This article addresses the top eight reasons why SEO is critical for success. You will also find FAQs to quench your curiosity towards the end further.
Why Does Search Engine Optimization Matter for Businesses?
Here’s what search engine optimization does for your business:
Amplifies Your Credibility
Search “Top 10 eBook publishing platforms in 2024” on Google, and it will display a list of 10 articles. You will likely read the top 3-5 results or even less if it satisfies your curiosity.
Why? The answer is simple – users view Google’s top results as credible resources. By leveraging search engine optimization, your brand can rank higher. Thus, you strengthen credibility in the eyes of your target audience.
Analyzing the website authority (by Ahrefs) is also a good method. A score of 70 and above means that the source is trustworthy.
Enhances User Experience
In early 2021, Google launched a user-experience-based core update.
It focuses on:
- Google Page Experience Signal includes HTTPS, safe browsing, and mobile friendliness. You may check your website’s mobile-friendliness here.
- Largest Contentful Paint – fast page load times for videos and images
- First Input Delay – a measure of how fast your browser loads when a visitor takes action on your web page
Focusing on SEO is necessary if you aspire for the greatest visibility and better organic rankings. Only then can you meet the user experience parameters mentioned above.
Helps You Outshine Competitors
Imagine not appearing on Google’s first page and losing traffic to competitors. It’s difficult even to imagine, isn’t it? After all, the first page gets 90% of the world’s traffic. How can you not capitalize on it?
According to Search Engine Watch, where this statistic comes from, the first position enjoys 33% of search traffic. Regardless of their domain, any business would benefit from such enormous traffic.
But to outshine your competitors, you have to identify gaps in their content. And by filling those gaps, your business will gain loyal visitors (and customers).
Boosts Your ROI
SEO is more cost-effective than conventional marketing campaigns, such as tradeshows and advertising. Not to mention, it has an exceptional track record of helping brands get the best ROI.
Research confirms that 49% of marketers receive the best ROI through organic search. Also, a report by Backlinko suggests that 40% of businesses pay less than $1000 monthly for SEO services.
The cost will, of course, vary depending on what services you’re hiring them for. But the average range is between $2500 and $5000 per month.
Generates Leads for B2B Brands
Did you know that SEO is the best lead-generating source for B2B brands? It occupies the top spot, followed by email and social media marketing. Despite the prevalence of paid marketing activities, SEO gains a stronghold.
It then makes sense to invest time and effort in key SEO techniques. These include content development, off-page/on-page optimization, keyword strategy, competitor analysis, and more. To learn more about the key components of SEO, read this article by Search Engine Journal.
Besides generating leads, B2B brands can also nurture them through SEO. How?
You can do it by publishing valuable content that ranks and engages your audience.
Helps You Create a Buyer Persona
Say you want to start an online business of scented candles. You have a vague idea of who your target audience will be. But can you be sure without solid facts?
How can you know your customers better? This is where SEO comes in.
As per Entrepreneur, SEO offers information on the target demographic. This includes location, age, gender, employment status, and interests. By integrating your website with Google Analytics, you can obtain these statistics.
“You can create buyer personas and devise strategies around that using that information,” says Katrina from Red Houston SEO Company.
Supports Your PPC Campaigns
In today’s world, organic (SEO) and paid (PPC) marketing tactics go hand in hand. You cannot undermine the importance of either. Imagine both your paid campaigns and a high-ranking page appearing on top spots on Google. What kind of impression would that leave on users?
The answer is simple. They will know you are not just burning dollars to appear on top results. And that yours is a credible brand that also ranks organically. You can also use PPC campaigns to promote your high-ranking pages further.
That is especially helpful if a page is ranking for a low-cost-per-click keyword.
Ensures Success for Local Businesses
A remarkable 46% of searches on Google are intended to find local information. Small business owners need local SEO to appear in these results. Local SEO focuses on optimizations specific to regions, cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
There’s a lot that goes into it, including:
- Creating and optimizing Google My Business listing
- Creating the Knowledge Graph Panel
- Registering a business in local citations
Also, positive reviews on Google, Angie’s List, Yelp, and Home Advisor improve local SEO.
They increase your chances of getting discovered by local customers. Hundreds and thousands of them!
SEO & Its Importance – FAQs
In this section, we have addressed the commonly asked questions on SEO.
What Must-Know SEO Concepts Should I Know In 2024?
To gain success in 2024, you need to focus on these SEO concepts:
- Site speed
- Informational page content
- Mobile Experience
- Image compression
What Are The Key Principles Of On-Page SEO?
Listed below are key components of on-page SEO:
- Title tags
- Meta description
- Keyword research
- High-quality content
- Keywords in title and subheadings
What Are The Best Practices Related To SEO?
Use these SEO best practices:
- Improve internal linking
- Leverage Google Search Console to track results
- Write unique, informative content
- Optimize images
What Things Does Off-Page SEO Encompass?
Here’s your off-page SEO checklist:
- Fixing 404 errors
- Engaging in paid advertising and social sharing
- Updating local citations and more
Key Takeaways
So, is SEO important for every business? You bet!
Not only does it help you elevate user experience, but it also reaches millions of people. Both SMEs and large corporations must leverage SEO to boost online visibility. Focusing solely on paid campaigns is a big mistake.
You must combine it with organic marketing initiatives to gain success in the long term. And if there’s one way to establish brand credibility – it’s search engine optimization!
