SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the best thing that could have happened to businesses and marketers alike. Search engines exposed them to people who were looking out for their products and services. Thus, they could selectively target those people with higher efficiency. Previously, it was all mass marketing.
But a bigger question business owners are confused about is when to invest in SEO. At what stage is it considered the best to use SEO as a marketing channel. If you’ve been plagued with similar questions, then here’s a consultative article to help you out. Here we aim to suggest some of the scenarios when SEO becomes critical for your business.
The case of a new website is piteous. A new website isn’t as resourceful as big, established websites. It has far fewer pages than large web portals. It is still an infant with big guys all around him. To compete and succeed with others, it needs help, encouragement, and guidance. But a new website rarely gets any of it, if at all.
When ranking websites for a certain keyword, Google takes into account the Domain Age as a ranking factor. So old websites will have an edge over new websites. While in a video, Matt Cutts explains the difference isn’t very significant, but the factor exists, nevertheless.
Similarly, the blogs published by newer websites have a low authority level. This is because they have fewer links pointing to them. A Similar article from an established website will secure higher rankings.
Therefore, if you’ve just launched a new website, then SEO is a must. Otherwise, it’ll get lost in the sea of billions of websites.
New businesses emerge every month. New websites are launched every week. New blogs are created every now and then -- all with the aim of attracting an audience and serving them with some form of value. But people will come only when they know that you exist. That’s where SEO can help.
People use search engines to look for information and research on a topic. A study conducted by Penn State revealed that 80% of the searches are informational in nature. The other 10% being navigational, which means searchers are looking to visit a specific page or website through the search engine. Only 10% are transactional.
So 80% of the people are not looking for products, but looking for information. You can leverage this and increase brand awareness by providing valuable content.
Since SEO traffic is free and organic, you do not have to pay for them either. You can get a continuous stream of traffic to your website by targeting and ranking for niche keywords in your industry. Over time, you'll see more people searching for your products specifically. This would mean that people now recognize your brand.
Your website can be a free lead generation. It can generate quality leads that convert consistently for months and years. But it is true only when you drive relevant traffic to your website.
People use the search with an intent in mind. They intend to look for information so they can make better decisions in their life. Search engines offer you a chance to get in front of these high intent audiences. By targeting the correct keywords, you can rank for them with your solution to the problem.
The trick here is to ask for a form submission before you offer them the solution. When a user submits his details, he is considered as a prospective lead. With email marketing and retargeting, you can turn him into a qualified lead and eventually into a paying customer.
So if your business is struggling to get some quality leads, then SEO might be one of the solutions.
Mom-and-pop shops and businesses with a physical location think that they’re at the mercy of the foot traffic. There’s nothing that can be done to influence this traffic and everything by chance.
But there’s a good way to increase it, which is Local SEO. Local SEO is a sub-domain of SEO and is concerned with targeting the local demographic. With your website optimized for the local audience, it will appear on search results whenever someone searches for the products or services your business has to offer.
Not only on search results but also on maps like Google Maps, Bing Maps, and Apple Maps. And as you might know, people use these apps to find direction. By showing them the correct direction, you'll essentially drive more people to your physical store.
Local SEO also helps in building brand awareness among the local demographics. And since you’ll be targeting a smaller audience, the cost will be on the lower side too. So there’s plenty of good reasons to invest in local SEO.
Digital marketing is huge. There are many different channels out there through which you can market digitally. People are now spending their time evenly across different platforms. So they’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and searching on Google at the same time.
Therefore, to maximize the impact of your marketing, you must use SEO if you aren’t already. SEO can centralize many of your marketing activities. By driving prospective traffic through SEO, you can retarget and convert them to qualified leads.
By adopting a cross-platform marketing strategy that includes SEO, you can bring down the costs too. By saving more, you can reinvest the savings on aggressive marketing. This will increase the number of leads and customers you bring in every month.
When to use SEO for your website is also subjective. There are multiple factors you need to consider. And these considerations vary from business to business and sector to sector. Therefore, to get an accurate answer, it’s better to consult with an SEO specialist. Whenever you start, you should start to see the results once you rank for keywords.
