Search Engine Optimization and Its Continuing Importance in 2015 and Beyond
Google the phrase “Is SEO dead?” and you will see more than 44 million references offering different opinions. But here’s what the authoritative majority agrees on: Organic SEO is not dead—some of the rules just changed.
In fact, SEO has become an even more vital component of online marketing and branding campaigns. Companies that are serious about thriving in the next decade have made renewed commitments to investing into building a solid, optimized web infrastructure that can withstand algorithm changes over time. Should you join the bandwagon? Here are just a few of the many reasons why you should.
1. It still works, and it won’t stop any time soon.
The fundamental white hat techniques of SEO remain sound and still deliver fantastic results. And based on how Google and other search engines are developing, SEO will likely continue to be effective for many more decades. Some naysayers are claiming that traditional text based content will soon be overtaken by audio and video, rendering SEO unnecessary. But think about it. Don’t video and audio searches ultimately depend on SEO? They need the right keywords and traditional text-based content in order to rank. This undeniable link ensures SEO’s continued importance.
2. SEO is an investment, not an expense.
There is a reason SEO is often likened to real estate investing. If you get it right, the return on your investment can be astonishing.
Let’s take a look at this example. Say, you sell “dog Halloween costumes” online and currently rank on the second page of Google’s search results, and you are currently only getting 100 referrals because of this relatively low ranking.
If you can jump from second page to the first page of the search results, you can dramatically increase conversion rates. If your online store previously received only 100 visitors for the key phrase “dog Halloween costumes,” you may suddenly receive 1,000 per day when you move up to the first page. That’s 900 more potential customers looking at what you’re selling!
3. SEO is cost-effective.
Compared to other methods of online marketing, such as social media marketing, email marketing, or PPC advertising, the costs associated with SEO provide higher ROI. This is because SEO results last longer with proper maintenance. You don’t have to constantly pay for traffic—as Google and other search engines essentially send you visitors for free.
While SEO can be very effective in the short term, it has a serious advantage over other online marketing methods—it can deliver ongoing ROI minus the costs, over the long term.
While short term solutions like PPC and advertising are quicker at driving traffic, these methods are also expensive. You need to keep paying money to get traffic.
Meanwhile, a properly executed SEO campaign lasts longer. The best SEO companies can help your website stay on the top of the SERPs for years. PPC, email marketing, and social media marketing can undoubtedly drive revenue and help you build your brand, but they still pale in comparison to SEO in terms of ROI. Organic SEO remains to be the bedrock of online presence. It can increase sales without proportionately increasing marketing costs, thereby increasing your profits exponentially, over time.
4. People still rely on search—a lot
Search engines continue to be the market share leader. In fact, over 80% of customers say that they use Google, Yahoo, and Bing to check online reviews before making any purchase. This number is expected to increase. And with internet usage growing all across the globe, virtually everyone will soon be searching for services and products online. Without organic SEO, your potential customers might not be able to find you—and they will instead land on your competitor’s website.
SEO has a very large impact on the research and buying cycle. People constantly search for better deals and tend to compare prices before hitting the ‘buy’ button. This price-conscious behavior is even more obvious during tough economic climates, when consumers are (understandably) more cautious about how they spend money. With good SEO, you can attract potential buyers to your site by being where they are—right there in the search engines, looking for the best prices. SEO can help you direct them towards the solutions you offer.
5. The rise of mobile bandwidth is putting ‘search’ in the hands of everyone, literally.
Did you know that over 60% of online traffic now comes from mobile? That’s right—mobile phones have overtaken traditional desktop devices. People look for products and services using Google’s search app and can technically buy from your website wherever they might be—during their commute or while waiting for a friend in a café. This dramatic trend is making SEO mobile-centric. Without a mobile optimized website and a solid local search optimization campaign, your business will lose customers.
6. Your competitors are doing SEO…
…and if you are not, then you are already losing. Search engine optimization is a never-ending process. If you fail to move forward and constantly improve your position, you are losing ground competitors who are. Don’t let the completion out-maneuver you. Remember… if your website isn’t there, your competitor’s website is—and it is ready to take your money.
7. SEO is the ultimate sales tool.
Once in place, it never stops working. Search engines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You don’t have to pay for it—it can pull in sales, opt-ins, and leads like clockwork. A good SEO system can generate targeted traffic that is highly likely to convert into paying customers. These people actively searched for what you are offering, after all.
If your business is already healthy even without search engine visibility for high-traffic keywords, just imagine all the money you could still be making when you rank for those high-volume terms. You will reach thousands of extra customers and generate more sales.
8. SEO is a vital component of your online marketing mix.
Social media marketing, PPC, branding, and other online marketing strategies complement and segue into SEO. These elements strengthen and reinforce each other grow your online reach exponentially faster. To truly succeed online, you cannot pick one over another. You have to intelligently integrate all factors into your online marketing mix to achieve the highest cumulative benefits. This is why it’s always more prudent to work with an SEO company that also offers other marketing services such as pay-per-click and social media marketing. Such companies can give you a comprehensive strategy.
9. SEO multiplies your impact.
Do you order marketing brochures only to lock them up in a box? Of course not. But when you don’t have an SEO campaign, this is essentially what you are doing—you are locking away your website, never to be seen by thousands of potential clients and best prospects.
Think SEO as your digital calling card. It has the power to massively multiply your impact by putting your products and services in front of highly targeted potential customers. This is why it’s crucial that you leave your SEO campaign in the hands of professionals who can ensure that your site is served to the right audience and is seen by a wide segment of that audience, therefore generating qualified leads and turning them into paying customers.
10. SEO gives you control of how the public sees you.
By optimizing your website’s meta descriptions and title tags, SEO lets you control how your website looks on the search results page. Without proper optimization, your descriptions could be showing random texts—or worse, words like ‘lorem ipsum’! Your meta description and title tags should be powerful statements that strengthen your brand and communicate your marketing message clearly. Search engine optimization lets you do this. It hands you back control, so you can steer your online image along the right path.
With effective SEO, you control your image on social sites, too. Does your online business have a Facebook page? Did you know that content shared by social network users are directly related to specific SEO parameters such as meta descriptions and title tags—the text that is displayed when people share your posts and stories on their Google+ profile, Facebook wall, or in tweet? A good SEO strategist can assist you in managing this process.
11. SEO can make your brand look credible and trustworthy.
Interestingly, studies show that 91% of internet users prefer natural search results when looking to shop for products or services online. They tend to ignore ads. The eventual goal of SEO is that, whenever people search for keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business, they should see your website at the top of Google’s search results. Psychology then takes over and these people will start to believe that you are the best in your niche.
Being right on top of Google’s SERPs goes a very long way in improving your brand’s credibility. You want to be right there where your potential customers are, whenever they search for products and services that you are offering. SEO can make this possible.
12. SEO makes your brand ubiquitous (and that’s a great thing).
As humans, we intuitively think that a #1 ranking means ‘best.’ Athletes who win the gold are the best. Those who take silver and bronze are just runners-up. And the rest—who cares about them?
The psychology in search engine rankings is very similar. This is websites on the top spot gets over 36% of all clicks. The #2 website gets a little over 12%, and the #3 website takes just 9.5%. From there, the numbers decline very quickly.
SEO puts you on the top of the heap, winning you what marketers call ‘top of mind’ recall and therefore increasing brand awareness. This ultimately wins you more sales.
13. SEO can turn people into loyal customers.
When people have a positive experience ordering your products and services from your website, they will likely return and tell their friends about your business. SEO is one of the most effective ways to get this ball rolling. SEO can bring in a flood of traffic that you now have a chance of converting into loyal customers.
14. SEO brings in highly targeted visitors that are likely to become paying customers.
Using keyword analysis, SEO can show you the size of a market, the current level of the competition, what keywords will bring in the most revenue, and other such details that can help you make informed decisions. This is working with an insightful SEO manager or consultant can generate the biggest returns on the dollars you spend on optimization.
Visitors generated by a sound SEO campaign are more likely to convert. For instance, a well executed SEO strategy for a hotel can tap potential customers who are interested in taking a holiday, leading them to your site and to the page that addresses what they’re searching for exactly.
15. SEO drives offline sales.
Did you know that a majority of offline sales are driven by the web? That’s right—about 86% of people now use the internet to do some research about local businesses from which they can buy offline. Consumers tend to use Google and other search engines to look for brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants, banks, hotels—everything you can think of. Once they see your address online and are convinced that you have what they are looking for, they are more likely to come to your physical shop. These people are actively looking for products, services, and solutions that you offer—and SEO can bring them to your doorstep.
This is why businesses can no longer afford to ignore SEO. Optimization forms the cornerstone of all digital marketing strategy. A properly optimized website is like a reliable salesperson, never resting, working day and night, never calling in sick.
The Importance of Hiring an SEO Company
Great SEO involves more than just coding and search-friendly CMS. It’s not something that your tech-savvy friend or well-meaning cousin can fix up over a Sunday, for a beer. Professional search engine optimization is serious business. Without an SEO specialist handling your campaign, you can easily make mistakes that can cause your website to be delisted on Google and other search engines.
Not everyone can do SEO. It would be a mistake to casually hand over your SEO project to your in-house web designer or developer. What you need is a company that is dedicated to online marketing—a company that can diagnose your website and offer a comprehensive online marketing solution. The best SEO companies go beyond codes and linking. They understand your niche, can look at what your competitors are doing, and recommend strategies that stay true to your overall targets and goals.
How Much Does SEO Cost?
Some business owners decide not to spend on SEO “to save money.” What they don’t realize is that they are also dramatically lowering their profit potential by not doing SEO. They are letting their competitors take all of the traffic—and therefore all of the potential online customers.
If cost is your concern, you should consider working with an offshore SEO company. Some of the top SEO firms in the world are based not in the United States or the UK—they are on India. In fact, even top SEO companies that brand themselves as ‘American’ or ‘British’ act only as sales offices. Their core SEO functions are done in India.
Endless Opportunities
Investing time and money in organic SEO is now more important than ever before. Your business needs to have in place a solid SEO strategy if you are serious about succeeding in selling your products and services online. Search engine optimization remains one of the most important factors in any organization’s online branding efforts.
SEO is certainly not dead—but the rules have changed. When SEO began in 1990s, the meta keywords tag, manual submission, and keyword stuffing were necessary to rank well. In the mid-2000’s, link building with anchor texts, buying links, link farms were leveraged for traffic. By the start of 2011, vertical search inclusion and social media marketing became important to search engine optimization. Google and other search engines have continued evolve and refine their algorithms, so methods that would have worked in 2006 can now hurt your SEO.
Change is constant—that is the nature of the universe, and it applies to SEO. To succeed in this ever-changing area of online marketing, you need to work with an SEO firm that is one step ahead. You want a company that can take care of your website’s fundamental optimization factors while looking out for new rules in the pipeline, and positioning your website so that it continues to thrive despite these changes.
Search marketing should continue to be a priority if you want to remain competitive online. Websites will always compete for attention in the search engines—and only those with dynamic SEO campaigns can receive the benefits of increased visibility.