The Art of SEO, 2nd Edition

SEO for Lead Generation and Direct Marketing

Although lead generation via the Web is less direct than an ecommerce transaction, it is arguably just as valuable and important for building customers, revenue, and long-term value. Millions of search queries have commercial intents that can’t be (or currently aren’t) fulfilled directly online. These can include searches for services such as legal consulting, contract construction, commercial loan requests, alternative energy providers, or virtually any service or product people source via the Web.

Here are some factors to think about when considering SEO for lead generation and direct marketing:

When to employ SEO for lead generation and direct marketing

Use it when you have a non-ecommerce product/service/goal that you want users to accomplish on your site or for which you are hoping to attract inquiries/direct contact over the Web.

Keyword targeting

As with ecommerce, choose phrases that convert well, have reasonable traffic, and have previously performed in PPC campaigns.

Page and content creation/optimization

Although you might think it would be easier to rank high in the SERPs for lead-generation programs than for ecommerce, it is often equally challenging. You’ll need a solid combination of on-site optimization and external link building to many different pages on the site (with good anchor text) to be competitive in the more challenging arenas.