So, you’ve created your custom designed, user-friendly website and might be starting to see a little more business coming your way - that’s fantastic!
But unfortunately, that’s just the tip of the digital marketing iceberg.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, might be a term you’ve heard thrown around before, but you may still be wondering why it’s so important when it comes to generating traffic and bringing awareness to your website.
While digital marketing jargon may seem daunting to someone not working in the industry, SEO is now, more than ever, a crucial tool to help you stand out against your competitors online and aid in the growth of your business.
Get ready to leave your Digital Marketing Fears at the door while we give you the top six reasons why SEO is so important for you and your business.
1. It Works
PPC, ROIs, CMS, SEM and CTRs – it’s no wonder people shy away from digital marketing! But we promise SEO is not nearly as complicated as it sounds, and the benefits of utilising this invaluable marketing tool far outweigh any fears you have about using it.
Why?
Because it works!
Let’s make it simple: SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic (un-paid) search engine results.
This means SEO is essentially the editing of your website to make it more appealing to search engines, such as Google, which will make you more visible to potential customers.
There are many ways SEO can be utilised throughout your website, including within content, image formatting and the way in which other sites link to yours. Sometimes, SEO is simply used as a way to ensure your website is created so that Google can easily understand and recognise.
2. Competition is Increasing
Each year, millions of new websites are created by small businesses that are trying to establish their brands and draw attention to their services. Ultimately, SEO can help set you apart from the thousands of other small businesses out there.
Research by Forrester shows that 93% of all internet traffic comes from search engines like Google, which means that appearing high up in Google searches – preferably on the first page – can be extremely beneficial for your business.
Research by HubSpot also shows that 75% of users don’t even scroll past the first page of search engine results. Think about it, do you? When there are so many perfectly fine search results on the first page, why should someone look any further?
And this is where SEO can put you ahead of your competitors and drive more traffic to your business.
3. You Can Localise Your Target Audience
While it may not sound immediately beneficial, it is now possible to localise your SEO. But why would you want to narrow down your audience?
Well, Google loves local business. Over the years, Google has shown slight favouritism toward newer, smaller businesses and creating more tailor-made searches for its users. This means it will use the approximate location of someone searching to help determine the most appropriate and local services for them.
While most of Google’s ranking system has to do with a company’s history and authority, it also wants to give people what they want - and often that means showcasing newer, fresher brands.
The rise of mobile technology has also added to localised SEO’s benefits exponentially. With the percentage of online searches performed on mobile devices, such as smart phones, IPads and Apple watches, growing each year, the majority of mobile searches are performed in transit.
According to Google’s research, roughly 50% of consumers in 2016 who conducted local searches on their smartphones visited stores they searched for within 24 hours. That’s pretty impressive.
4. Consumers are Researching More than Ever
We really do live in the Age of Information and with everything so readily available at our fingertips, it’s no wonder! Nowadays, 70% of consumers research companies online before purchasing from them – this could be anything from looking at the menu of a restaurant online to investigating the services of plumbers in their local area.
There’s no way these potential clients will find your business if it’s buried away on the 7th page of Google. By filling your website with useful and relevant content that boasts appropriate SEO, you will not only enhance your business’s visibility but see you generate more leads, as you have provided them with a properly optimised, well-established website.
5. Quick, Your Competitors are Doing It!
While your business may indeed be pulling in good profits and garnering a fair amount of interest, it’s important not to rest on your laurels. Remember, there are millions of businesses being created each year and many of them are likely to be offering similar services and products to you.
Competition is fierce, with business owners constantly improving and updating their websites, blogs, marketing emails and E-Commerce stores, so it’s critical to stay on top of your game and invest in well-established SEO as an important tool to give you an edge.
6. It Helps Establish your Business as an Authority
An authority website is an established resource space for a particular area or service. It is the “go-to” place for people when they need specific kinds of information.
The best way to establish your business as an authority in its field, is by sustainably generating traffic to your site, eventually building up a reputation until it becomes popular enough to dominate its market and garner the trust of a large audience.
The only way to do this is by providing genuinely valuable, relevant, original, well-written content powered by astute SEO planning.
Hopefully, after reading this, you’re a little more familiar with SEO and how it can hugely benefit your business by increasing your websites visibility, making you stand out from your competitors and allowing you to target a localised audience.
However SEO is a process that takes a lot of time and effort. It’s a specialised skill that requires a considerable amount of experience and knowledge.
Getting a digital marketing expert to develop and manage your SEO campaign is ideal, especially for a business owner with limited time. An expert will be able to precisely research the right keywords and tailor a sound campaign to suit your target audience, industry, location and particular business needs.