A website is a great tool for finding new customers. But it only works if you manage to get it in front of the right eyeballs. That, of course, is the point of web marketing, content marketing, blogging, SEO, social media, etc etc.
I recently had the “fun” experience of starting completely from scratch with a brand new website for one of my companies. We wanted to launch a new division of the business selling a very specific type of product wholesale — a “business within a business” if you will.
When we launched the new website, I realized this would be a great opportunity to create a case study showing exactly how we go from “Zero To Hero” with this new site. So I wanted to start with this blog post to give a little preview as we begin the process.
Since this process is still in the early stages, I will be a bit vague in my description below (more details to come in the final case study later). Still, the general principles and strategy will be quite easy to follow without specifics about the business itself.
Starting From Scratch With A Brand New Website
Before going any further, I want to emphasize the importance of choosing a powerful & focused domain name. We did exactly that, choosing a domain name that was highly focused around one very specific keyword target.
This is always easier to do when you’re doing a “spin off” type website to focus on a specific area of your existing business. For example, if you’re branding around something like “Bob’s Pest Control”, you’ll usually have a domain like www DOT bobspestcontrol DOTcom to serve as your main business website.
But suppose Bob’s Pest Control wants to focus on a specific “silo” of their business like “New Home Termite Inspection”. They still want to operate as Bob’s Pest Control on their main website, but they create a new separate website NewHomeTermiteInspections.com to create an additional “trap” for catching more customers (all puns clearly intended, of course I can’t help myself).
SEO & PPC Focused Website
Before I get carried away, I want to point out that the goal of this project is to build a new separate website for SEO & PPC purposes primarily. Our goal is to create an additional “net” for capturing more leads with a very specialized website.
If you’re following along at home, feel free to customize this approach based on your specific situation. There’s lots of ways to go about this.
Of course, for SEO purposes we will be integrating additional tools like blogging and social media. But we’ll apply those tools in a limited way. Again, let’s not get carried away.
Know What You’re Targeting
The backbone of this strategy is Keyword Research. Start by identifying the keywords for which you want to rank on Google organic search.
For example:
new home termite inspection
termite inspector for new home
new home pest inspections
home termite inspection
And so on…
It’s ok (and even necessary!) to stay focused on VERY specific long-tail keywords in this scenario. Steer clear of big, broad keywords.
Build The (WordPress) Website (And Blog)
I highly recommend using WordPress to build the site out. I also recommend attaching a blog to your site (for example: http://www.newhometermiteinspection.com/blog ) but don’t make the blog a prominent part of the website. Remember, this is not your main business website. The purpose of the blog is mostly to support your SEO efforts.
I also recommend using a tool like Thrive Themes & Thrive Leads on this new website for easy WordPress integration and simple site setup.
If the goal of your website is to sell something directly on the site (ecommerce & other online “shops”) you may lean more towards Shopify or Woocommerce. All of these same principles still apply.
Do The Initial SEO Work
Once your new site is live and running, you’ll want to complete the Initial SEO Setup work:
-Keyword Research (discussed above)
-Setup Rank Tracking
-Site Speed Optimization
-Custom Writing Titles & METAs
-Google Search Console Setup
-Google Analytics Setup
-On-Page Optimization
-Blogging SEO Setup
-Internal Linking Plan
-And So On…
Hopefully you have an SEO on staff or a marketing person who can help. If not, we are happy to help with our SEO Services here.
Let The Blogging Begin
The next important piece of this puzzle is Blogging. You absolutely 1000% must be blogging to get meaningful SEO results. There’s simply no replacement for the flow of content, internal linking opportunities, and other important benefits of adding new blog posts to your website content footprint.
Start by reviewing your keywords target list and then create topics related to those keywords. Do your best to avoid “hitting your keywords over the head” so directly. In other words, for a keyword target like “termite inspector for new home” avoid literally writing about this topic. The way people “search” is not the way humans “write” or read for that matter.
Yes, definitely use the exact keyword phrase “termite inspector for new home” in a blog post, but find a subtle way to do it.
Always be sure the blog post itself is a valuable, interesting piece of content with an appealing title, nice images, clean formatting/layout. Write for readers & customers, not for search engine robots.
Go To The Traffic Store
In the meantime, while the SEO is marinating (SEO takes time!) it’s likely a smart move to go ahead and invest into Pay Per Click Ads using tools like Google Ads. This will allow you to identify keywords that work and testing your new site’s ability to convert traffic into leads.
It’s ok if you maintain a low budget. Depending on the market and the average cost per click, even $10-$15 per day can help inform your ongoing SEO work and get active traffic to your new website while you wait for SEO to kick-in.
SEO + Content = Success
From here, continue adding new content. Integrate social media if possible (but not always necessary). And continue weekly SEO work — reviewing the keywords, watching rankings, optimizing posts and pages.
Also keep your eye on the PPC activity — noting especially which keywords seem to drive the most clicks and the most conversions.
SEO takes time — often months before you see significant results. But the payoff can be quite significant long-term.
I hope this simple overview inspires you to try this strategy in your business!
