SEO is becoming an increasingly popular internet marketing strategy but first, you may be asking yourself what SEO even means – it stands for search engine optimization. This means in very basic terms getting your website to show at the top of the first page on a search engine “organically”.
Why is getting your website on the first page of a search engine so important?
Although there are so many, here are some reasons why:
What are the benefits of SEO?
Increased brand awareness
By being at the top of the first page on a search engine with SEO, your website will receive more exposure than if it were anywhere else. Customers are also more likely to see websites on the first page as more trustworthy, reliable, and credible. They will see you as a well known and established business and customers will begin to associate the keywords they’re searching for with your company. Having people aware of your business is important because the next time they are in need of your service, your business is who they will call.
Increased website traffic
The top 5 results on a search engine tend to generate the most traffic and impressions so if your website is one of them, you will be receiving more visits to your website. Since people are actually searching for keywords related to your business, this new traffic gained from SEO will be quality traffic having the potential to visit and make a conversion on your website.
A more user friendly website
SEO isn’t all about keywords; it is also about having a user friendly website that customers find easy to use and can navigate on their own. If your website is on the first page of a search engine but it not visually pleasing and is difficult to use, customers won’t want to go to your website anymore and your website will have a high bounce rate. Customers staying on your website for a longer period of time means that it is more likely they will make a purchase.
A user friendly website also makes it easier for search engines to analyze your website to make the connection to the keywords being used. Having a good website containing all the information that a potential customer might need is also beneficial in helping the customer make an informed decision.
Cost effective
Money spent on SEO is not a cost but an investment and sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Once your website is on the first page of a search engine, you no longer have to pay for clicks from search engines and can save money on your paid advertising expenses. SEO rankings are also important to the value of your company. When selling a business, buyers will see your SEO ranking as a factor since this ranking is long lasting.
Stand out among your competition
If your website ranks higher on a search engine than your competitor, your site is more likely to attract the potential customers. With SEO being such a popular strategy, your competitors are probably already using it – so why aren’t you?
