SEO has become a necessity at an unprecedented level. Even the oldest businesses realized the need to speed up the digital shift as consumers moved en masse online. SEO is the best and most cost-effective way for customers to be understood and reached in crucial moments that matter.
Many businesses and brands know, or think they know, that SEO is essential for their digital properties. The benefits that SEO can bring to their business are immense. SEO can certainly increase a website’s searchability and visibility. But what other real benefits does it provide?
The importance of SEO is at an all time high. These top 15 reasons will help you understand why SEO is important to elevate your brand, regardless of industry or size.
1. The primary source of website traffic is often organic search
The organic search component is critical to the website performance of many businesses and an important part of the buyer funnel. It also helps users convert or engage with you.
Marketers know that Google has a much larger share of the search market than other competitors such as Yahoo!, Baidu, Yandex and DuckDuckGo.
This is not to suggest that those search engines can’t help brands’ visibility. But Google controls a significant portion of the global search market and it is, however, a clear leader and its guidelines should be followed.
Brands also have the opportunity to profit from the rest of the market that is not controlled by search engines. This is particularly true for niche verticals, where voice, visual, and vertical search engines are essential.
Google is the most visited website worldwide (and in particular in the United States) and it also happens to be the most used email provider worldwide with over 1 billion users. YouTube is the second most popular search engine. More than 2 billion people visit it at least once per month.
We know that the majority of people who have internet access visit Google at least once per day to find information. A brand will always benefit from being highly visible and trusted by Google and other search engines. Brands can be successful with quality SEO and a top-quality website.
2. SEO builds trust and credibility
An experienced SEO should have a solid foundation to create a beautiful website that provides a user-friendly experience and is easily searchable. This is due to the brand’s trustworthiness and digital assets.
There are many factors that go into the establishment of authority for search engines such as Google. Other than the above factors, authority can also be acquired over time due to aspects such as:
- Natural links
- Positive user behavior.
- Machine-learning signals.
- Optimized content and elements on-page
However, building this authority can do more for brands than most other digital optimizations.
It’s not possible to establish trust and credibility overnight. This is just like real life. Authority can only be earned and developed over time. To ensure success, it is important to follow Google’s EAT guidelines.
It takes time, effort and commitment to establish a brand that is an authority. Customers can trust brands if they offer a quality product or service.
3. SEO is the best way to understand the voice of the consumer
SEO helps us understand what customers want and require, from understanding macro market shifts to understanding consumers’ intent in fine detail.
We can see the intent and behavior of users through SEO data and formats, whether they are spoken or written.
This is how it works:
- You can search for query data.
- Analysis of SERPs
- Analytics data and AI insights
4. A better user experience is also a result of good SEO
Marketers must make user experience their number one priority. Every marketer wants to achieve maximum visibility and organic rankings. Few realize that a great user experience is an important part of getting there.
Google has mastered the art of interpreting a user’s positive or negative experience. This has made a positive user experience a key element in a website’s success.
Google’s Page Experience update is something all marketers will need to follow. It is part of their ongoing focus on customer experience.
Customers know what they want. There will be problems if they can’t find what they want. Performance will suffer.
Google’s rise to being an answer engine, offering data directly via the SERPs (search engine result pages), is a clear example of how you can build a solid user-experience. Our goal is to provide users with the information they need quickly and easily in fewer clicks. Quality SEO is about a positive user experience that works in the brand’s favor.
5. Local SEO means more traffic, engagement and conversions
Local search is now a key component of the success of small and medium-sized companies.
Local SEO is about optimizing digital properties in a particular area to make it easy for people to find you and bring them closer to making a purchase. Local optimizations are focused on specific areas, towns, cities and regions to create a viable medium for brand messaging at a local level.
We optimize the brand’s website, its content, and local backlinks. They also create regional listings that are relevant to the business sector and location of a brand. We can also optimize a brand’s Knowledge Graph panel, Google My Business listing, as well as its social media profiles, in order to promote local engagement.
You should also place a lot of emphasis on user reviews, both on Google and other review sites such as Yelp, Home Advisor, Angie’s List, etc., depending on your industry.
6. SEO has an impact on the buying cycle
SEO is becoming more important than ever. Real-time research is increasingly important.
Use SEO techniques to communicate your message for great deals, ground-breaking services and products, and the importance of what you have to offer customers. This will make a big difference. If done correctly, it will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the buying cycle.
For a meaningful connection to be made, brands must be present in the areas people need them. Local SEO increases visibility and allows potential customers to find the answers they need and the businesses that provide them.
7. SEO is constantly improving and best practices are always being updated
It is great to have SEO strategies implemented on a brand’s website and across its digital properties. If it’s a temporary engagement (budget constraints), etc and the site is not re-evaluated regularly over time, it may reach a point where it cannot improve due to other hindrances.
Google is able to change the way that the search world develops, but it requires constant monitoring of changes to keep up with the competition and on Page 1. Brands that are proactive in monitoring algorithm changes will always benefit from being proactive.
Google is known to make thousands of algorithm changes each year. It will be difficult to catch up if you fall behind. SEO professionals can help you to avoid this.
8. Understanding SEO helps you understand the web environment
It can be difficult to keep up with the constantly changing environment of the World Wide Web. SEO is about staying current with the latest changes in search. It is always beneficial for brands to understand the web environment, as well as the tactics used by competitors and businesses in the same area.
9. SEO is relatively inexpensive and very cost-effective
It’s true that all the best things cost money. SEO is relatively cheap in the grand scheme, and the return on investment will be significant for a brand’s bottom line. This is not a marketing expense; it is an actual business investment.
For many years, exemplary SEO implementations will be a success. It will be more successful with investment and attention.
10. SEO is PR
SEO can help build long-term equity in your brand and can help raise your brand’s profile by ensuring a good ranking and favorable placement. People search for news and similar items. Our SEO strategies will ensure that your brand is visible.
A good user experience on your site will make your message heard and help you sell your products or services. SEO is not a channel that can be used in isolation. Integrating with content will help increase brand awareness and reach.
11. It’s a long-term strategy
SEO can have a significant impact on your business within the first year. Many actions have an extended effect that lasts for years. It’s important to keep up with market changes and trends.
Even a website that doesn’t have a lot of SEO recommendations will benefit from the basic SEO best practices applied to a honest website with decent user experiences. The more SEO effort, time and budget a website puts into it, the better and more valuable it is in its market.
12. It is quantifiable
SEO can be quantified. Although SEO may not offer the same ROI as paid searches, it can be used to measure any number of things with proper tracking and analysis.
It is difficult to see the connections between actions, which is the problem. So it is important to understand how certain actions can affect growth and performance. These improvements are what any good SEO should aim for, so it shouldn’t be difficult to connect the dots.
Brands want to understand and know where they were, are and will be going digitally, especially when they have a paid person/company to do it. SEO is the best way to demonstrate its success. We all know that data is always truthful.
13. SEO brings new opportunities to light
SEO professionals who are skilled in high-quality SEO will find ways to discover and leverage new opportunities for brands. A brand can only offer quality SEO if it has an SEO team that understands your company. A brand’s understanding is key to its success. SEO is no different.
SEO can offer many opportunities today – from creating content, digital, and social opportunities, to helping sales, product, or customer service strategies.
14. If you’re not on page one, you’re not winning the click – especially with zero-click results
SEO is now a zero-sum business. Zero-click SERPs show the answer right at the top of Google’s search results. Without having to click on any search results links, the search intent of the user can be satisfied.
We know that you can’t kill the organic search game if your site isn’t on Page 1. Recent research shows that click-throughs to the top three organic search positions account for more than 50% of all click-throughs. However, Page 1 and Page 2 accounts for 30% of all click-throughs.
What does this all mean? Three things:
- Zero-click SERPs win.
- You should be on Page 1.
- Too many times, a user will type a search query but not find what it is looking for.
15. SEO is always going to be here
Online shopping will continue to be a popular way for consumers to purchase products and services. Brands will also look for the best cost-effective ways to achieve this goal. Although the role of SEO is changing and strategies may change, new avenues are continually opening up through voice, apps and wearables.
Comserve.Inc predicts that next-generation search engines powered deep neural networks and machine intelligence will explode in market value from $14.9 billion in 2019 up to $55.7 billion by 2025. There will always be new organic search opportunities.
Conclusion
Over the past few years, SEO’s role has grown significantly. SEO is especially useful for consumers in times of need. Brands and their marketing efforts will be greatly aided by implementing quality SEO on their website and digital properties.
SEO comes with its own challenges. However, the potential it offers for future success for any business is invaluable. Make sure to work with a knowledgable digital marketing agency to ensure your site is found and is generating leads for your business.
