With the almighty gods at Google working their algorithmic magic, there might be a lot of back-and-forth about whether or not your business should invest in SEO (search engine optimization). We’re here to tell you, once and for all, that SEO should be your marketing strategy’s bread and butter.
SEO is Here to Stay Whether You Like It or Not
1. It is far from dead.
Google’s spiders may be growing smarter and smarter every day, but the human factor will always prevail – especially considering the fact that it is humans who are ultimately the greatest judge of how useful and relevant information is as a whole. By all means, make friends with the search-engine spiders, but you are ultimately relying on the business of humans and thus, your business should invest in SEO web content and media that is as human-friendly as possible. If you build traffic, the spiders will surely follow.
Read: Why You Should Drive SEO with an Inbound Marketing Strategy2. Keywords and SEO techniques aren’t going anywhere.
Search engines are still the most powerful avenues for generating web traffic. Prospects and consumers still expect to find your business on Google and others; your business is not just going to fall into their lap. Your business should invest in SEO because by identifying important sales-generating focus keywords you can tailor your digital marketing strategy to hone in on what your target audience is searching for. Increase your visibility, increase your traffic, increase your website conversion rates.3. The truth is in the numbers – smart business should invest in SEO.
It’s probably the smartest financial and marketing move you’ll ever make. If that’s not enough of a reason why your business should invest in SEO – then I don’t know what is. Advertising, in the traditional sense (think TV, radio, print) is very expensive and pretty much a dying market. But a strong digital internet marketing strategy is cost-effective and smart, with a high rate of return on investment (ROI). By focusing on creating a relevant and robust online company persona, you build brand awareness and establish trust and credibility – especially with a social media marketing strategy in place.
Read: 10 Reasons Why Traditional Marketing Doesn’t Work in 20184. The market is trending that way.
Consumers are growing more wary about their buying and spending habits. A good deal of purchase-related research and buying occurs online. Prospects are looking for reviews, spec sheets, literally any indication of relevant and useful content that will help guide them through the buying cycle. Stay one step ahead and provide them with all of the SEO user-friendly content to convince them that your business is what they’ve been searching for.
5. Join the mobile (and local) ranks.
Mobile bandwidth numbers are at an all time high and the algorithms have adjusted accordingly. If your website is not mobile-friendly, the search-engine gods will count that against your rankings. Optimize your website for mobile devices now! And don’t forget your local prospects, 4 out of 5 consumers conduct searches with local intent. Your business should invest in SEO because an interested customer is less likely to physically wander by your storefront than they are to stumble across your website on a Google search.6. Not having a healthy content profile is bad for business.
A social media focus should be inclusive with your general digital marketing strategy because ranking high in the social sphere will have an impact on your overall rankings. A good business should invest in SEO because it’s called search-engine optimization, not just Google optimization, therefore effective content makes your business searchable on virtually all search engines.
Read: The Many Reasons You Need a Social Media Management Company 7. Everyone’s doing it, including your competitors.
You think you’re hungry? Your competition is hungrier. The fight to stay on top of search results is constant and never ending. Everyone is working to constantly improve their ranking. Always. When’s the last time you clicked past the first page on an online search? That should be incentive enough to invest in SEO because if you’re not ranking, those clicks are going to your competitors.8. It all comes back to the human factor.
Content is king, but who decides that? We do. Your website should be so easy and intuitive to navigate – a monkey (or a spider) could do it. Good SEO-focused copy goes a long way, especially if it is beautifully presented and organized.9. The landscape is always changing.
Algorithm updates happen regularly. To remain competitive your business should invest in SEO and its latest trends and techniques. A relevant digital marketing strategy will work to keep up with market and search trends and strives to stay ahead of the curb. Don’t become invisible, adapt and keep the traffic flowing.
Read: 10 Marketing Challenges Marketers Will Face in 201910. SEO is your bread and butter.
SEO should not be an afterthought. Don’t save the best for last. It’s not the icing on the cake. You have to build it into every fiber of your online marketing blueprint. The very infrastructure of your website design, CMS (content management system), URL syntax, etc. should be fully SEO integrated. Tailor landing pages to user intent, lead prospects through the buying funnel, and stay vigilant.
Read: Why You Should Drive SEO with an Inbound Marketing Strategy
