7 Reasons Why… SEO

Your next customer is out there, right now, looking for your services, but who will they find first – you, or your competition? In this article, we look at the many benefits of SEO and how it could be the perfect fit for your business. Here’s our top 7 reasons for investing in SEO from our expert Digital Marketing Manager, Bethany…

What is SEO?

For anyone new to the world of SEO, the term stands for “Search Engine Optimization”. In its simplest terms, this refers to the art of improving your website to increase your visibility in Google and other search engines. When we talk about visibility, we’re referring specifically to how well you rank in Google for specific search terms and phrases. The better your visibility, the more likely you are to attract new and returning visitors to your site.

An effective SEO strategy is a requirement in the modern, online marketplace as it can help you to showcase your products and services to a relevant audience on a local, national, or even international scale.

With this in mind, here’s a list of seven reasons why your business should definitely consider investing in your organic SEO:

7 Reasons to Invest in SEO

SEO Helps to Increase Your Organic Traffic

How do you find products and services you need online? If your answer’s Google, you’re not alone. The search engine processed over 3.5 billion searches per day in 2020!

Studies have shown that the first 5 organic results in Google receive 68% of all resulting clicks. So, the higher your business appears in relevant search results, the more visitors your website could potentially receive. By increasing your overall web traffic, you also stand the chance of gaining more valuable conversions, whether this is a purchase, an enquiry or even a newsletter sign up!

By identifying search terms and phrases with good search volumes, you can also drive targeted traffic through to your website which has more chances of converting.

SEO Builds Trust & Credibility

Trust and credibility play a key role in SEO, not only for search engines such as Google but also for end-users. Having a trustworthy and authoritative presence helps to improve your organic rankings whilst also building confidence in customers.

Once Google has analysed and understood your content, it then looks at external signals that contribute to validating the authority of the page for a given topic. Google has confirmed many times that backlinks remain one of their most important ranking factors. So, in short, if your website features engaging, optimised content and you also have a strong backlink profile featuring links from relevant and trusted sites, you stand a better chance of being viewed as a voice of authority on a given topic. The result? You could end up ranking higher in the search results.

It’s important to note that establishing a brand as an authority can take time, effort, and patience but once you’ve reached those all-important top spots in Google, it is definitely worth the wait!

There’s No Need to Pay for Advertising

Paid marketing activities such as PPC (Pay Per Click) offer a fantastic route for sending targeted traffic through to your site but once you stop investing time and money into them, the traffic stops. SEO can have longevity if you choose to invest the time and effort into ranking highly for the right search terms and phrases.

This isn’t to say that PPC isn’t useful, it’s a fantastic option for quick wins and can also complement ongoing SEO campaigns, particularly within a competitive marketplace.

SEO Leads to a Better User Experience

There is a common misconception online that SEO purely focuses on including keywords in content and gaining backlinks but there’s so much more going on behind the scenes! There are over 200 ranking factors in Googles algorithm and UX elements play a key role here. With each algorithm update, Google has moved towards putting user needs first, this means prioritising user-focused and user-friendly results. As a result of this, UX and SEO go hand in hand. Below we’ve listed just some of the UX questions which should be considered when managing any SEO campaign:

• Does the site load quickly?

In July 2018, Google announced that page speed was finally becoming a ranking factor in mobile search. Now page speed has been a ranking factor since roughly 2010 but in recent years, it’s become even more important to deliver a fast and smooth web experience.

• Is it easy to navigate?

Your website should feature a clear navigation which users can user intuitively. This will not only ensure that end-users can find the answers they’re looking for quickly but will also help Google to crawl your website more efficiently.

• Is it mobile friendly?

According to recent studies, 58% of all searches in Google are now completed from a mobile device. With this figure in mind, it’s vital that your website delivers a seamless mobile experience. We’ve all visited a website on a mobile and quickly returned to the search results if the site wasn’t responsive!

Aligning your SEO strategy with your UX strategy is hugely important – not only will the two increase your online visibility and potentially enhance your conversion rate, but you could end up happier customers too!

Get Ahead of The Competition

We’re a nation of shoppers! Internet sales rose to a record high in 2020. The number of internet users in 2020 also surpassed records from previous years. So, believe us when we say that online competition is fierce.

In such a saturated online marketplace it has never been more important to stand out from your competitors. A good SEO strategy will ensure that your potential customers see you first, and what better way to get ahead of the competition than that! According to recent studies, the top 3 organic results in Google get 75% of the clicks so ensuring that your site ranks above your competitors is hugely important.

As Rand Fishkin stated, “Every month you don’t invest in SEO is a month when your competitors will, and eventually, even if you have a long head-start, they’ll catch up and surpass you”.

Your Customers Are Already Looking for You…

You might be known for one product or service that you really specialise in. The same customer may then search on Google for another service or product that you also offer but they just don’t know it yet. They then see your company name in the listing offering the exact product that they are after. They’ve already had a good experience first time around with you so they’re highly likely to choose you again. The result? Potentially a higher conversion rate and increased awareness for your other services!

Truly Global Reach

With tweaks to your content and site structure, there’s no reason why your website can’t be found globally… Helping you to reach untapped markets and to massively boost your exports taking your business to a whole new level.

Find Out More About SEO with Netbiz Group

There are so many reasons why investing in SEO can support your businesses success we struggled to keep it to 7! If you’d like to find out more about how a tailored SEO strategy could help your business, please get in touch today. We have a team of SEO specialists who are dedicated to creating and delivering successful SEO strategies.