you scope of research and begin to explore other topics and alternatives that can bring you a whole new world of travelers (who are not necessarily looking for the cheapest flights.) What else might they be looking for? Think behavior. One of the things travelers might like to search for are "Things to do in Toronto" or Things to do in Alaska or wherever their destination is. They might be looking for directions or maps or even reviews on entertainment. By creating alternatively focused content that is researched and well written, you will attract people to your travel center that you would otherwise completely miss.
For Solutions based Web sites that are selling a product or service. If you selling an SEO tool that is made for the Webmaster community, that's great. But what about the other businesses that could benefit from your tool? You won't attract them with a bunch of SEO related jargon. Let's say you are trying to attract people to your health product? Okay, so it's a new vitamin supplement that helps provide some kind of solution (let's say it helps fight off symptoms of depression.) Is your only buying audience the "heath food" conscious crowd? Not at all. You might want to explore the search habits of those who are going through some trauma in their life. Mortgage foreclosure, relationship breakups or even those who have recently been downsized from their job. Don't you think these people might have the use for a health product that helps fight depression?
If you are a Real Estate agent who is convinced that the only valuable search terms that are available are MLS Listings or other industry related jargon, listed to this short interview on "Keyword Forensics" which includes many tips for Real Estate Agents.
There are nearly always more than one audience for your product or service or information. Sometimes multiple audiences that could benefit from what you have to offer. Want to read more about expanding your research capabilities based on user search behavior? Read this article by Robin Nobles called: An Ingenious Way to Use Wordtracker that is easier too.
2. Shift your focus by exploring complimentary products and services through affiliate marketing.
If you are already attracting a specific type of visitor to your Web site to purchase your product or service, then the competition may not always be your enemy. Watch for products and services that are complimentary to what you offer through a generous affiliate program.
Did you know you can be earning additional income streams by simple adding useful content and links to your Web site? You promote complimentary products in exchange for an affiliate commission.
Check out the Kolimbo Network. Its free and it connects you with literally hundreds of merchants who are willing to send you a check for promoting their products and services.
3. Shift your focus by learning to explore hot topics of interest through Wordtracker.com
Did you know that you can use Wordtracker as your window on the world of search behavior? I'll keep this short.
It's much more than keyword research. Its about exploring the hidden evidence that 99% of most Webmasters miss. Be sure to read up on our various free Wordtracker articles here. Listen to a few Wordtracker Magic audio tips here.
4. Shift your focus in creating a brand new Blog on a specific topic.
Blogs are nearly like living breathing entities with bloggers discussing every topic under the sun. Have you thought about starting your own blog and getting some discussion going. Choose a topic based on an interest you have and on a topic that has some purpose. Ideally you want to Blog about a topic that you have some experience in and are knowledgeable about. Choose a topic that you feel you have some original views about. But then shift the focus to make it interesting and different than what your competitors are doing. Read the article Blogs with a purpose.
5. Learn how to explore peoples interests and then try shifting the focus of your message to an opposite approach.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to always consider taking a reverse approach or a look at an old topic through a new angle or view. People are interested in a wide array of topics but don't just explore the obvious ones. Always see if a reverse spin might make a better story or deliver a truth that people have not considered before.
What are topics of interest? It might be fashion, crafts, sports, classic movies, biographies around someone's life. It might be something around reading interests or writing interests or perhaps the study of electronics or something like singing, movie direction or piloting an aircraft. Whatever your topic of interest, try to apply a reverse approach to see if it makes better reading or will attract that new audience.
If you are writing content on the top tips for successful Bass fishing, what would happen if instead, you identified and wrote about the 10 most common mistakes made by new Bass fisherman. If you are writing content on any subject always consider looking at the possibilities of writing from either an opposite or a different point of view to deliver your message.
In summary:
Learning to shift your focus from the natural approach to provide content with a slightly different focus will also attract a slightly different audience. Maybe an entirely new audience or several new audiences that will ultimately translate into new business for you.
But it will never happen unless you provide content that reaches beyond your own selling objectives or your Web site's initial reason for existing. You have to be willing to explore data and consider taking an entirely new creative shift from time to time which usually means accurately understanding what your marketplace is doing. Not by guessing but through genuine research of accurate data. Of course none of us ever say that we are guessing, but that is exactly what you are doing when you let your focus remain limited to the one audience that we are " in the habit of serving" from our past experience instead of exploring the wealth of data and research intelligence that is available to us today.
Be encouraged and remember that IF your Web site is a great success.....keep doing what you are doing.
But if you are not experiencing success, it may be time to try a whole new approach.
If you want to experience top visibility on the major search engines, higher conversion ratios with fresh multiple new audiences, we teach the full scope of SEO skills at our hands-on SEO Mastery Workshop and Mentoring program.
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About John Alexander
John Alexander is Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses. John is author of an e-book called Wordtracker Magic and has taught SEO skills to people from 87 different countries world wide. John's articles can be read in publications like REALTOR Magazine, Search Engine Guide, WEBpro News and many others.
