The business world has been constantly changing over the past few years, but one thing has remained the same. Everyone uses search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo!) to find information about people, places, products, services and anything else you can think of. So how can you make sure that your company is taking advantage of this important part of the business world? The answer is search engine optimization (SEO).
Search engine optimization is the practice of increasing both the quantity and quality of your website traffic through organic search engine results. Sprinkle in key words, link building, a mix of content and you've got the full package. But is it actually that important?
Google “is SEO important?”, and you'll find about 341 million results on how SEO can help your company – no matter what size it may be. Each source is jam-packed with statistics and proof on why SEO will not only increase the awareness of your company's brand, but also your overall profits. For those of you who don't have the time to research through all of these sources, we went ahead and found the top five reasons.
1.) It Helps People Find You - In many situations, your website will be the first point of contact with your online audience. Your website can generate more profit, attract potential customers, and increase overall brand awareness. But if people can't find your website, it's worth nothing. This is where SEO comes in. SEO gets your company found, noticed, and loved.
2.) It's Not A Cost, It's An Investment - If you compare the costs of investing in SEO compared to other forms of online marketing (Paid Media, Google Ads, etc.) you will come to the conclusion that SEO provides arguably the highest ROI. While online ads and social media campaigns might drive more targeted prospects, your organic SEO is in many ways the base of your company's online presence, which impacts every aspect of marketing (regardless of the vehicle.)
3.) It Will Always Be Important - Based on how the lives of search engines have been developing, it is clear that they are not going to stop working anytime soon. With this being said, SEO will be effective as long as people continue going online and “Google” for information. If there are millions of people researching products and services online, why not spend a little bit extra to make sure they see your company?
4.) It Builds Trust - Psychology suggests that whoever is first is the best, so when potential customers find your company at the top of the list while searching online they will naturally see you as the better option compared to your competitors. The first company that shows up during search results gets over 36% of all clicks. Investing in SEO will help move your company to the top of the list so you can show the online world you truly are the best.
5.) It Works For You - Most often, the reason why SEO may have not worked for you in the past is because you invested too little time or money into it. When you are working with SEO, you want to work with experts that know how to properly implement and plan it. In SEO, failing to plan is planning to fail. It might cost a little bit more, but once it's up and running it will literally work for you and you can sit back and watch your profits grow.
Interested in learning more and getting started? Reach out and let's start talking about SEO.