The Top 15 Benefits of SEO to Your Business
Have you heard of SEO optimization? For sure you have explored its basics and studied how it works. But have you also considered the benefits of SEO to your business? It is time to find out.
1. SEO Leads to Better User Experience
There are many ways you can improve your website and maximize user experience. This includes providing your audience with relevant information, related photos or videos to support text, easy to navigate web pages or a mobile-friendly website configuration.
All of this leads to a better user experience. This results in more clicks, more leads, better brand recall and higher conversion rates.
2. SEO Is a Primary Source of Leads
Inbound strategies are the most effective and successful source of leads among Business to Business (B2B), Business to Customer (B2C) and non-profit organizations. Inbound includes search engine optimization, social media, content marketing, referrals and others. If you are not getting leads from your SEO tactics, then you must revisit your activities. Another player in the market might be getting your share of the pie.
3. SEO Brings Higher Close Rates
Statistics showed that an average of 14.6% close rate is achieved from SEO leads. Reaching out to customers (outbound or cold leads) often results in lower conversion rates. Whereas SEO optimization leads, where a customer makes the actual research of your product or service, results in higher conversion. These individuals making their research online already have a specific requirement and purpose in mind.
4. SEO Results to Higher Conversion Rate
The good ranking of your site on any search engine websites can guarantee you high conversion rates. Your target market will become more aware of you as long as you maintain your top position.
As customers are becoming more familiar with your brand and as their knowledge about products/services increase, there is a great possibility for customers to close the deal with you.
5. SEO optimization Promotes Better Cost Management
The Search Engine Journal reported that inbound leads can actually lower the cost of lead generation by 61% versus outbound leads. SEO optimization lowers advertising costs. When you already have a top ranking, there is no need for you to pay per click or advertise your page. You will continue to stay above the rest of the search results as long as Internet users click your search links. To add to that, activities pertaining to inbound lead generation include search engine optimization, social media management, blogging, referrals, etc. All of these have little or no cost at all.
6. SEO Encourages Local Users to Visit the Physical Store After the Search
After conducting a local research, there is a high tendency for customers to visit the local store or shop. For example, an internet user keys in “Best Seafood Restaurant in Singapore”. This will then show a variety of options. The internet user will then visit his or her top choice and becomes a customer of that restaurant. A particular study backs this up, stating that 81% of shoppers conduct their research online before going to the store and making the local purchase.
7. SEO Builds Brand Credibility
Ranking first, second or third may give your customers the idea that you are one of the top players in the industry. It shows that you are popular and many users have researched you, too. On the other hand, customers may think that you are not yet well-known or even a new player in the industry if you are at the bottom of the search engine results.
8. SEO Helps Establish Brand Awareness
Brand Awareness is the extent to which the target market recognizes a brand. This refers to how familiar your customers are with your product or service. According to Investopedia, Search Engine Optimization ensures that your product is easily found by search engine sites through regular and organic search. Once you remain at the top of the ranking, Internet users will be able to see you more. This leads to a higher tendency for your link to be clicked, which leads the users to your website. One of the benefits of SEO for your business is establishing your brand’s awareness even further.
9. SEO Ensures Mobile-Friendliness of Your Website
SEO improves user experience because Google Search has included another parameter as a ranking signal and this refers to the friendliness of websites to mobile devices.
Back in April 2015, Google Search stated that mobile-friendliness has a significant impact on websites’ rankings on Google Search. This change will result in better user experience and easier navigation of websites. If you want to make your website mobile-friendly, Google will help you in getting it started.
10. SEO Can Be a Long-Term Marketing Strategy
Just as how long it took you to reach those top ranks, pulling you down the list also takes time. SEO is a long-term marketing strategy. Six (6) months is the minimum duration for a website to maintain optimal ranking. Unless Google algorithm is changed or other competitors have fueled their SEO strategies, it is not easy to pull you down the search rankings.
11. SEO Helps You Gain Market Share
Being on top of the search list means a high tendency for your website to be found by Internet users. These users are now considered as your leads. Once they’ve found their required information from your website, these leads may turn into your customers. Customers may either make a purchase, sign up for a membership or subscribe to a newsletter. Bottom line, your conversion rate increases. Once this happens, you further gain a share of the market.
12. SEO Creates Synergy of All Marketing Activities Online
All of your marketing strategies conducted online will contribute to the success of your search engine optimization efforts. Marketing activities such as content marketing, direct e-mail, social media marketing, blogging, web management, e-commerce, and others will help you get better rankings on several search engine sites. When all of your marketing activities are integrated and aligned towards a common goal, you will definitely achieve success in your marketing strategies, including SEO optimization.
13. SEO Increases Your Followers on Social Media
By the time, you land on the first page of search engine sites, more and more people will know about you. Your brand’s awareness can go along way, even to various social media channels. As users visit your website, they are more likely to click on your social media icons and eventually follow you.
14. SEO Improves Website Speed
The speed of your website can affect your rankings on various search engine websites. Do you know that a two-second load time delay for your website will cost you 4.3% of sale? Speed matters to avoid reduction of customer satisfaction and to further promote better user experience.
15. SEO Takes You Ahead of the Competition
You will grow as a business once you’ve implemented digital marketing strategies to your overall organizational plan. These strategies include search engine optimization. Integrating all of these together will help you take the lead amidst competitors in the market.
The opportunity for your brand, in terms of awareness and brand equity, is limitless. The digital world has provided us with a myriad of options to explore with the aim of achieving overall organizational goals. Search Engine Optimization is one of the strategies that will help you ace the competition. SEO refers to the ability of a website to gain quantitative and qualitative website visits through organic search engine results. Make sure to take on the challenge and use SEO to your advantage.