March 2023 - Sherpa Communications

At the core of it, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about great content. In simple words, it is about creating the content your customers are searching for. SEO is the tool to help a company rank higher in search engines and get found organically. In fact, 68.3% of all website traffic comes from search engines. The goal is to boost brand awareness with quality leads. This is especially useful for SMEs trying to attract investors and bolster their legitimacy.

Whether you’re brushing up on your SEO basics or just getting started out, there are a few Do’s and Don’ts every SEO specialist should be aware of to optimize keyword usage in their copywriting:

DO: Understand your audience

Before incorporating keywords into your website, understand what your target customer/client is searching for, and which keywords are most popular in your industry. Take the time to understand what makes a customer click and customize your content to match that.

Then, incorporate these words into your website, blog, FAQs, social media posts, interviews etc. Around 70% of organizations are using content marketing campaigns for lead generation and reputation building. An effective content marketing strategy can achieve the same reach as a traditional one and cost 61% less, so it’s definitely worth it.

DO: Implement a strategy

Haphazardly initiating any marketing activity will not lead to any tangible results. A clear and structured plan is the only way to operate. It’s imperative to do your homework — research what the competition is doing and focus on the best SEO practices for your particular industry and target audience.

DO: Audit your actions

Inserting a few keywords here and there on a company website is not enough to create long-lasting traffic or high search engine rankings. Peek behind the curtains — view the data and analyze it so you can assess if and how your strategy needs to be amended to achieve or scale up your vision successfully.

DON’T: do keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing refers to when a website is forcibly populated with keywords to improve its search engine rankings. Usually, these words are inserted into a site without context or readability. For example, your targeted keywords are ‘law firm’ and ‘Dubai’.

“If you’re looking for a trustworthy law firm in Dubai, look no further. Our firm provides the best lawyers in Dubai. With experienced lawyers, we are the best Dubai law firm for you.”

Excessive use of keywords will put off any reader, which will result in a high bounce rate. In the long run, it can lead to issues with customer retention.

Today’s search engines are advanced enough to detect these practices and websites can face penalties like complete removal from search results.

DON’T: Copy & paste content Google’s search engine AI has commissioned several penalties for duplicate content. Invest in engaging copy and outsource it to an experienced Digital marketing agency, if needed. For example, at Sherpa, we conduct regular training sessions for the team to make sure they are on top of the latest trends and can guide you on the best practices.

Get in touch with one of our experts to learn more about how you can implement better SEO in your copywriting for your business to attract more leads and show up in more search queries.

Recommended reading:

Why media training is a must for every organisation

How digital PR can lift your business to the next level

Creating and maintaining a brand image and reputation is essential in the business world — work that is handled meticulously by a PR & marketing team. In 2022, research showed that most PR budgets are either increasing (45%) or staying the same (50%).

For SMEs with minimal marketing experience, dealing with media and other external stakeholders can be a daunting labyrinth; multinational companies who are looking to build a brand reputation in a new market need guidance from local experts and firms who want to change their image, increase visibility and awareness, and overall Improve their Online Reputation need to be positioned accordingly in the public space.

There are plenty of benefits to outsourcing your PR activities. If you’re still on the fence about it, let’s deep dive into why this might be the key to getting your name out there:

Focus on your day-to-day

With the firm’s PR and marketing in the capable hands of your trusted advisors, you can focus on other important business responsibilities. That doesn’t mean you’ll be blindsided in the planning phase, brainstorming sessions, or monitoring the agency’s activities, but rather that as a decision-maker you can focus on the bigger picture while the PR specialists take care of the nitty-gritty.

Get more facetime with the media

A business is likely to get more interest from the media if approached by an experienced PR agency in the UAE than directly by a firm. With an objective perspective on how the media works, your trusted consultancy will be able to craft suitable pitches to relevant publications, bringing positive news stories to established members of the media. These media relations services are not just a list of names but rather relationships that have been nurtured long-term to give their clients the most effective reach possible. This will be the inception of moulding the firm’s local and national reputation that hinges on its mission and vision, organically reaching potential customers.

Receive professional advice

Good PR and marketing strategies require experience and expertise. The best PR agencies in Dubai have members with professional expertise in several skills, from research and writing to analytics and understanding of the market. Agencies also stay updated with the changing trends and the latest technologies in the field, adapting to them.

Improve your marketing strategy

Public relations cover various aspects of a company’s stakeholder relationships, including the media, which requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills. A major perk is that you will learn from your agency’s best practices throughout your partnership. For example, our experience with small businesses has shown that many need help drafting their communication strategy, a critical part of your marketing efforts. Hiring an external expert helps close this task efficiently and fast, so you can promote and scale up your business faster.

Save on resources

An effective PR strategy includes obtaining market intelligence, planning, and implementing campaigns. For an internal team, there are extra steps such as vetting relevant publications, obtaining media contacts, and developing a relationship with them before being able to secure coverage for the brand. Hiring an external agency that already knows the marketplace means you have access to all their experience to develop a suitable plan quicker. Subsequently, this will save the firm man-hours and resources.

PR isn’t a quick add-on to your firm’s to-do list; it is a wholesome tool and requires knowledge and experience to execute effectively. Being a B2B-focused PR and Social Media agency, we at Sherpa Communications ensure that we download as much information from our clients as we can to formulate the best communications plan for them, keeping them in the loop at every step of the process.

Get in touch today with one of the experts at Sherpa Communications, who will help you develop an effective communications strategy for your brand or secure interviews with tier 1 media.

Recommended reading:

HOW DIGITAL PR CAN LIFT YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS SUSTAIN AND GROW

Month: March 2023

5 reasons to outsource your PR activities

YOUR LETTER IS SENT!

SORRY, BUT CAPTCHA VALIDATION WAS FAILED.