Search Engine Optimization is more than a form of marketing. It’s what makes the difference between a thriving company online and one that is gasping for air. In today’s Frontier Media Lab, we’re going to dive headfirst into the benefits of having a strong SEO strategy and why it has such a big impact on your business in today’s technology-driven world.
When a potential customer is using a search engine, like Google, it’s because they are proactively looking for a solution. What happens if you are not there, or even worse your competitor is the only one there? – Colin Anthony
The harsh reality of the answer to this question is one that many businesses face when they’re lacking in the SEO department of their marketing efforts. They’re hiding, in what we consider, the best place to hide a dead body…on the second page of Google where no one will ever find them. According to Hubspot research, a whopping 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search engines.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the challenge of getting your website to the top spot of the search results when a certain keyword or phrase, pertaining to your business or services, is being searched for. The key to SEO is receiving exposure, and exposure is driven by visibility. It’s a living, breathing, ever-changing life form for businesses that must be constantly maintained.
It’s also through search engine optimization that you stay ahead of your competitors within your industry. A good SEO strategy can be the key difference in setting your business apart from the competitor next door, or in this case, the next option that comes up under your business on the Google search results page.
Here are some key points to know about building strong SEO:
- By using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, you’re able to see what users are doing on your website. These tools are free to use and can be complete and total game changers when it comes to identifying your target audience and ways to better serve them. Once you get to know the consumer better, you’re able to decide how to convert them into a sale. With these tools, you’re able to find out things like if they’re more desktop-oriented or maybe if they prefer mobile platforms like cell phones and tablets. You’re able to see where your users are coming from and what they’re looking for on your website.
- When a business shows up fairly high on the search results, it builds credibility and trust. The higher up you are on the search results, the more your potential customers will believe that you’re an authority in your industry, therefore trusting they should choose you to do business with.
- Google rules all when it comes to SEO. The stats show that Google currently holds 1% of the total search engine market share, followed by YouTube (which is owned by Google), Yahoo!, Bing, and then Amazon. In other words, “All hail King Google.” Google rewards websites that have a strong SEO presence. The better and more popular your content is, the stronger the SEO will become with time as other sources link to your website. Google will then eventually reward you for providing quality content over things like spam articles. When Google ranks your site highly on its first page, it is essentially giving you its seal of approval. Believe us when we say, they don’t take that lightly.
- Using keywords that perform well or other long-tail keywords to drive traffic to your website can increase your SEO credibility. But, beware. SEO is no longer all about simply matching keywords and phrases. It’s become more about answering questions and covering topics in their entirety. Google is constantly updating its algorithms which means you have to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to keeping an eye on your keywords that are actually working and those that aren’t. One change to Google’s search algorithm could cast you down into the deep dark second and third pages of Google’s search results within hours. If you’re not up to date on how it continues to change, you risk being left behind in Google’s dust.
- Content is the biggest key to SEO. After all, the main goal here as you’re crafting your content, you’re ideally optimizing it hoping to rank higher on search engines, right? You want to aim to provide quality and in-depth content as opposed to just stuffing keywords into paragraphs trying to rank. Your content needs to address and solve your consumers problem that they’re searching for. It’s vital here to always remember who you are writing for.
Search engine optimization is a fundamental factor for conducting and growing your business online. Without a strong SEO strategy in place, it will be incredibly challenging to get your website the traffic it deserves. When you’re optimizing your content for search engines, internet users will be put in your path, directing them right to your website where they belong. Most importantly, remember that every time you allow your competitor to gain a potential customer because you don’t exist on Google, you are making it 10 times more difficult to win that customer over in the future. Don’t waste any more of your hard-earned time and get your SEO strategy started today with your trusted marketing partners at Frontier Media.