The Offline Google
Search engines are probably the biggest development in the world of marketing since the first TV ads hit our screens decades ago. As marketing tools, SEO and PPC are effective not because of the technology but because they use simple marketing concepts that are just as true offline as they are online.
So what offline ideas can we (re)learn from SEO? Here are a few to start with …
1. Give them what they’re looking for - Broadly speaking SEO is about attracting the people who are already looking for what you have to offer. Google rewards the businesses that use the right terms in their web sites by sending them visitors - precisely because they’re most likely the sites the searcher was looking for in the first place. You type in your need, Google serves up the best matches for a solution.
Offline, the same is true. If I am a business owner looking for an accountant, there’s no shortage of options. But, if I’m given the choice between a generalist firm or one that specialises in working with companies from my industry, I’ll likely choose the latter. The best match (ideally) wins. The lesson – be specific, address your customer needs, and find a niche where there’s less competition.
2. Know what they want - Good SEO depends on knowing what people are searching for – the terms they use. Online that means doing research on popular keywords – offline that means understanding your customer and how they go about solving their needs.
If you find out what your potential customers are looking for – and how they are looking for it (think who is their ‘offline Google’?)– putting two and two together becomes pretty easy.
3. Build Links - From Google’s perspective, the fact that one website links to another is at some level an endorsement of that second website. Moreover, if that endorsement comes from a reliable source (i.e. a well-ranked website itself) then it carries that much more weight.
Going offline the same applies in two key ways. Firstly, a third party endorsement is always stronger than your own paid efforts. Case studies, testimonials, word-of-mouth – they all use or reflect this fact.
Secondly, by building lots of links with other relevant businesses you improve your own profile and ‘ranking’. Links into your business can come from past customers, referrers and marketing partners. In other words, one of the key focuses of your marketing efforts should be creating links from, and relationships with, reliable, trusted sources.
A good marketing strategy will include both online and offline elements. The good news is that what you learn from one almost always applies to the other as well.
What other offline marketing ideas could be inspired by SEO or other online efforts?
Mark Nagurski is a Director of The Really Practical Marketing Company, who provide marketing advice and resources to small business owners, freelancers and startups. You can read his daily marketing ideas blog at www.reallypractical.com
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July 1st, 2008 at 4:11 am
First!
That was really some awesome information. Thanks so much for sharing!
July 1st, 2008 at 7:55 am
Sometime I think SEO just like MLM marketing in offline.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:08 pm
hi, thanks for giving tips. Will surely keep in mind. I am looking forward to further posts as i enjoyed this one.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Thanks for the info, SEO #1 most important thing for your site, Keywords/original content/links
thos really are what you need.
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I think the most important for SEO is to have unique content and have tremendous backlink support. Those two key areas definitely will help your site to rank highly by Google. I know from first hand experience.
July 6th, 2008 at 12:35 am
yes i agree.
content is king!
Regards,
David
home based travel agent
self-help
July 6th, 2008 at 3:01 am
I think the hardest aspect of it all is links. It’s like you said, “being endorsed”, that is the hardest thing in life too, if you ask me.
-Jean
July 7th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Content is the single most important tool. i totally agree.
July 7th, 2008 at 4:08 am
backward link building is super important, and I believe will continue to be as google tighten up on paid advertising etc.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:55 am
I think the SEO is a some kinds of MLM business. Anyway its a very good information.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Is it the same type of efficient like the online google? I think there are some silly difference.
July 10th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
I think the most important for SEO is to have unique content and have tremendous backlink support. Those two key areas definitely will help your site to rank highly by Google. I know from first hand experience.A good marketing strategy will include both online and offline elements. The good news is that what you learn from one almost always applies to the other as well.
July 11th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
At the end of the day, content is king. Sometimes it takes a while to generate momentum, but eventually content is what will be real traffic.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Don’t do like I did; focus exclusively on SEO.
Get the bigger picture; make sites about things people really _want_, make free viral stuff that has embedded links, and take some time off from being in front of the PC so you get some perspective, and good ideas.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Good Informative post
Stumbled you cheers!
Will Keep in touch with you
July 12th, 2008 at 6:16 am
SEO is very important for unique content and improving you website page ranks. Thanks
July 12th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Very good information about SEO and offline methods but SEOing a site is not an easy task. Worryingly thoughts about SEO change from blog to blog. It needs a lot of time to understand all that process.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:34 am
All will know that content plays a major role in SEO. Good seo will not be happen if the content is unique or informative…
Thanks for discussing about this issue…
July 13th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Informative post. I #1 is most important
July 14th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Pss.. In between we bribe tem to get in to higher positions.. and in SEo they say use keywords to identify what is there in site and in marketing we use keywords and punches to make ads. and blah blah blah
July 15th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Strong backlinks is key.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I liked that you pointed out its not just the key words, but what the actual person thinks about and searches for. Sometimes the words you would like to use aren’t as searched as something a little more simple.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:09 am
I think overall Google does a pretty good job of leveling the playing field. As soon as the experts start to figure out what they are doing they make needed changes. Still a very innovative organization.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Make sure you’re internal site structure is in tip-top condition. Create a logical and effortlessly spiderable website, with good textual links throughout.
Likewise, the best business survive because of the integrity of their infrastructure. Communication at all levels is essential to halt costly misunderstandings and feelings of animosity from employees continually left out of the loop.
July 18th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Great list… using the right terms and building links… the basics of SEO.
July 19th, 2008 at 5:39 am
You have provided some really good and important things which will help all the people around which are working with SEO. I am also a strong believer that content do play an important part.
July 19th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Being relatively new to SEO, I find it an amazing world that has mixed results. The most success that I have had with this is through great content and great backlinks. It’s a task that seems to be never ending.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I often find it frustrating that content isn’t more important in SEO. It seems like a lot of web marketers accrue a huge number of backlinks from worthless sites for the express purpose of increasing their pageranks, which serves more to deceive the consumer than to help him/her. It’s too bad that there isn’t a better way to evaluate the quality of a site.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 am
Content is king, but so is good marketing. You may have amazing content but without good marketing (in this case SEO and backlink building) then you’re content will not reach its full potential.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
And even then, Google will still decide to blacklist you if you get too many good links and rise too fast. It really is a popularity game. I feel like I’m back in High School.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 am
so are you suggesting that ‘real life’ now mirrors the web? perhaps soon someone will come up with the concept of ‘real time’ ‘relationships’ with ‘people’
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 am
even if you content stinks and you rarely change anything on the site, if you naturally build links you still may do well in Ranking for search engines. of course it helps if your anchor text key words are not to popular
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
SEO has been a revolution since it has come up, I think it has just changed the world of internet advetising and earning money through internet.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Good tips there. For me the only matters for a good SEO are content,quality backlinks,and layout.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:19 am
As soon as the experts start to figure out what they are doing they make needed changes.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Thanks for the info, I think the most important for SEO is to have unique content and have tremendous back link support. Content is king, but so is good marketing.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
You made a nice comparison on SEo online and offline. From the offline angle there is a lot of information…thanks
July 26th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Being a fresh new innovative business who specializes in SEO & Web design its always really great to read others opinions.
SEO truly is key to a businesses success these days, and the future is in those who know how to market a business successfully.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
SEO is just like MLM marketing in offline
July 29th, 2008 at 12:30 am
SEO is really the most key feature, thanks for the article as it helped me a lot interms of SEO marketing.
I will post my results really soon.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Thanks for the information. Can’t read enough informative stuff about SEO…
August 10th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Links is still the trumph card for SEO
August 19th, 2008 at 6:34 am
It is really good to knoe that SEO and PPC are effective not because of the technology but because they use simple marketing concepts that are just as true offline as they are online. Your blog is so informative.