Whether you are improving your website or using local SEO, you will find out that SEO and search are so important to your business. SEO or search engine optimization is a great way to bring your business to the top.
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What is SEO?
Before going in-depth about how businesses need to incorporate SEO into their marketing plans, it is important to understand the definition. SEO is search engine optimization. It is a process that helps your business move up in the Google search results page, or with any other search engine. SEO tends to focus on Google because Google owns 75% of the search market. Since they have the biggest audience and the highest expectations, using Google’s guidelines is a good indicator of how your website measures up compared to the competition.
Google has an algorithm put in place to help reward websites that are…
- User-friendly and mobile-friendly
- Relevant through keywords
- Backlinking expert sources
- Proximally located near the user
- Website embedding properly
As your website improves, Google favors your website over others. This allows you to keep advancing higher up on the search engine results page, also known as SERP. Let’s face it, users barely ever scroll past the first two or three results. That means if you are on other pages, the likelihood of someone finding your website organically is unlikely to happen.
Why is SEO Important?
SEO is becoming more of a necessity for businesses to thrive. People are relying more on their smartphones to guide them to the right places. When websites show up organically rather than being paid for, it gains more trust between the user and brand. If you are the number one website on Google when they search, users know you’re doing something right. SEO is also a way to increase a variety of aspects of your brand. If you have marketing goals of having a greater ROI or quality website traffic, search and SEO are important.
What are the Benefits of SEO?
No matter what kind of business you run, there is no doubt SEO can help you be successful. Here are the top reasons why:
Organic Search Benefits
Searching on a search engine is how most people these days learn and find out about anything. If people don’t know something, they Google it. When users find your website organically it builds trust. This can make the user more likely to buy your product or service because of this trust. Other forms of advertising like social media and paid ads are good ways to drive people to your website, but you should have the goal to make the majority of your website traffic from organic searches. Search and SEO is pretty crucial to having a successful business.
Increase Brand Awareness
The higher your website is on SERPs the more views your company’s website will get. Another way SEO helps build brand awareness is through link building. Other companies will see if your website ranks high and use it throughout their content to build their own SEO. It becomes a win-win for both brands. All aspects of SEO help your brand to become more noticeable.
Better User Experience
Search Engines are all about making sure the user is getting the best experience possible. If your website is poorly designed, not easy to navigate, and not compatible with smartphones then you will likely rank low in SERPs. Not only will search engines dislike you, but potential clients could as well. Giving the user the best experience shouldn’t just be a goal for the search engines. People know what they want and if they can’t find it easily, it will cost you.
Local Clients
Local search and SEO helps you to connect with the local target audience. An aspect of SEO comes from Google My Business. It allows your business and information to come up when someone searches for you in your area. This information includes the location, hours of operation, and business website. You can also edit your account for sales and other events going on. The search considers many different things, but location is the most important. When you have a Google My Business account, your businesses get added to Google Maps automatically. This can allow customers to access your service or products easier. This is a great way to get in touch with local clients.
Cost-Efficient
SEO is a long-term strategy. Compared to other marketing strategies that come and go, incorporating SEO has long term effects. It is also cost-effective because you don’t waste advertising on users who aren’t your audience. SEO targets your specific audience through keywords. Your audience comes to you. You don’t have to guess where the customers will be because SEO works with organic media.
Know the Importance of SEO
When it comes to SEO it is a long-term investment. This gets at the root of helping optimize your website and overall traffic on your website. The average cost per month can vary depending on your company and what you are wanting. This cost ranges anywhere from $50-$5000+ depending on the services and locations. SEO has a wide variety of elements that can be added to your website. If you need help with writing content, evaluating your current SEO, helping measure analytics, and other aspects you can get help with those individually.
Not All SEO Agencies are the Same
When selecting an agency to help with your business’s SEO there are important things for you to look at. Remember this is your business and you don’t want to put it in the wrong hands. You want a company with experience helping others that stands out against the competition. SEO Design Chicago is a full-service digital marketing agency. This allows every aspect of your marketing strategy to be cohesive. We have experience and expertise and want you to succeed. We don’t use a one-way strategy for every industry because they are all unique.
Investing in Your Business
If you are someone who would rather have in-house SEO, don’t worry. You can also ask these companies to help you learn more about SEO. Many marketing trainings are offered that cover all areas of digital marketing. You can learn by yourself or get your entire company in on the training. Whatever you are hoping for, you can learn the skills to help your company advance.
Is SEO Worth the Money?
While buying ads is a quick way to increase traffic on your website, SEO provides long term effects. It is a process that gradually allows your website to climb. Algorithms are constantly changing to adapt to user’s expectations. If you want quick traffic, consider pay-per-click advertising or PPC. This can give your website traffic but will typically only last for as long as you pay for the ad. The click you receive on PPC ads might not attract the right audience. To get a visitor to your website, with a higher chance of conversion, search and SEO can help you target the right people. If you are wanting a way of marketing that isn’t going to last only while the ad is up, SEO is for you. It is investing in your company to allow it to reach its maximum potential.
When to Ask for SEO Help
SEO is a tricky and time-consuming process. Don’t be discouraged from asking for help. SEO agencies work on making your brand more visible. It is important to know that search and SEO isn’t a process that happens overnight. It can take anywhere from 4-6 months to start seeing results. Applying SEO to your business will be a commitment to better the future of your business. If you don’t have the time to commit to SEO, hiring someone else could help. If you do have time and are wanting to learn, now is your time! You can train in a variety of digital marketing areas to help your business be successful. SEO Design Chicago will set up a training that is right for you and your company.
Find Out if You Use SEO Well
Knowing how your SEO stacks up can help guide your business to its next marketing steps. How can you improve something if you don’t know what to improve on? If you want help on knowing what is wrong and how to fix it, we can help. We do a full SEO analysis including five elements of SEO. Allow us to assist your business in your marketing to reach your maximum potential.
FAQs
- Why is SEO important?
- What benefits can SEO add to my business?
- How much does SEO cost?
- Is SEO worth the money?
- Do I need to hire someone for SEO?
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