There’s an ongoing debate discussing whether SEO is relevant or not. This debate has become going on ever since search engine optimization became a powerful strategy in the digital marketing world.
SEO has been around for more than a decade and there are still people who doubt it is necessary. In fact, according to one survey, only 17% of small business owners in the US actively invested in SEO.
This article discusses the reasons why a business needs SEO to thrive:
1. Good SEO Equals Great User Experience
To understand the true impact of SEO, you need to understand the relationship between search engines and users. Search engines like Google want to provide their users with the best experience. That’s why they will rank websites that deliver this experience higher than the rest.
Search engines determine the quality of a website based on specific ranking factors. Google has over 200 ranking factors. SEO is the process of optimizing a website based on these ranking factors.
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So, if you optimize your website to ensure it lives up to Google’s standards, you will ensure visitors have a good user experience. Good user experience will boost your reputation, encourage trust, and lead to more conversions.
2. Visibility on Search Engine Results Pages
According to a report dating back to January 2016, around 40% of e-commerce traffic came from search engines. This number has only increased since then.
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It showcases just how important it is to be visible on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs.) Most users won’t look beyond the first page and they usually find what they need in the first three results.
This means you need to rank high on the first page on many keywords to get traffic to your website. This can only be achieved through SEO. This strategy provides a clear guideline on how to improve your ranking through optimization.
Without SEO, you won’t be able to beat the competition and will easily fall behind. The money you invested in building a website and creating content on it will go to waste.
3. Higher ROI
Organic traffic generates $2.74 profit for every $1.00 spent every year. PPC generates $0.95 in profit for every $1.00 spent in a year.This clearly indicates that SEO and other organic inbound marketing techniques provide more ROI.
SEO also requires less investment over the long term, which makes it a more affordable strategy compared to PPC. A combination of great returns and low investment makes this an ideal strategy for all kinds of businesses, whether they’re small or enterprise level.
4. SEO Provides Compounding Benefits
This is one of the little-known benefits of SEO but it makes this marketing strategy superior to other alternatives.
SEO is like a deposit with compounding interest. You invest your money in it steady for the first few months and see your fortunate group by leaps and bounds down the line.
The more time and effort you put into SEO, the more established and steady your base will be. Your brand will have a great reputation and visibility if you maintain a good-quality SEO campaign consistently. It becomes easier and requires less effort as time goes on.
5. Building Trust and Authority
Modern customers are very picky when it comes to spending. They’re not afraid to research thoroughly before they buy anything. You can earn more revenue by increasing your authority and gaining customer trust.
This provides long-term stability and helps you build a solid customer base. Modern customers are very loyal once they find a brand they can trust, which gives a business a lot of security.
SEO can help you build trust and authority. Strategies like content marketing and link building allow business owners to showcase their skill or knowledge to search engine users.
6. It Can Work Alone
It is possible to get good results through 100% SEO marketing. SEO is a multilayered strategy that doesn’t depend on other techniques to get results. If you have a great campaign in place, you might not need other techniques like PPC or social media marketing.
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This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t invest in other strategies, because it is always a good idea to place your eggs in multiple baskets. But if you’re on a tight budget and can only spend on one marketing strategy, go with SEO for the best results.
7. Competitive Edge
As mentioned before, only 17% of small business owners invest in SEO. This means there’s still time for you to adopt this strategy and get a head-start.
If you start implementing effective SEO strategy early, your competitors will struggle to catch up down the line. As this technique takes a lot of time to develop or mature, you’ll be well ahead of them when they get started.
It is best to start before your competitors realize SEO is beneficial.
8. Supports Other Marketing Strategies
A successful SEO campaign ensures you have a great website, wonderful reputation, and good ranking. All of these factors will support your other marketing endeavors.
For example, if you have a website that loads quickly and has great content, your PPC ads linking to the website will provide more ROI. If your reputation is great, you’ll have an easier time gaining followers or attention on social media.
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Without SEO providing a solid foundation, most digital marketing strategies won’t perform to their full potential.
9. Gives Small Businesses an Edge
SEO depends less on investment and more on the marketing plan. You will gain a lot of visibility with the minimal investment if you have a good plan. The same can't be said for techniques like PPC.
This gives small businesses a competitive edge against large corporations with large marketing budgets. Small businesses can especially thrive in the local business sphere through local SEO. Facilities like Local 3-Pack can help you stand out.
You need to have a good SEO strategy on hand if you want to reap the benefits of this particular marketing technique. SEO requires some time, effort, and dedication in order to get good results.
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