It is estimated that 93% of online experiences begin with a search: a whopping 93%! I know what you are thinking: that’s pretty much everyone!
Yes, imagine having “pretty much everyone” visit your organization’s website/blog? What would that do to your company’s revenue, reputation and growth?
If you interact with any marketing person, you’re almost sure to hear the word “traffic” before the conversation is over. That’s because an organization’s marketing success hinges on how much traffic it can generate.
At the heart of online interaction and engagement are the almighty search engines. From Google to Bing, search engines hold sway over how much traffic is driven to your website. Thus, it would be akin to picking your own pockets if you choose to snub search engines in your digital marketing plan.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is no longer an option: It’s a must for every company that has an online presence.
What is SEO?
Let’s cut to the chase here: SEO is simply the art and science of driving traffic to your website. SEO can lead to customer engagement, leads and sales, etc.
To explain how SEO works, let’s consider the largest search engine: Google. When you search for something online, google uses spiders (algorithms) to search for pages that are considered the “best” result based on metrics like relevance, the authority of the site and usefulness of information.
These spiders scan for vital bits of information that give them an indication of the topics and value of the content on each webpage. The spiders, of course, cannot really read. This means that they will scan for keywords and make decisions on each webpage based on those keywords.
Benefits of SEO
There is a myriad of reasons for which SEO has become the darling of many-a-marketing team. Here are three of them:
1. It brings increased traffic, engagement and leads
Content is king but engagement is queen – and you know the lady always rules the house! Organic search is one key way businesses generate engagement, leads and sales: it is a vital cog in the buying funnel. A business that has no traffic or engagement cannot expect conversions and sales.
2. It is a long-term strategy and it is relatively cheap
Compared to paid search and other forms of traditional advertising, SEO is a great bargain. It does not cost as much to initiate or to implement and is surely a boon for your business’s bottom-line if done well. Additionally, SEO is a long-term strategy that can give your company a marketing edge for years to come.
3. It ensures good customer experience
Customers are smart: they know what they are looking for. SEO allows you to meet the customer at the point of their need/question and to provide answers. Often, the trust customers have for search engines trickle down to your company when you are highly ranked on these engines. SEO also helps you to streamline your website and give the customer a memorable experience. You can bet that a customer who has a good experience in engaging with your company is sure to come back.
You can’t do it alone
SEO is not an easy task; it requires expertise and insight. The secret to teasing apart that tangle is to engage companies who have been in the game for a while. Their experience and expertise can help your company greatly. There are a number of SEO companies in the market including SEMrush, Ahrefs etc.
While there are established companies in the SEO industry, there are new companies who are disrupting the status quo and are driving growth for businesses through innovation and creativity. One exciting company that has piqued the interest of marketers is SEOBUDDY. You can visit https://seobuddy.com/ to check them out. You can also check out their new product at Product Hunt.
Conclusion
The digital marketing mill is churning and one of its recent products – SEO – is on the ascendancy. There are no two ways about it. Every organization that has a presence online needs SEO. An organization’s growth and revenue are inextricably linked to how much traffic it generates. However, such traffic doesn’t happen merely on account of an organization having an online presence. If you’re not already harnessing SEO, it’s time to join the bandwagon.
