Do IT and Technology Companies Need SEO?
Do you work in the new technology industry? Are you wondering whether your IT business needs SEO? In today’s entry, you’ll find out why this field requires a well-thought-out SEO strategy and how to devise it.
The IT industry is a relatively new field that comprises broadly understood information technology. Specialists process information, develop software, collect and store data. This industry is gaining popularity thanks to the ongoing intense technological development. New devices, technologies and changes related to off-the-shelf solutions implemented by companies or institutions whose operation affects the entire society. IT is a special field frequently too complex to be understood by an average person. Is there anyone from outside the industry who knows the scope of activities of a web developer, front-end developer, analyst, UX designer or DevOps engineer? The complexity of their work involves specialized vocabulary, ability to smoothly navigate various systems or design and deal with code environments.
Not everyone knows much about the IT industry and the fact that nowadays almost every company needs such services (to a greater or smaller extent) leads to numerous misunderstandings. The same applies to SEO for It companies. In today’s entry, you’ll find out why doing SEO for the IT industry isn’t a piece of cake and what are the best methods to achieve desired results.
Why do IT and technology companies need SEO?
The interest in the IT industry has been steadily increasing. Taking Google Trends data concerning the “machine learning” phrase and other related ones as an example, we can observe how frequently this phrase appeared in the search results in recent years.
SEO helps to improve search engine visibility. This generates more website traffic and increases the number of clients. So does the IT industry need SEO as well? Many IT company owners assume that their specialists will take care also of this aspect. But is this really the case?
New technologies frequently involve development that is supposed to suit current trends. Nowadays, web development is all about minimalism, one-page sites, and limited amounts of text. Frequently, the need to create a functional, user-friendly website with an appealing design meeting the expectations of the client is more important than the possibility to update the site or adjust it to Google recommendations.
The fact that many IT company websites are developed in custom CMSes can also be a challenge when it comes to SEO. Of course, using them has enormous advantages such as unique, well-thought-out UX and UI. However, when developing a website, people frequently forget about functionalities offered as a standard by regular CMS systems. Here, we’re talking about possibilities to add titles, automatic redirects or friendly URLs. If you aren’t able to generate a lot of direct traffic (meaning users who enter your website address into the search bar), you need to find ways to do it. Given that the IT industry often reaches clients mainly through the website, you should take care of its best search engine visibility. This will translate into traffic. Thus, SEO activities for technology companies are an essential aspect of their operation in the online market and in the process of acquiring new clients.
How to effectively do SEO for the IT industry?
1. Keyword selection
When doing SEO, it’s worth starting with asking questions about your new and potential clients or features that make you stand out from the crowd. Once you determine them, it’s time to highlight keywords, meaning phrases for which a website is displayed in the search results. All of it in order to generate the maximum number of leads. It’s ideal if selected keywords aren’t competitive and cover a large search area. The phrases shouldn’t be too generic but as specific and tailored to your business activity as possible. It’s important to assign them to appropriate subpages and apply them in texts. All pages supposed to be found on Google should be indexed to ensure that they’re quickly displayed in the search results.
The IT industry incorporates a number of diversified branches dealing with different fields of the market. So, for example, a software house won’t aim at being displayed on the same phrases as an automotive company. It’s a good idea to thoroughly analyze your market segment and devise an appropriate strategy.
2. Company blog
Google likes quality content so with its use you can acquire extra website traffic. Besides, company blogs offer numerous possibilities to position yourself as an expert in the field and educate new and potential clients. When talking about such a demanding and specialized industry as new technologies, knowledge is extremely useful as it helps interested parties to find out what’s the scope of activities of a given company and why individual services cost so much. Thanks to it, you’ll be able to avoid repetitive questions from your clients asking why your offer is so expensive.
B2B marketers who benefit from blogs have 67% more potential clients than those who don’t do it. – HubSpot [Source: www.ironpaper.com]
3. Customer reviews and comments
IT companies should pay attention to feedback from their clients. This will confirm their credibility and constitute a quality answer to the question “why is it worth cooperating with us?”. You can use the reviews from Google My Business or add them separately on the page. This will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the SEO process and the way potential clients interested in your services perceive your company.
4. Language barrier
When it comes to new technologies, people frequently use English. All of this to ensure better positions in the search results and facilitate communication with clients of different nationalities. If you decide to run a website in your native language, it’s always a good idea to think about introducing a second version in English.
Running a website in English has certain repercussions such as not being displayed on keywords in your mother tongue. Linking should also be done in English. The choice depends on your target audience.
It’s worth remembering that a second website version in English requires a separate SEO process. SEO-wise, it’s very important whether language page versions are on the same domain, subdomain, or in the same directory.
5. Social media
The technological industry should pay special attention to social media. Due to the fact that its activity revolves mainly around the Internet, websites need to provide links to their social media profiles. Apart from improving brand recognition, it’ll also accelerate the SEO process. The greater the number of links to profiles with followers, the greater domain authority.
What sites to focus on? A company operating in the IT industry should be active on platforms like Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. LinkedIn will allow you to expand your reach, develop a strong brand and attract employees. It’s also worth setting up accounts on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Youtube can be used to run webinars, share videos showing your work, conferences that can be later distributed via other channels. On the other hand, Instagram can help you build a friendly company image. Sharing training or daily photos will be helpful in creating positive employer branding. It’s good if your activity is regular. If a company is looking for foreign clients and communicates in English, it should join a community such as Clutch which makes it possible to establish contacts and exchange knowledge.
Content for the IT industry – what and how to write?
Due to its nature, the IT industry should pay special attention to the way and language of communication which should be tailored to diverse recipients. When creating content for the abovementioned company blogs, maintain a balance between specialized texts and entries intended to educate clients.
1. Entries for professionals
Specialized texts are written with the use of specialized vocabulary. In this type of entry, you can focus on small, detailed issues that may be further discussed. At this point, you can write about your know-how, technical intricacies of software house operation, and other aspects understandable only for specialists. This will make your company more credible among professionals from the industry.
2. Entries for beginners
These are supposed to reach laymen who don’t necessarily have expertise in your field. They should be written in a clear and understandable way. They can discuss current affairs, novelties in the IT industry, your scope of activities, or strategies employed to support clients.
In the case of both text types, it’s worth using case studies to focus on elements you want to convey. Such content is easily digested and positions the company as an expert. Cooperating with well-known brands increases credibility and builds company authority. Thanks to it, you can attract more potential clients interested in your services. Thoroughly performed projects can make it easier for people to decide to start the cooperation.
Optimization is as important as the content itself. The article should contain at least 1000 words. Remember about headers, highlight the most important pieces of information with bold and italics. It’s also advisable to provide links to other subpages or catchy entries.
What subjects to discuss? There are as many ideas as authors. Elaborate on complex topics, describe case studies, write about your organizational skills and employees – their hobbies, favorite tasks, or lifestyle – comment on current trends, industry news or functionalities of tools used by your web developers or designers. Additionally, it’s worth taking part in conferences and meetings related to the IT industry. Descriptions of services and products are also pieces of quality content.
The takeaway
Doing SEO for IT companies is a long and continuous process. Nevertheless, it’s worth taking your time as it’ll surely bring satisfying, long-term results. The way Google evaluates a website is a key factor affecting search engine visibility which is particularly important for companies providing IT services. The Internet is the main place where they sell, contact clients and advertise themselves. SEO becomes a more and more technical field that requires the use of specialized terminology related to new technologies. Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect fruitful cooperation between these two industries in the future.
Well, of course IT companies need SEO services. Not every IT specialist knows the mechanisms behind the Google algorithm and how to work with that to get better website performance. I’d say that in most cases IT companies will need consultancy rather than managing the whole process as they can implement many changes themselves but still- supervisory in SEO field is much needed!