SEO is a term that has been around for years, but many people still don’t know what it means. Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the process of affecting the visibility of a website or webpage in a search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural,” “organic,” or “earned” results. Sometimes, SEO is conflated with SEM (search engine marketing), but they are not synonymous terms: SEM includes paid advertising or sponsored links while SEO does not.
A well-executed campaign from a local SEO service provider can be very beneficial for your business and may lead to new clients and increased revenue. The following are five benefits of doing an effective SEO strategy:
Quality traffic
Visitors who use organic search results are usually in a deeper research stage and on the road to purchase. One leading San Francisco SEO company recommends that investing in SEO is the fastest and most effective way to reduce your business’ reliance on paid advertisements.
You don’t need to spend money on advertising
With search engine optimization, there is no need for paid advertising. You reach people who are already searching for your product or service, meaning they’re more likely to become a customer.
SEO targets quality traffic
Think about where you want your website to rank on the first page, and work backward from there. To do this, you need to figure out exactly what people are doing when they search for your product or services online—what keywords people are using and how much they’re willing to spend on a product or service like yours. With SEO, it’s possible to change the way people search for things, which means you can change how your business ranks in search engine results.
SEO gets more clicks than PPC
In addition to focusing on organic traffic, the use of pay per click (PPC) (i.e., sponsored listings and search engine advertisements) is a very effective strategy for promoting web content, but it can be very expensive. According to Moz, “for the average mid-sized Websites, pay-per-click advertising can cost anywhere between $100 and $2,000 per day.” SEO doesn’t have this problem because these are free results for your business.
SEO helps brand awareness
When someone searches for a product or service you provide, they’re looking to solve a problem and find the best possible solution. They’re also in an active buying mindset. If your company is not ranking on the first pages of search engine listings, then there’s no way they’ll be able to see what you have to offer. An effective search engine optimization strategy can ensure that your business is always at the top of search results, so you get more high-quality traffic without having to spend money on advertising.
If you’re looking for an affordable way to increase your visibility and drive more qualified traffic, SEO may be the answer. The 5 benefits of a good SEO strategy we’ve listed can help improve your business’s online presence without breaking the bank.