With more than 80% of customers conducting online research prior to making a final purchase decision, it is evident that small to medium sized businesses can benefit greatly from a strong online presence. According to statistics, businesses that have established themselves online and are continually working on utilizing everything world wide web has to offer, are expected to grow 40% faster than those which don’t.
There are many allegations regarding the death of SEO, when in fact, it is far from it; it has only changed drastically. Namely, many companies worldwide are still investing in quality SEO services, and if you wish to achieve stellar success in this jam-packed, highly competitive market, you have to follow in their footsteps. If you’re still unsure of just how beneficial a well-though SEO campaign can be, take a sneak peek at our list.
SEO allows you to grab more market share
As already mentioned, more than 80% of people choose to conduct online research before purchasing a particular product they are interested in; what’s important to note is that this number is only going to increase. It won’t be long before literally everyone will be searching for products and services online. For this reason, without organic SEO in place, your target customers will have a hard time locating you in search engine results, and will instead opt for your competitors.
Optimized website is a user-friendly website
If you obey by the search engine rules set by their carefully crafted algorithms, your website will receive preferential treatment. A multitude of factors, like website speed, navigation, mobile optimization and others will have a great impact on your standing in the SERPs and the amount of time visitors will choose to stay on your website. Thus, by working on all these aspects and improving UX on your SMB website, you’re bound to enjoy higher search engine rankings, attract greater number of visitors and most importantly – increase your conversion rates.
A company blog will establish you as a knowledge-leader
Establishing a blog on your company website is precisely what you need, aspublishing blog posts regularly is an all-encompassing necessity that provides fresh content, backlinking, keywords and social engagement. By posting relevant, useful and easy-to-comprehend content that website visitors will not only find helpful, but also entertaining, will help you convert them into customers. How come? Look at it this way: if you provide them with informative niche-related subjects, they will consider you to be an industry expert and will always turn to you when in need of specific products or services.
SEO gives your business credibility
Naturally, in this day and age, users are programmed to associate the credibility of your business with your search engine rankings. The truth is, many believe that the first page of the SERP is reserved for credible businesses only (rare are those who will move on to the second page). Every business missing from thisfirst list is likely to be disregarded as unreliable and will elicit less-than-positive perceptions from prospective clients. Thanks to SEO, you will be able to improve your rankings which will in turn play a big role in sales, conversions and brand recognition.
SEO delivers long-lasting results
Unlike a 30-second video commercial or a spot on the local radio station, time-limited billboard or a print advertisement in local (or even global) newspaper, well-established SEO strategy is a long-term solution and will provide your business with ongoing marketing benefits. By choosing to invest in SEO, you are bound to increase online visibility over time and thus maintain high ranking in SERP, which will result in great ROI on your marketing budget.
It is cost-effective
With more and more people moving online, investing in traditional marketing will ultimately become redundant. In addition to that, it’s important to mention statisticswhich have revealed that inbound marketing delivers 54% more leads into the marketing funnel than traditional. Also, digital marketing-sourced leads can be delivered at an average cost of $1.00 per lead, in comparison to $2.50 per lead that was acquired through traditional marketing efforts. Finally, the close rate for SEO leads is 14.6% on average, compared to 1.7% close rate for traditional methods.
SEO boosts social media marketing strategy
Social media represents an important tool in every digital marketer’s arsenal. It is essential for building brand awareness and engagement, and many customers who have stumbled upon your product or services on one of the platforms will conduct an online research and find out more about your business. Increasing the visibility of your website with SEO efforts, you will be able to capitalize on these valuable social referrals.
Conclusion
A digital marketing strategy is definitely an absolute necessity if you’re looking to compete in today’s internet-driven world. Consumers are turning away from traditional information and communication media and are favoring products and services they find online. To reach a modern consumer, you’ll need to revolvemost of your marketing efforts around your (optimized) website, so that it reaches the maximum number of search engine users who are on the hunt for product or services you can offer them.
Despite constant algorithm updates, SEO is not likely to go away anytime soon and top white hat SEO tactics that comply with the accepted practices will continue to generate desired results.
