Why SEO Is So Crucial To Marketing

If you’ve been trying to learn about marketing your business online, there’s a big chance you’ve come across the term, SEO marketing.

SEO basically means search engine optimization, defined by Fremont College as “the practice or process of earning free traffic from the non-paid section of search results on search engines.”

To make it simple, think back to a time when you’ve Googled a question, a word, or a phrase. Google gave you a search engine results page (SERP) listing results based on particular algorithms. 

SEO’s primary goal is to make a website rank on SERPs and increase organic traffic to your website. Why should it be a central component of your marketing plan? And what are the best examples of businesses with excellent SEO practices? Read on to find out.

8 Reasons Why SEO Marketing is Important

Here are eight reasons why SEO marketing is worth the investment if you want your business to grow in this digital age. 

Improved Credibility

Ranking in SERPs makes a website appear credible and trust-worthy. After all, why would search engines choose your site as one of the top results if it wasn’t one of the best ones available?

Anyone in business knows that credibility can be a business’ best asset, so investing in a system that boosts this element is undoubtedly worth it.

Better Engagement

Gone are the days when people used the phonebook to find a shop, or a particular product or service. Nowadays, most consumers consult their mobile phones about where to eat, what shop to visit, and a lot of other commercial-related decisions. 

Now more than ever, even small and medium enterprises need excellent local SEO ranking to gain better customer engagement. By getting more online traffic, businesses with brick-and-mortar shops also gain more foot traffic. Check out this article on Business Facebook Post Ideas To Increase Engagement 

Increased UXP

According to available data, 80.3% of adults in the US accessed the internet via mobile phones in 2018. User experience is one of the essential elements in keeping prospects interested in a brand when they’re browsing through their smartphones.

By applying SEO best practices, you are helping internet users find the information they’re looking for. At the same time, they also discover other data that may be related or connected to their query. 

Affordability

Unlike online advertising that can cost an arm and a leg depending on your strategy, SEO marketing is generally affordable.

Ironically, paying for an online advertisement doesn’t always guarantee conversions. For one, there is this web usability phenomenon called banner blindness. It pertains to the tendency of internet users to ignore banner-like information. Just imagine paying for your business to be on a banner ad, only to be snubbed by internet users consciously or unconsciously. 

Quantifiable Impact

It’s easy to quantify the impact of SEO through monitoring website traffic and conversions and analyzing this data against your marketing team’s search engine optimization activities.

Paid online advertising platforms have a system that lets you instantly track your return of investment. Despite not having an automated system, you can see what works with the right monitoring and evaluation process in place. Check out this article on 7 Facebook Post Ideas For Every Day Of The Week

Expanded Opportunities

Using SEO to market your brand immerses the whole team into the branding identity and what your business stands for.

It’s impossible to incorporate keywords and phrases into company materials without reiterating the brand to your front liners. This process, in turn, makes the team more adept about your brand identity. And it allows them to be more creative when it comes to producing materials to market the business.

Long-term Tactic

Optimizing your online searches is a long-term tactic that continues to bring in traffic even months or years after you lay it down. This benefit is gold, especially if compared to paid online ads that only convert during the period you set and pay for.  

Statistics tell us that Google processes more than 63,000 searches per second. These searches require results, and that’s where you’d want your website to be. As long as people are searching, SEO will be a powerful marketing tool.

Organic Search Optimization

There are multiple advantages to increasing organic traffic to your website, as opposed to paid traffic you get through advertising. 

Having a competitive amount of organic traffic tells you that people are coming in for the value that they get from your content. And in today’s day and age, a business’s website often acts as its resume. It becomes a platform that lays down everything about them and what their products and services can do for their clients. Having more potential prospects see the website opens more doors of opportunity for the business. Check out this article on 10 Effective Tips on How to Write a Simple Resume

Choosing an SEO Marketing Company

According to Web Design Rankings, the top five SEO companies in the US are WebFX, PaperStreet Web Design, Yando, The Berndt Group, and Nova Solutions. 

As you would expect, services from most of the companies on the list don’t come cheap. However, it’s crucial to note that breaking the bank on an expensive firm doesn’t necessarily guarantee instant results.

In a contributed article in Entrepreneur, crypto site Blocklr & Growth Nuts founder Scott McGovern advises entrepreneurs to choose a firm that doesn’t talk abstractly about search engine optimization. 

With algorithms changing constantly, it’s essential to choose a firm that knows how to do the nitty-gritty of the craft. A reputable service provider would never apply blackhat SEO practices to make websites rank. Doing so can demote the site later down the road.

Before scheduling a meeting a firm, it’s also important to internally clarify your marketing goals. By going over this step, you will have have a clear set of objectives when you meet with your firm. 

Most of all, it’s vital to find an SEO marketing company that offers a clear process of monitoring quantifiable progress. The firm should be able to give you results on key performance indicators such as organic sessions, conversion rates, and keyword rankings, among many others.