Search Engine Optimization (SEO), despite its array of benefits it offers to many online businesses, has not received yet the attention it deserves. Well, in case you feel lost and have no idea of what SEO is, it is simply a strategy for improving the standing of websites on search engines. It is not something one can successfully build overnight and perhaps that’s why some people opt for other marketing objectives and strategies such as social media. SEO needs patience and expertise but its rewards are enormous and long-lasting overtime.
But why do you need SEO for your brand instead of just relying on social media for the promotion of your brand? Well, here are some of the reasons why your business needs search engine optimization to lead. Read on.
1. For better brand awareness
Nowadays, people want to get maximum value for their money upon any product purchase they make. Do you remember that day you wanted to buy a product and you had to consult Google before initiating the purchase? You are not alone; over 80% of shoppers turn to search engines to gather information on various products before buying them.
SEO helps your business appear on or near the top of the search engine results when people search a particular keyword in your industry/niche. This helps you to identify yourself as an authority in your niche or industry, hence making a step forward in the building of your brand equity in your target market.
2. To Build trust and credibility
A website design with top-notch SEO content is not only a marketing tool but a platform where people can get incredible insights concerning your industry and solutions to their problems. Hyper-relevant, in-depth content which is optimized for search engines is easily found by people who search for the relevant keywords.
Upon learning about your professionalism from the content, your website visitors will see you as a trustworthy person or company. Therefore, SEO is one of the most effective ways of building trust and credibility for your brand.
3. For proper brand positioning in the web environment
World Wide Web is very dynamic and it is not a joke for your brand to remain relevant to it in the midst of the many changes. But you can do something about it. Stay on top of SEO.
Staying on top of SEO involves finding out the major web search changes taking place. It also includes knowing the tactics used by your competitors and you can apply some of the strategies in your brand as well for its proper positioning in the web environment.
4. To help in boosting sales revenue
Increased traffic to a website is the major benefit of a good SEO strategy. Increased traffic to your website translates to more potential customers. Some of them end up buying your products or service, some becoming your loyal customers. Good SEO strategy is certainly the best way of getting quality leads for the profitability of your brand.
5. To increases online presence
A good SEO plan helps you to communicate with a large audience and this helps your brand grow tremendously. There are many SEO strategies you could go for, the most common one being the use of targeted keywords. Each piece of your web content is properly supplemented with the most used and searched terms and phrases in your industry.
Apart from the use of targeted keywords, SEO also involves link building, which is, the creation of both inbound and outbound links to a website. Outbound links are links on your website which links to other websites while outbound links are on external websites and direct visitors to your site. The more the inbound and outbound links your website has, the more trustworthy it appears and this has much to do with its ranking on search engines, hence its online presence. If your website receives more impressions on the first page of a search engine, thanks to SEO, your brand will continue to have a strong online presence as more people will get to associate it with particular keywords.
6. For cost efficiency
SEO is a cost-effective alternative to the traditional brand marketing strategies such as magazine ads or cold calling. While in other strategies you may end up losing much time and resources as you try to communicate to people who may not have interest in what you intend to offer them, SEO helps you deliver your message specifically to the users looking for solutions related to what your brand has to offer. As a result, the budget you’ll require for effective SEO is far much lower as compared to what you’ll end up spending for other brand marketing techniques like cold calling.
SEO has become the 1st option for small business owners as it gives them the chance to compete with the big players. Its gives upcoming businesses an opportunity to start small, do some testing on the most effective marketing strategies and tweak it where necessary for improved return on investment (ROI). Therefore, with good SEO, you can develop your brand without breaking your budget.
7. For long-lasting results
SEO is one of the most effective marketing strategies you could use to grow your brand. As long as your website retains its position on the first page of a search engine, it will continue to enjoy constant traffic. However, truth be told, it takes much effort to make your website appear on the first page on a search engine but maintaining the position requires even more effort and ultra-effective strategies. This is where SEO comes in. The use of long-tail keyword strategy, one of the aspects of SEO, has been proved to bring constant and quality traffic to businesses as it involves the use of keywords with less competition but a decent amount of search volume. With such strategy, you are assured of long-lasting results as far as the exposure of your brand to the online world is concerned.
8. For a better user experience
The user experience can break or make your brand big time. Both existing and potential clients should see your brand as a provider of solutions to their problems. what they get from you (goods or services) and the processes they follow for them to access what you offer is very paramount. SEO mostly takes care of the latter processes. How clients reach you online.
For a safe playground for all websites as well as for a better user experience, search engines keep on introducing new updates. If you fail to comply with these updates, your websites might get penalties. For instance, the recently released Google major updates include an emphasis on a mobile responsive design, the introduction of Accelerated Mobile Pages and the launch of Progressive Web Apps. All these updates are intended to increase the overall user experience.
A good SEO professional will be on the lookout for such updates and helps you to comply with them. While adopting them, your website will be in a good position to offer a better experience to users. This approach could turn into more business for you. Users should easily navigate through your website, have a glimpse of what you offer, among other things from the comfort of their devices.
Users who have a good experience on your site are a huge opportunity since they’re highly likely to buy your product or service and become a customer. Additionally, these users could be great advocates for your business, spreading the word about your services or products.
Wrapping Up
If you have been underestimating the power of SEO, it’s time to see it as a vital strategy for taking your brand to a whole new level. Don’t rely on traditional marketing, as these strategies are not working anymore. People’s attention span reduced considerably in the last few years, so it’s harder and harder to get them on your ship. Play it smart and add SEO to your marketing arsenal.
