LEARN HOW SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION CAN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important – yet misunderstood – marketing practices. As if the acronym wasn’t ambiguous enough, many businesses don’t fully recognize what it can mean for their bottom line when properly implemented. Here are six critical benefits of SEO:
1) IT CAN INCREASE YOUR BRAND AWARENESS
SEO works to rank your business at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) for keywords relevant to your product or service. As you become ranked higher and for more keywords, more users will notice your company and become increasingly aware of your offerings.
2) IT CAN GENERATE MORE WEBSITE TRAFFIC
Research tells us that 75% of users don’t scroll past the first page of SERPs. This statistic means that your result must be near the top to generate website traffic and, in most cases, it takes a significant SEO effort to get there. But once you’ve secured a prime placement, you’re likely to see website traffic soar.
3) IT HELPS YOU GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Your digital marketing success hinges on staying ahead of your competition by landing one of the few coveted spots on the first page of a search engine. When implemented correctly over the long-term, SEO can help your website ascend the list of search results and eventually outrank your competition.
4) IT CAN LOWER YOUR COST PER VISITOR
Every business wants to attract new visitors to their website, but every visitor costs money. SEO helps your marketing dollars work harder by lowering your cost per visitor over time. As your business secures rankings, you can expect more website traffic – without any additional investment. This compounded traffic makes SEO a marketing tactic with the least cost per visitor.
5) IT CAN DRIVE TARGETED LEADS
When you optimize your website for strategically selected keywords that closely align with a product or service users are searching for online, you can bet you’ve found a highly targeted lead. In-depth keyword research will guide you toward the words and phrases your ideal user is searching for most often. (Psst! Half of all search queries are four words or longer.)
6) IT CAN PRODUCE LONG-TERM RESULTS
Unlike many other forms of marketing, SEO has staying power. Once you’ve invested in securing your rankings, they’re likely to stay there for a long time with only a minimal maintenance effort. As time passes, it’s possible that you may be able to discontinue all maintenance and still hold onto your position – there’s nothing better than driving traffic to your website for free!
SEO is a moving target, so it pays to adjust your aim frequently. Search engine algorithms can undergo as many as 500-600 changes each year. Whether you have one in-house or use an outside firm, rely on an SEO guru committed to following current best practices to garner measurable results in your website traffic and leads.
Businesses do not always realize the importance of investing in SEO and the effect on their bottom line. Now that you know the benefits of SEO, consider making it a bigger part of your overall marketing strategy. Are you ready to get started? Learn more about our Search Engine Optimization services or contact one of our Madison-area digital marketing experts today.
Are you heading up digital marketing efforts for your business? Check out our 13 mistakes you’ll want to avoid here.
