You may know that Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) is something you should be doing for your website, but perhaps you’re unsure why, and if it makes sense for your business. Maybe you’re not exactly sure what SEO even is. We break it all down for you here.
What exactly is SEO?
SEO is a series of ongoing changes made to your website, both
on-the-page and behind the scenes, that are intended to increase both
the quality and quantity of organic website traffic coming from search
engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. SEO techniques vary from simple to
complex, but even the most simple tasks can help increase the odds of
connecting to potential customers who are searching for the products
and/or services you provide.
SEO is more than a marketing cost. It’s a true business investment.
With consumers increasingly searching and buying online, websites must
compete for rankings on search engines — and SEO provides the edge
that’s needed. A good SEO strategy not only helps your website’s
rankings, but the process helps improve the experience for your
customers, as well. Search engines like Google reward websites that
offer a favorable user experience, so SEO tasks tend to focus on
improving that experience, and this builds trust and credibility for
your business.
We’ve heard a variety of reasons why companies resist
engaging in SEO for their websites. Maybe one of these sounds familiar
to you…
“But we’re already super busy!”
If business is booming, you may feel that your site is adequately
serving your needs. After all, why would a company need to promote
itself if it’s flourishing? Can’t you just set it and forget it?
Even
the most successful companies need to foster a prominent online
presence. Otherwise, competitors who are active in updating and
optimizing their site will eventually move up the search results pages,
steal your customers, chip away at your market share, and erode the
hard-earned reputation your organization has established over the years.
Neglecting your online presence, over time, could create the appearance
that your organization is no longer the best in class.
“Most of our customers come from word-of-mouth advertising.”
Many established organizations have a regular stream of customers
flowing through the doors based solely on word-of-mouth. That’s great!
And, it shows that you have a marketable product or service. But you
can’t always count on word-of-mouth. More and more people are finding
product and service providers by using a search engine. According to Local Search Association,
80% of internet users have used a search engine to find a product or
service this week, and 87% have used one in the last month. Good
copywriting could easily turn the positive word-of-mouth networking that
your organization experiences into search-engine clout that keeps your
organization high on search results pages, and in the front of your
customers minds now and into the future. It’s time to view SEO as an
opportunity, not a burden!
“SEO is an unnecessary marketing expense.”
Assuming your website is well-built and easy to edit, simple SEO work
can be done by almost any member of your team, quickly and easily. More
sophisticated SEO techniques may require a professional, but the return
on your investment can be worth it. We won’t throw out any numbers
here, because your actual ROI percentage can vary dramatically for a
variety of reasons, but with an SEO professional and the right tools,
you can calculate your specific ROI, which can be quite high when
optimization is done well.
Don’t get caught in the magical thinking that ‘if you build it, they will come’. Protect your digital property and keep your competition at bay by investing in a long-term strategy of SEO.
