What is search engine optimization? In this digital age, all businesses — whether you’re online or offline — must have a solid understanding of SEO. If you’re new to the world of digital marketing, here’s why SEO is important for every business.
What Is SEO?
SEO Definition
SEO is an integral part of any digital marketing strategy. Why? Because 93% of online experiences begin on search engines. However, 75% of Internet users will not make it past the first page of the search results. If you want to appear on the first page, you need SEO.
Search optimization focuses on techniques that will increase search rankings, thereby driving more organic traffic to your website. While SEO applies to all search engines, most techniques are designed to cater to Google’s search algorithm. That’s because Google has an 86.86% market share and sees 5.6 billion searches each day.
Types of SEO
There are three main types of SEO: on-page, off-page, and technical.
- On-page SEO deals with techniques that you can implement on your website to increase search rankings. Optimizing content with relevant keywords helps search engines understand your website. The better they understand, the greater chance of ranking high.
- Off-page SEO has the same goal but techniques take place outside of your website. Building links is one of the main techniques but it is also one of the most difficult as you cannot control if, when, and how other websites link back to you.
- Technical SEO focuses on improving website elements such as page speed, linking structures, and website security to increase search rankings. With these techniques, engines will have an easier time crawling and indexing your website.
What Is SEO Marketing?
SEO marketing refers to the use of search optimization techniques to achieve a business’ digital marketing goals and objectives.
Whereas SEO increases organic traffic, search engine marketing uses paid advertising strategies such as native ads, display ads, pay-per-click ads, Google AdWords, and retargeting ads to drive traffic to your website.
Search engine marketing can be very effective if you are optimizing for keywords with high competition. It will put your website on top of the search engine results page, which then increases your online visibility.
Why You Need SEO in Your Digital Marketing Strategy
Search optimization is a necessary component of digital marketing but many businesses still fail to understand its importance. Instead, they focus all their attention on social media marketing or paid advertising — which are also important in the grand scheme of things. However, you must know that search engine optimization is the glue that holds all your digital marketing strategies together. Here are the benefits of SEO that you need to know about:
1. Drives Organic Traffic
Depending on the latest trends, there are many ways to drive website traffic. However, SEO continues to be the best source of organic traffic. It helps you find your target audience, or people who are most interested in your products and services. As such, these consumers are also the ones most likely to purchase from your business.
2. Increases Brand Awareness
A high search ranking means that more Internet users can find your brand online. Effective search optimization techniques will allow consumers to get to know your brand and help establish you as an authority in your respective industry. If you have active social media strategies in place, brand awareness can help you gain more followers and social mentions.
3. Helps You Stay Ahead of the Competition
SEO is effective in establishing trust and credibility with your target audience. If you have a higher search ranking than your competitors, consumers are more likely to click on your website than theirs. As such, search engine optimization can help you gain more paying customers.
4. Boosts Effectiveness of Other Digital Marketing Strategies
Search optimization techniques are tried and tested to deliver results. It can also help your other digital marketing strategies.
For instance, with pay-per-click advertising, a higher quality score on Google Search can drive down the cost per click. SEO can also help make ads and retargeting efforts more effective. You’ll be able to achieve paid advertising goals without having to spend as much.
5. Attracts Mobile Web Traffic
In today’s digital world, where a large percentage of the population are mobile users, search engine optimization is a must.
If the mobile experience is clunky and not intuitive, search users will not visit and stay longer on your website. SEO helps provide visitors with a seamless experience while browsing your website. High page views and low bounce rates can further increase your search rankings.
6. Cost-Effective
SEO is one of the cheapest strategies that you can implement for digital marketing. It does not cost much but the results can be very positive. For instance, SEO can generate more qualified leads. The more leads, the more chances for conversions. If you have a limited budget for digital marketing, consider investing in search marketing as it has a good return on investment (ROI).
7. Drives Physical Traffic to Your Business
The benefits of search engine optimization are not limited to the digital world. It can also help businesses with physical stores and services. You can implement search optimization techniques to increase online visibility for consumers in your local area. For instance, optimizing your Google My Business listing can lead to higher click-through-rates as well as on-site visits.
Understanding the Importance of SEO
From asking, “Why is SEO Important,” you now have a deeper understanding of SEO and the significant role it plays in your overall digital marketing strategy. With over 2 billion websites, it will be extremely difficult to rank without search engine optimization. It’s also much harder to obtain organic traffic.
As a result, your other online campaigns may also suffer — or worse, fail. If you want to achieve online success, make sure to incorporate search optimization into your digital marketing strategy.
SEO can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. If you need assistance, feel free to reach out to the Tanner Grey team today! Call us at 844.500.1339, email us at web@tannergrey.com, or contact us online to discover how we can help your business.
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