Have you ever Googled a question about manufacturing? Without a doubt, the website that answered your search query put a lot of time and strategy into that one page to earn your click. That strategy gets its roots in search engine optimization (SEO).
Manufacturing industries may not have had to jump on the digital marketing train in the early days of the internet, especially when compared to retailers and e-commerce businesses, for example. But today, digital marketing is the number one way to get more leads across all industries, including manufacturing.
Overall, SEO is an effective way to obtain organic leads with a relevant interest in your business. How so? By honing in on what your ideal partnership candidates are searching for and developing digital strategies accordingly. Read on for more information.
What Is SEO?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving aspects of your website that help Google recognize your content as helpful and authoritative. In other words, SEO helps your web content rank higher in search results.
Manufacturing SEO brings in readers who are already interested in your services and are primed to buy. While SEO can take a few months to pay off, your efforts will be rewarded as your website receives more traffic and pulls in targeted leads.
Formatting
One of the easiest SEO factors to control is how your content looks on the page. Here are the components you want to consider:
- Images
- Text
- White space/negative space
- Optin forms/ads
Basically, everything you see on your website is part of website formatting. You want to organize your content to improve your user experience, thus convincing Google’s algorithm that your content is worth showing to its users.
So, here are some tips.
First, include an image or two to draw readers in and give them a sense of what your article is about. What you don’t want is to present your reader with a wall of overwhelming text.
This brings us to text. Instead of a large block of text, separate your text into short, digestible paragraphs. Paragraphs that are 2-3 sentences long are ideal.
Multiple paragraphs increase white space, also called negative space. White space describes the parts of your website that are void of text, images, or other content. It gives your readers a chance to rest their eyes, skim your article, and focus on finding their solution (which could be your manufacturing services!).
Lastly, don’t overwhelm your readers with opt-in forms and ads. Making many requests of your readers to click can annoy them, and their next click might be away from your website.
Instead, keep it simple. Use a relevant opt-in form at the bottom of articles, after you’ve earned your readers’ trust.
Metadata
Metadata isn’t as simple as reformatting a web page, but it’s not hard to optimize. Metadata is behind-the-scenes information that tells Google what your website and specific web page, such as a blog post, is about.
Metadata consists of:
- Meta descriptions and titles
- Image alt text
- Schema markup
When you create a blog post, you have the option to customize your meta title and description. These two pieces of data are displayed by Google on search engine results pages (SERPs), so you want to be sure they invite the reader to click by making them engaging.
Image alt text is shown when a picture won’t load. It’s also read by Google’s algorithm, so you want to make sure it’s as relevant to your article or website content as possible.
There’s also schema markup. Schema markup is an advanced SEO strategy that helps readers keep clicking through your website. You can use Schema markup to add FAQ sections and tables of contents, allowing the reader to find their answer quickly and continue exploring your website.
This one rule applies to all metadata: include your keywords! Whether metadata is ultimately displayed to users or not, it’s always shown to Google’s algorithms.
Internal and External Linking
Links connect web pages and sites to each other. Internal linking refers to pages that are linked within your website, like one blog post to another. External linking is when you link to another website’s content.
Internal linking is helpful for your readers and your SEO. It helps readers easily explore your content and Google’s algorithm to better understand what your website is about.
External linking shows Google and readers that you’ve done excellent research.
A good rule of thumb for manufacturing SEO is to include two or three internal and external links in each article. Linking too much is distracting to readers and linking too little leaves your reader with nowhere to go next.
Find the Right Manufacturing SEO Agency
Believe it or not, there’s a lot more that goes into SEO than white space and linking. In the case of manufacturing SEO specifically, you need to understand what your readers are searching for before you start posting articles.
Snap Agency understands the specific needs of manufacturing brands and their audiences. Get a jump on the competition. Call using the number at the top of the page or connect with us online.