Why Manufacturing and SEO Are Such a Great Match

As you well know, nearly everything we do starts with a web search. That includes finding the nearest restaurant or looking for a new supplier. Or, perhaps the boss sends us off on a new project and we need to get up to speed fast. First step, open Google and type in your search terms.

Search Engines

Backing up what I’ve said above, the current stats show that 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. Among those search engines Google currently has an 80% global market share. The nearest competitors are Bing (6.9%), Baidu (5.9%), and Yahoo (5.3%). That means that Google is doing far and away the best job at finding relevant answers to those search terms.

What is SEO?

Now that you’ve entered your search terms, the search engine will present what they’ve determined will be the best match and, as result, meet the needs of your search. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of getting your website found and highly ranked in those searches. It takes into account keywords that match expected searches with your company’s products along with an entire range of actions to build the site’s ranking within those search results.

What’s the Value of Seach Engine Optimization?

Now that you have your search results, which number in the millions, the current statistics show that only 8.5% of traffic gets past the first page. Even more astounding, the number one search result sees a click through rate of nearly 30%, number two sees 13%, and number 3 just 9%. Obviously the value of getting ranked on the first page and at the top is enormous.

But Isn’t Manufacturing Different?

You might feel that manufacturing is different. You’re not selling toothpaste or cookies. Instead, you’re selling complex equipment targeted to a relatively limited market. Try these stats on for size: 

• 90% of buyers search for vendors online.
• 84% of industrial professionals use the Internet to find components, equipment, and services.
• 70% of industrial professionals use search engines when comparing and evaluating suppliers.

Manufacturing and SEO

Manufacturing isn’t so different in that it needs SEO to bring prospects to its website. It is different in that its market is more specialized and its products are often unique or at least have a limited number of competitors.                      

The benefit for manufacturers is that the more specialized your company is, the more specific keyword searches are going to be. For example, a search for industrial spill control products versus home cleaning supplies is going to bring in far fewer search results. All this adds up to a much better chance of achieving a high ranking on the search engines.

In addition, the more narrow your market segment, with fewer competitors, the easier it will be for your company to increase its rankings in search. This is because there will be far fewer company websites competing on search engines for the same search rankings.

There are also a lot of manufacturing companies still not focusing on optimizing their site for search as much as others and that has it's advantages as well. I like to compare it to a race. It's a lot easier to get first place if there are 10 people in the race versus 1,000. Right now there are still a lot of manufacturers not focusing on competing online, so it's a great time to enter the race and start building rankings for relevant keyword phrases. Those dollars are starting to shift and will only continue to so the competition will only increase in years to come.

Even with all those advantages, you still need to engage in a serious effort to optimize every aspect of your website so that you can be readily found with the right searches. You have to show Google you're an authority on your topic by playing by their rules. That includes regularly produced relevant content along with fundamental website keyword research. Then you need to implement that research throughout your website with meta descriptions, alt-tags, and more.

Manufacturing Examples

We’re a Hubspot Gold Certified Agency Partner. So it’s natural to pick some examples from HubSpot's manufacturing testimonials page. Check out these results:

• HeatTrak increased leads by 600%, customers by 15%, and revenue by 23%.
• Colt International increased monthly web traffic by a factor of ten.
• Finnleo saunas increased web traffic by 113%.
• Northern Engraving increased leads by 142%.
• Beretta firearms converts 76% of website visitors to customers.

Our Clients

We use Hubspot’s marketing software for keyword research and everything else related to optimizing inbound marketing for our clients. Some relevant clients include Meltblown Technologies, manufacturers of polypropylene oil and chemical sorbents, and MCR Safety, manufacturer of personal protective equipment. Our background in ecommerce can also come in especially handy with manufacturing clients who also sell their products directly online.

We Can Help

Developing an SEO campaign is a sound investment in the growth of your business. After all, when you’re selling high dollar machines and gear, gaining a few more sales that you’re missing now could make a huge difference in your business.

We can help guide your manufacturing business, or other specialized, innovative, and growth-driven company, in the right direction with inbound strategies and remarkable content. Check out some of our work, case studies, or testimonials and call 214-937-9521 or go here to request a consultation today.