One of the most common questions we get when sitting down with a client is “How do I show up on the first page of Google?” When working with small and medium sized businesses, there usually isn’t a large-scale internal marketing team who can ensure a brand has a well rounded digital footprint. Different players within the organization are often executing upon various marketing tactics, leaving SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to be abandoned because it’s a long term, time consuming initiative. Unfortunately, most people asking this question don’t realize the importance of SEO strategy for showing up on the first page of Google. Here are three reasons why investing in an SEO strategy is crucial to the growing success of your company.
3 Reasons why Investing in SEO Strategy is Crucial to the Growing Success of your Company
It Establishes Credibility and Trust with your Fans
It’s no surprise that today’s consumers are more engaged with content than ever before; it’s everywhere, and accessible 24/7. According to Internet Live Stats, over 3.5 billion searches take place per day on Google alone. This does not take into account searches on other engines, such as Yahoo and Bing. Having a high quality and consistent website optimization ensures your brand is recognized by Google as a trusted source, qualifying you for an optimal ranking position on the first page of search engines. With algorithms being enhanced daily, Google can easily identify the usability and value of the content being provided. Consumers have come to trust this algorithm and expect search engines to do the filtering for them, trusting that those options on the first page have been vetted as credible, top-value sources for the search term being explored. Whether the best option on the market or not, consumers trust Google and other search engines and give weight to how they rank businesses’ websites.
It Provides Long-Term Benefits
While we’re HUGE fans of SEM (Search Engine Marketing) we know that SEO is the long-term, more impactful of these two marketing strategies. SEM offers quick results but can be incredibly expensive, while SEO converts more efficiently since it targets people who are truly engaged in the relevant key terms you’re wanting to rank for. According to Enquisite, for every click on a paid search result, the organic results generate 8.5 clicks. Don’t expect overnight success. If it was easy, everyone would be experts in SEO. It takes consistent, diligent attention to create thorough SEO strategies that begin yielding the results you’re looking for after 6-12 months.
Localized SEO Can Be Crucial for Small to Medium Sized Businesses
It’s no surprise that Google has started putting more focus on local SEO with an increase in mobile searches. A rise in mobile users makes SEO more impactful than ever for small to medium-sized businesses because people can find them in real-time to meet their immediate needs. Local SEO focuses on specific towns, cities, regions, or states to establish the best message for your brand based on location. With localized SEO, your fans can more easily and quickly find your business, bringing them closer to making a transaction with you.
SEO can be difficult for someone who’s new to digital marketing. It requires a healthy budget to invest in a long term, consistent and continuous process that ensures search engines see your brand as an authority in a specific webspace. No matter what stage of the SEO process you’re in, it’s important to remember that good SEO strategies ultimately improve user experience and usability of your website, and give your fans trust in your brand. SEO is key first step to establishing lifelong fans for your brand.
If you’re looking for someone to help plan and implement an SEO strategy that will yield your brand long-term results, contact JSK Marketing to learn more!