Lead-Gen Sites vs. Google’s Upcoming Algorithm Update

As a business owner, you’re probably looking for ways to grow your businesses faster while simplifying the marketing process. (Aren’t we all?) If you’re just getting started with your business, developing affordable lead generation strategies and finding new customers are a top priority. New companies haven’t been around long enough to get repeat business from previous customers nor do they have the sales volume to live off referrals—leaving you questioning what you can do to generate more leads.

Generate More Leads in Less Time

Some of the most affordable and effective lead generation strategies take time to develop—like a user friendly website, SEO optimized content, or an opt-in email list. But these strategies require time and patience, and when you’re a new or growing company, you just don’t have the time to wait for these methods to produce quality leads.

So, where does that leave you? You may find yourself tempted by directory sites like Angie’s List or pay per lead services such as HomeAdvisor or Thumbtack. There’s nothing wrong with trying out directory sites or testing a pay per lead service—but do so with caution.

Whenever web-based sales leads are generated, somebody, somewhere, had to visit a website and fill out a contact or web form. The question is, whose website did this happen on? Which website is being branded? When a company relies too heavily on third party sales leads, they forego their own branding in favor of the third party website. Today, there are countless companies that have no online identity because their website is not used to generate leads—which can be detrimental to the future of their company whether these sites are generating leads or not. In the end, you’re left thinking “who is the company I contacted?”

Google’s Opinion on Lead Generation Websites

Google’s number one priority is search quality. They want to filter out the websites with resourceful or spammy information and provider the searcher with results that lead them directly to what they’re looking for.

This is the problem with third-party lead generation sites—rather than directly connecting the searcher with what they’re searching for, they serve as the middleman between the searcher and the solution to their query. In the past, these sites have ranked well because users view these sites as a reference to learn more about the products or services offered. However, we can assume that when the newest Google algorithm update rolls out, these sites are going to be impacted negatively.

Why does Google care about third-party lead generating sites? Like I mentioned before, Google wants bring the searcher closer to a solution rather than luring them to middleman websites that bring them further and further away from the well-ranked sites on Google’s search engine results pages.

How To Improve Your Lead-Gen Site

When the Google algorithm update hits later this year, you need to be prepared. As a lead generation site, you may notice a drop in both traffic and leads—not something you want! In order to improve the quality of your site—and get on Google’s good side—you should perform the following tasks:

• Remove duplicate content – Search engines like Google are trying to match searchers with the most relevant and authoritative websites (based on the search query). The problem with websites that contain substantially duplicated content is that they don’t add much value to searchers.
• Optimize thin content – In general, thin content means “non-original content found in your website. It can be something like product descriptions that are taken from a feed that can be found on many other sites, or can simply be a page that has a little content on it other than things like the navigation…”
• Focus on user experience – Take the extra step to thank the user for their time. This extra step makes the user feel appreciated. This is also an opportunity to direct the user to your full site and keep him/her engaged with your brand. Capitalizing on these small opportunities will help catch any leads that slip through the cracks.

Let Us Grow Your Leads AND Sales

People are searching the web right now for a company like yours. Will they find YOU or one of your competitors? Over 100 companies rely on Blue Corona to help them generate more website traffic, leads, and sales. (And you could be next!)

At Blue Corona, we’ve taken the pressure off of many business owners by creating high quality, compelling content for their websites in order to attract more search engine traffic to their websites and gain more leads and sales. Contact us to learn more about our services!