We’ve heard of defibrillators, fixed wing programs, and community resilience, but Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing? Public safety industry professionals use various tools to get the job done and serve their communities, but this tool can be helpful in growing a business in the police, fire and EMS realm. How can businesses in the public safety industry thrive using SEO marketing? Jeremy Jones, Owner and Creator of Discover the Burgh, has been blogging for 10 years and provides a particular, useful insight in the utilization of SEO marketing.
In the beginning stages of blogging, his travel blog, Living The Dream, in which he and his wife, Angie, traveled from 2013-14, was born. Unforeseen circumstances arose because of the broad, highly competitive market mixed with the financial troubles of constantly traveling prevented the blog from blasting off into success. The couple returned to their home and day jobs back in Pittsburgh, PA.
After returning, Jones decided to launch another blog, Discover The Burgh, and with precise, strategic thinking for relatable content in a specific market, the blog exploded with credibility and popularity. Jeremy quit his 9-5 in order to pursuit his dream in full-time blogging the best of Pittsburgh. The blog business can be attributed in major part to the success of his learning in SEO marketing.
Jones says, “The way we think about SEO is backwards.” Proper SEO helps boost the visibility of a website or webpage in unpaid results of search engines such as Google or Bing. Many people think it’s listed in Google to be seen first in rankings, but one should concentrate on targeted keywords that the specific demographic is searching for when locating webpages. Keywords should be relatable, ideas coinciding with the article that are tailored to the featured topic but should be in-line with what potential customers are realistically using in search. “Algorithms are getting smarter but exact match keyword usage is still a big hurdle for SEO,” Jones says.
Though keyword usage in the content a business posts on its website is vital, showing credible expertise in the industry is another building block in better online visibility for a business’s website or blog. Also, the website must be easy and friendly to navigate along with the site speed. Knowing these factors can greatly contribute to the success in ranking analysis on Google or Bing.
For example, businesses selling a public safety product that retain the increased visibility through SEO marketing will receive more shares off the website and social media while increasing the website traffic. Creating constant, specific and reputable content through a blog component on a business’s website can draw more attention to views and engagement. Jones says, “The big picture is writing content for what people are actually searching for. If you do not use the keywords your audience uses, your ability to reach them is slim to none.”
Businesses in the public safety industry can specifically target their intended audience in order to build more online visibility through reputable content and strategic keywords. Online users search keywords, and the search engine’s job is to produce results. So, the business must tailor its content, expertise in the industry keyword usage in order to attract the accurate audience. Then, it is key to use the knowledge of the public safety industry in order to target the right people. So, in 2019, welcome a more concise approach in SEO marketing which will help businesses standout in a competitive market.