“90% of American adults surveyed use the Internet” – PewResearch.org
As a test, pretend you’re a customer and search Google, Bing, or Yahoo for something related to your business. For example, if you’re a Financial Adviser in Riverside and search “Financial Advisers Near Riverside” – where does your business rank? If you’re not even on the first page, then you need to add SEO to your marketing strategy.
Simply put, SEO (search engine optimization) is the single most valuable tool you can use to put your business on the map of the internet. Organic searches on Google, Bing, or Yahoo lead to more visits than all other avenues combined, so using SEO to boost your visitor count is crucial for success.
What is SEO?
According to Wikipedia, search engine optimization (SEO) “is the process of increasing the visibility of a website to users of a search engine. The term excludes the purchase of paid placement, referring only to the improvement of unpaid results (known as “natural” or “organic” results).”
Moz.com adds: “Despite the acronym, SEO is as much about people as it is about search engines themselves. It’s about understanding what people are searching for online, the answers they are seeking, the keywords they’re using, and the type of content they wish to consume. Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to connect to the people who are searching online for the solutions you offer.”
SEO is about finding the right keywords and then creating valuable content that features these keywords. Ensure your website has all the keywords you need, consistently update your site with SEO Content (SEO Blogs, for example), as well as your social media platforms with search engine optimized content.
Top Reasons SEO is Important for Your Business:
If the fact that everyone is online and using search engines to find your business isn’t a good enough reason to prioritize your SEO, here are some additional reasons it’s a good idea to invest in a monthly SEO Campaign for your business:
1. SEO can deliver a higher-quality visitor compared to Paid Ads (PPC).
While every marketing campaign should combine Paid Ads and Organic SEO, SEO content will attract people that don’t trust ads and want to see real, quality content.
According to WesFED, “Over 70% of people will happily scroll past ads to see organic results because organic results convey more trust than paid ads. This trust carries over to the visitor on your website. The visitor knows that your website earned its placement–not paid directly for it.”
Ads, even targeted ads, don’t always reach customers interested in your business. SEO content targets people searching for what you offer, which results in a higher sales-per-visit average than all other digital marketing methods.
2. Top ranked Websites are more trustworthy and credible to customers.
SEO content builds trust in two ways. One, the higher you rank in search engines, the more trustworthy you look to potential visitors. Google’s complex search engine algorithms ensure that people are getting the content they search for, and they often rely on those first few results as the best.
Second, SEO content such as blog development can help you appear as an authority in your field. While you fill your website with search-quality content, you also develop a voice as an industry leader that offers insight into questions people are asking.
3. SEO Content allows you to focus on specific customer demographics targets while increasing your SEO Ranking.
Want to target people searching for home renovations? Write SEO Blogs about the benefits of home renovation and provide how-to tutorials for smaller home renovation projects. Want to target people thinking of hiring an SEO Agency? Write blogs about the benefits of SEO.
It’s simple, SEO content like SEO Blogs provide your customer with the answers they’re searching for and gives them a reason to contact you for more assistance.
According to SEO Expert, Albert Renteria Jr., “a steady flow of well written SEO Blogs will shoot you to the top of Google, be shareable on social platforms like Facebook, and make it easier to constantly update your website with new content (Google loves this). Most importantly, you’ll gain customers and leads in the process.”
4. SEO Content creates more roads that lead to your business’ website.
Once you start ranking higher with better SEO, your website will see a cyclical improvement in visitor count. Why is this? The higher you rank in Google, the more sites link back to your website as a trusted brand. The more backlinks that lead to your website, the more trustworthy you become in Google rankings.
5. Quality SEO Content leads to easier sales and no more cold calls!
Instead of contacting people that need to be convinced to buy your product, SEO allows you to reach people that want to buy what you’re selling and just need to be able to find you on their smart phone or computer.
Having content like SEO Blogs, an SEO-friendly Website, and Social Media posts will not only please Google’s ranking algorithm, but it will ensure that your business has a presence on platforms like Google, Bing, Yahoo, Google MyBusiness, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and that customers can find you no matter where they search on the internet.
Should I hire an Online Marketing Agency or SEO Consultant?
If your website isn’t turning up on the first page of a Google search, then you aren’t getting the clicks you need to stay ahead of the game. Investing in a solid SEO campaign strategy is a lot like investing in yourself, if you’re not willing to invest in your business – why should your customers?
If you have the time to learn some basic SEO and run your business simultaneously, it could be worth a shot. Any SEO is better than none. However, most CEOs or Business Owners do not have the time nor the staff to do SEO Marketing properly.
If your business has the capital, investing in a few staff members for an In-House Marketing Department is ideal. Additionally, finding an Online Marketing Agency is a great way to save money (no staff required) and receive quality results.
When hiring out, hire a company that has experience and doesn’t have too-good-to-be-true promises for suspiciously low prices. Do your research, knowing how to choose a good SEO Company will save you time and money, but choosing wrong could actually harm your site.
In conclusion
Though SEO won’t transform your internet presence overnight, you’ll reap the benefits of SEO as a long-term marketing plan. Quality SEO content is vital to the success of any business in 2019 or beyond.
For more tips about Online Marketing, Web Development, and SEO Content, subscribe to our blog or contact us directly for more information. The ARRC is an Online Marketing Agency with over 20 years of experience, based in Southern California, with hundreds of satisfied customers nationwide. The ARRC is proud to be Veteran Owned.
