Search engines are the concierge of the web 鈥� ideally, they鈥檒l point your future attendees in the right direction. Of course, getting your event to appear at the top of search results is no easy feat. The process of ranking high on search engines, called search engine optimisation (or SEO), requires patience to see positive results 鈥� usually up to four or five months, but sometimes even longer. This process may seem lengthy but, once SEO has been properly integrated into your copy and ads, the rewards are invaluable.
SEO verses SEM
SEO is all about tailoring the content of your site to your audience in conjunction with tailoring it to search engines. The key to ranking higher in search engines is to make use of the wonders of keywords. On top of the use of SEO, another way for you to rank well for search results is through Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which deals with text-based advertisements that appear on the top of or alongside search results on Google, Bing, or other search engines when specific keywords are entered.
People using search engines are actively seeking information relevant to their search query. So if your online content and search ads match what they鈥檙e looking for, there鈥檚 a good chance they鈥檒l navigate towards you. For example, let鈥檚 say you want to promote your web developer conference in Melbourne. If your search ad appears when a potential attendee searches for 鈥�tech conferences in Melbourne鈥� it has the potential to drive registrations.
The right keywords and online event marketing strategies are vital to your success with SEO and SEM. But first things first: Here’s a brief overview of how SEO works.
How search engine optimisation works
Everything from embracing an excellent user interface (UI) and improving website structure to making use of meta tags and SEO plugins will drive audiences to your site. Search engine marketing platforms, like Google鈥檚 AdWords or Bing Ads, are marketplaces where you can pay to have your website (or 91制片厂 page) ranked towards the top of a search results page.
As we鈥檝e already mentioned, your search ad is triggered by the words or combination of words someone types in the search box (aka keywords). These marketplaces work like an auction 鈥� meaning you bid on how much you鈥檒l pay for clicks. That doesn鈥檛 always mean that the highest bidder is always the winner. Instead, search engines decide which ads to show, and in what order, based on how relevant your ads, keywords, and website are to those searching.
Choosing the right keywords
If you’re searching for ideas on how to promote an event for free, keywords are one of the best event marketing strategies 鈥� critical to the success of your paid search campaign. At the most basic level, your keyword selection should balance relevance with search volume 鈥� which is not always an easy trade-off to make. In other words, you鈥檒l want to use the words and phrases people use most often when they鈥檙e searching. Let鈥檚 start by looking at the relevance of your keywords.
1. Start with what鈥檚 relevant
The first step to choosing the best keywords is identifying the words and phrases most relevant to your event. For instance, someone searching for 鈥渃onferences for web developers鈥� will likely click on the ad for your web developer conference. If you鈥檙e paying for your ad to show up when someone searches for 鈥渃omputer parts”, you鈥檙e wasting money. What words would you use to describe your event? More importantly, what words would your potential attendees use? Jot down everything that comes to mind. You can refine them later.
In today’s climate, it’s also important to focus on including information about COVID-19 impacts or considerations regarding your event, such as social distancing. There’s no doubt people are going to be looking for events that are COVID-19 safe, such as those that are entirely virtual. When you鈥檙e done, arrange similar keywords into groups. Each cluster should have anywhere between five to 20 keywords that relate to the group鈥檚 theme. Once you have a strong list of keywords, you鈥檒l need to see how often your people are using them in search engines.
2. Validate search volume
The relevance of your keywords should be priority number one. If the search volume (the number of people who search for those terms each month) is too low, your ad will only be shown to a few people. For example, let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e hosting a women鈥檚 leadership conference. It may feel obvious to target 鈥渨omen鈥檚 leadership conference鈥�, but if 5,000 more people are searching for 鈥渨omen鈥檚 conference鈥�, it might be worth casting a wider net.
To determine which of your keywords have the most search volume, you鈥檙e going to need help. Advertising platforms offered by Google and Bing will give you this data, but if you want to seek out a second opinion, try one of these keyword research tools:
- Keyword Tool
- SEMrush
- Long Tail Pro
- SpyFu
- KeywordSpy
3. Keep an eye on the competition
The most relevant, highly searched keywords tend to be the most competitive. So while more people might be searching for 鈥�women鈥檚 conference鈥� every month, there are likely hundreds of women鈥檚 conferences competing for those keywords. When the competition for a keyword is high, their costs can be prohibitive to your budget.
Many of the tools listed in the section above will determine which keywords you鈥檝e chosen are in high demand and suggest alternatives. Continue to test your keywords, expand on those that work, and remove those that don’t. The more time and effort you put into refining your keyword list, the more successful you鈥檒l be at beating the competition 鈥� and seeing a positive return on investment (ROI).
Tackle SEO like a pro
You’re now a step closer to applying your awesome event organiser skills to employ sufficient use of SEO. The outcome? More people will be aware of your event and clicking their way to your site, social media pages, and event listing. Dedicating time to perfecting your site’s SEO content can be well worth the effort, driving ticket purchases by 5-10 percent, making it an invaluable part of your event marketing practices. If you want 91制片厂 to do some of this work for you, list your event with us and get the traction and visibility you’re after.
