According to Google Search Statistics, there are over 3 billion searches being made daily and Google’s algorithm is more sophisticated than ever, so as an IT or Technology organisation, it’s important that you have a strong organic presence to stay ahead of the competition.

 

 

1.   Why SEO for IT and Tech companies is different

Unlike e-commerce sites where you can showcase your products on Google shopping, or simply list your products with an image, price and description, a lot of technology and IT companies’ offering is a bit more complex.

 

SaaS and B2B tech companies have longer sales cycles

 

Because often SaaS or IT services are created, maintained and supported by an organisation, the investment can be large and not just a one-off purchase. This means a longer sales cycle and more touch points before the customer is ready to buy. So when it comes to SEO, ranking number one with one page isn’t enough. You need to be reaching your audience at multiple stages of the sales cycle with different types of content that always appear above your competition.

 

The way people search is different

 

When it comes to the technology vertical, the way people search is different to your average Google searcher. Your prospects and leads will be more tech-savvy. This means they will be searching for specific, detailed content, they will have high expectations of site speed and UX, and they will have little patience for shallow content or poorly designed websites.

 

Therefore you will have to pay particular attention to your keywords, their relevance to your content and what your prospects are looking for. This also requires a well designed website with an accessible site navigation and good page load speed.

 

The competition is more fierce

 

And finally, in the IT and Technology niche, your competitors are likely to be tech-savvy and happy to invest in their own SEO strategies. Therefore your competition might already have a strong online presence that they are maintaining regularly. This puts extra pressure on making sure your own SEO strategy is in place and your performance is being constantly monitored.

 

2.   How to improve your SEO performance as an IT or Tech company

 

So what important elements should you consider as part of your SEO strategy as an IT or technology company?

 

Create an SEO based content marketing plan

 

As we mentioned earlier, in IT and tech, sales cycles are longer and your prospects will need convincing multiple times that your solution is for them. And the best way to do this is by reaching them at multiple stages of the sales funnel with relevant content. At this stage we advise to read up on search intent as this is an essential component of your content plan.

 

So to begin with, you could create some informational content, targeting ‘what is’ or ‘how to’ keywords. The aim is to reach your target audience at the top of the sales funnel. This is where they are doing initial research on a topic, and trying to understand the problem or the solution. Make sure you check the SERP results to see what kind of results Google is showing for ‘what is’ searches and tailor your content to be in line with the top 5 results.

 

Then you could create some blog content which targets commercial intent keywords: for example ‘top 5 internet providers’ or ‘best suppliers for cyber-security software’. Your content should be written around the keywords you’ve discovered and pay close attention to what Google displays for your target queries.

 

And finally you can create solution or product pages which will be targeting more transactional keywords – these should be pages that explain the problem your solution is offering to fix, it should list the benefits, and it should explain why your solution is the best. This content will be created around transactional search terms, which you can identify from keyword research and studying the SERP results.

 

By creating great quality content that is targeting your audience at multiple stages of the sales funnel, you will increase your visibility in the SERP and expose your website to a wider audience. As your target keywords will be different for each piece of content, you will also avoid any risk of cannibalisation.

 

 A well performing website

 

Once you’ve created great content that ranks well in Google, you need to make sure that when your technical-savvy audience arrives on your website, they’re not put off by any technical aspects.

 

So follow this checklist to make sure your website is performing as well as it could and you won’t risk high bounce rates:

 

• Site speed: with 50% of users leaving a page if it takes over 3 seconds to load, you need to ensure your site is optimised. Mobile sites are even less with 1-2 seconds as the ideal load time. Check your page load speed with one of the many tools available.
• Mobile-responsiveness: make sure your site is mobile-friendly – this is an important ranking factor and as most initial searches are done on mobile, you should never neglect your mobile performance.
• Logical site navigation: ensure it’s easy for users to navigate around your website with a clear and accessible navigation menu. Good navigation will enable users to search your site for longer, making it easy for them to know where they are and where they can go.
• Good internal linking: Internal linking is essential to any website as it helps establish site architecture, which is important for both users and Google. Good internal linking will also help you navigate your prospects across your content and drive them to your target conversion pages.

 

To summarise, if you’re an IT or technology company, it’s very important that you understand the value of SEO. You must take a serious, planned approach as your audience has high expectations, and your competitors are savvy.

 

If you would like any support in building an SEO strategy for your IT or technology business, let us know and we can set up a call to discuss.

 

Contact our Yorkshire based team on 0800 234 3977

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