With every hot new trend online,
rumors start flying about the death of search engine optimization (SEO). But
search is a huge part of how your customers use the internet. If you’re not
investing in SEO, your website is simply not successful. Need convincing? Here
are 24 reasons why every business needs SEO:
1. Because customers expect and want to find you in search.
If your website is not findable
in search engines, you may as well not exist. Without SEO, you’re not getting
traffic, leads, or sales. Plus, not being found in search is a big red flag to
your prospects, who may doubt your credibility or believe your business is a
scam if they can’t find you.
2. SEO helps you appear more often in search.
This is the most basic benefit
of search engine optimization. Appearing more often for a wide variety of
keywords means a better brand image and more traffic, which both lead to more
sales.
3. It helps you rank higher in search results.
Appearing higher in search
results is as important as appearing often. The higher your website is in
search results, the relevant and reliable prospects believe you to be. The top
3 results also get the most traffic.
4. You gain more traffic and visibility.
More visitors on your website or
blog means more sales. Increased visibility means a better reputation, which
boosts both traffic and how high you appear in search.
5. SEO allows more of your content to appear in search results.
The more spots you own on a
search results page, the more traffic and sales you get. Regularly publishing
high quality content, good link structure, and simple navigation are a few ways
to help you show up more often in search.
6. It improves targeting so you reach the best audience.
Implementing good SEO helps you
target the right groups of people, so your messages are more powerful and
effective. Using the right keywords, languages, and internationalization
techniques also help you appear more often and rank higher in search results.
7. Because your target market is already looking for you.
Your customers use the internet
to find businesses that solve their problems and help them achieve goals.
Investing in SEO helps you be there when they look for you, so you get more
qualified leads and sales faster.
8. SEO helps you own your company name and most important keywords.
When someone searches your
company or product names, your website and other online properties need to be
the top results. If not, you lose traffic, sales, and credibility.
9. It gives you more control over your online reputation.
SEO is a major component of
online reputation management. How often you appear in search, how high you
rank, and how many spots you control on a search results page all affect your
brand image. Strong optimization helps you control how you are perceived.
10. It’s a long-term, cost-effective marketing strategy.
Of all online marketing
strategies, search engine optimization is the least expensive and works the
longest. This makes it a great foundation for all your online marketing
efforts.
11. You get more pre-qualified leads.
Depending on the keywords you
rank for, you can get more prospects who are already qualified for your sales
funnel, so you don’t have to coax leads to buy. Optimizing product pages for
buying keywords, for example, helps you sell more without spending a lot time
building a relationship.
12. SEO provides richer search results for prospects.
Proper optimization techniques
create rich snippets and deep site links in search results, which make your
results stand out from the competition. Prospects get a better experience and
you get more traffic.
13. It improves business through local search.
Customers in your area are
looking for you online. SEO helps you appear in their local searches, getting
you more leads and sales both online and in-store.
14. SEO builds business and employee branding.
Google Authorship and social
media activity not only strengthen overall SEO, but also help build the brand
image and reputation of your company and executives. Strong optimization and
branding work together to get you more traffic and sales.
15. It creates a better user experience.
By making it easier for
prospects to find and navigate your site, search for products, and complete
transactions, SEO helps you deliver what your customers really want, leading to
better relationships and more sales.
16. You get more links as people discover your great content.
More links strengthens SEO and
helps more people find you, leading to more sales.
17. SEO increases engagement.
More comments, sharing, and
other forms of engagement lead to more sales, look good for your reputation,
and boost your overall SEO.
18. It increases social signals.
Likes, tweets, pins, shares, and
other signals from social media helps you appear higher and more often in
search. They also help you spread brand awareness and increase your reach as
more people see your content.
19. SEO improves branding and sales.
Search engine optimization is
cyclical, so as your business grows, your SEO is strengthened and your business
keeps growing. More traffic, customers, reviews, and mentions make you more
visible, leading to more traffic, customers, reviews, and mentions.
20. SEO allows you to deliver what your customers actually want.
Matching keywords to the
searcher’s intent helps you get more pre-qualified leads and build a reputation
for quality and usefulness. More leads and a strong reputation mean more sales.
21. It entices visitors to return.
Content that does well in search
engines is generally high quality, relevant, and popular. These hallmarks of
SEO are the same things that attract repeat traffic and build a loyal following
of readers and customers.
22. You get a high ROI.
In addition to SEO’s long-term,
cost-effective nature, it delivers a high return on investment because it keeps
working for you as long as you keep up with best practices. Unlike other
marketing methods, search engine optimization doesn’t stop working when you
stop paying. As long as you maintain your website’s optimization, it keeps
working for you.
23. SEO offers instant credibility.
Search engines use a combination
of authority, relevance, and popularity to determine how high to rank results.
When your website appears on the first page of search results, that means you
beat out millions of other results, making you seem more credible and
trustworthy. Additionally, search engines are like third-party endorsers, so
the higher you appear, the more relevant and credible customers think you must
be.
24. It offers valuable insight into your customers, products, and marketing campaigns.
Search engine optimization is
unique from other marketing methods in that you can track and analyze almost
everything. Effective reporting, analysis, and testing can help you better
understand your audience, improve your products and marketing campaigns, and
strengthen your overall SEO.
