How can SEO be used by membership organisations to attract more members
Organic Search is the primary source of website traffic
Organic search refers to the unpaid search results that appear in search engine results pages (SERPs). These are the links that appear due to the search engine algorithms, rather than as a result of paid advertising. Organic search results are seen as more trustworthy, which is why they are often the source of the majority of website traffic. Organic search is often seen as the most reliable source of website traffic, as it is more attuned to the user’s needs and interests.
When a user wants to browse the internet they will choose a social media channel. When a User wants to make a purchase or find information they will use search. It’s those transactional searches that will lead to meaningful conversions on your website.
How to use SEO to attract more members
- Do keyword research to discover the searches your potential members are making.
- Review your existing content for related material to reference.
- Create content that answers specific questions for your members.
- Create a range of content pieces that will attract different audience types.
- Give potential members a Call To Action to move them along in your recruitment funnel.
Member Search habits / behaviour
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an effective strategy for membership organizations to reach potential members and increase their membership base. By optimizing their website for relevant keywords and phrases, organizations can put their website in front of those actively looking for information about their organization and its services.
Potential association members are always looking for advice online, and it will usually be a common issue that all your members are struggling with. This is a perfect opportunity to create a meaningful content piece that can specifically address the problem.. and the solution (maybe).
There are lots of tools out there for keyword research, where you can find out the exact words potential customers are using to solve their problems. You need to know these search query phrases, and you need to include them in your content. Include them in your headings if you can.
Do membership organisations need to be ranked high in Google search
Yes, membership organisations need to be ranked high in Google search in order to be found by potential customers. If you have a search console or webmaster tools account, you will know how many impressions you receive from certain keywords. Impressions are when your website appears in Search Engine results (even if no one scrolls far enough to see you). If you’re getting impressions, that’s great. It means search engines like you 🙂 Ensuring your website is crawlable and indexable by search engines is the first step to your member recruitment.
But it’s the Clicks that matter, if your getting impressions but no clicks, it means your webpage isn’t addressing the needs of your potential members when they are searching. Once your website is crawlable, you need to focus on creating valuable and interesting content that will be shared by others and build trust with search engines.
Keyword Research
There’s plenty to be said around which keywords to target in your content marketing. But we like to start with the basics. Read our Quick Win for finding good keywords for your business.
Creating more content around the topic
There’s lot’s of different types of content and people will respond to content types differently. From quizzes, videos, checklists to guides and competitions, in order to do well in Organic search you need to create a range of content types that will resonate with your members.
Struggling for ideas? take a look at the content marketing matrix published by the CMI
So that’s it. Search engines can deliver potential members to your website if you orientate your content around the search queries they are making. That’s why a strategy is so important.
