SEO for Lead Generation and Direct Marketing

Although lead generation via the Web is less direct than an e-commerce transaction, it is
arguably just as valuable and important for building customers, revenue, and long-term value.
Millions of search queries have commercial intents that can’t be (or currently aren’t) fulfilled
directly online. These can include searches for services such as legal consulting, contract
construction, commercial loan requests, alternative energy providers, or virtually any service
or product people source via the Web.
Here are some factors to think about when considering SEO for lead generation and direct
marketing:

When to employ
Use it when you have a non-e-commerce product/service/goal that you want users to
accomplish on your site or for which you are hoping to attract inquiries/direct contact
over the Web.

Keyword targeting
As with e-commerce, choose phrases that convert well, have reasonable traffic, and have
previously performed in PPC campaigns.

Page and content creation/optimization
Although you might think it would be easier to rank high in the SERPs for lead generation
programs than for e-commerce, it is often equally challenging. You’ll need a solid
combination of on-site optimization and external link building to many different pages on
the site (with good anchor text) to be competitive in the more challenging arenas.