Where does SEO leave the little guy?

It’s fast becoming a bit of a cliche, but Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM), really are changing the way we do business in South Africa. More and more enterprises are realising the value of strong web positioning, and as recent articles show, the budgets being allocated in this sphere are growing at a steady rate, and is unlikely to peak anytime soon. The tourism and travel sectors have long embraced the potential of search engines, and as such, are probably the most evolved and internet-savvy industry in the country today, with Bob’s Bed and Breakfast having had a strong internet presence long before corporates in South Africa had even heard of Google and the world wide web.

The problem for Bob and his ilk however, is that the search engine climate has changed considerably over the last few years. Not too long ago — give or take six or seven years — it was fairly easy for an SEO agency to achieve strong rankings on a term like “cape town accommodation” for Bob’s ten page website.

In today’s world however, this is virtually impossible, what with the massive and ever growing amount of competing websites, together with newer and constantly evolving search engine algorithms which favour larger websites with more content. With the current status quo aimed at delivering the most accurate and comprehensive set of results for the user, larger sites such as Go2Africa, SafariNow and Cape Stay are proving to be the mainstays on the travel-related search engine results pages (SERPS).

So where does this leave poor Bob? Should he sell up and move to Auckland? Maybe cash in those Old Mutual bonds and take up fly fishing? No, nothing that drastic is necessary — it’s merely time for his SEO agency to box clever.

A re-identification of keywords targeted is a must. For smaller websites, it’s best to shy away from the most popular keyphrases, as these would tend to be heavily saturated with competitors and, in most cases, the conversion rates on these phrases tend to be rather low anyway. Using some of the various keyword-research software tools available on the web, together with the Google Adword Tool, one should be able to identify phrases which are being searched for, but at the same time lack any significant competition. (Look hard, there will always be a few to make use of). Focus the website on these phrases, and traffic derived from them may be lower, but the conversion rate should be fairly high, depending on how specific the phrases are. ie: “Fish Hoek Self Catering Accommodation”

Then, putting on your SEM cap, make sure that Bob’s Bed and Breakfast is well represented on the various industry-specific directories and social bookmark websites. If you’re marketing an accommodation establishment for example, getting listed on the likes of Gumtree and Craigslist is a must. Set up accounts on the likes of Facebook, try and attract and hold on to group members and fans through regular specials and promotions, made exclusive to them.

Embrace the blogging culture and community. Sure, with some industries it may initially seem silly to set up a blog, but try and write about current affairs or everyday news items, and you’ll soon realise how easy it is to mention your product or service within context. Contact and encourage other bloggers to write about the enterprise, either through polite requests (the worst thing they can do is say no) or through a bartering deal (bloggers love free stuff). Making clever use of social media sites is also a good idea, people love sharing the strange and extraordinary over the net, no matter how bizarre they may seem.

In summary, although Search Marketing has become more and more competitive, there is certainly still a place on the web for the small business enterprise, it just takes a little bit of out-the-box thinking