Posted by Wildfire Marketing Group | April 27th, 2009
It’s a statement that we hear often, but does it carry any weight? If you could rank for the top keyword phrase in your industry, what would it mean to your business? Chances are, not much. If you were a real estate agent in Tampa, and tomorrow your website ranked #1 for the keyword phrase “Tampa real estate” it would probably have little impact on your business because a lot of the people looking for a real estate agent in Tampa will be looking for something you don’t handle. Perhaps they are looking for a commercial real estate agent and you only handle residential. They could be looking for a home in an area that isn’t geographically convenient for you to server (Tampa is a big place). Maybe they are looking for the cheapest agent out there, but you focus on providing more service than other agents. The possibilities are endless, but you get the idea.
Instead of focusing your time and energy on top ranking for a particular phrase, you should focus on building a defensible website with a loyal group of returning visitors. These are the people that will refer potential clients to you. Build a library or resources that people can direct others to. Develop free and useful tools that others in your industry can use. Give relevant but non-competing companies a way and an incentive to help you reach your target market.