SEO 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 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.

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.

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. This may also lead some customers to think that you have no budget to boost your website for better search results.

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,

“Creating brand awareness is one of the key steps in promoting a product.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

. 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.

Imagine how far you’ll have aced the competition if all of your competitors are just using traditional marketing? Keep up with the advancements in the digital world and you will stay ahead of the competition. This era is constantly changing, make sure you adapt well to the changes.

You’ll Keep Up With Your Competition

Running a business is a lot like being in a marathon. It’s a race to the top. It’s a race to reach your audience first. It’s a race to make more money than your competitors.

Fighting to keep up (or stay ahead if you’re one of the lucky ones) is part and parcel to running a business.

Your competitors? Yeah, they’re doing SEO. Save a few weird one-off niches, search engine optimization is quite ubiquitous.

Show me a search engine result page (SERP) and I’ll show you how the top results have been pursuing their SEO objective. Higher organic rankings can make a big difference.

You’ll Catch Your Audience in the Discovery Phase

When people are using search, they’re often in the process of making a “purchase decision”. They’re learning about the various choices they have, they’re assessing the pros and cons, etc. This is a critical time for you to get in front of your potential customers.

They could be looking for literally the exact product or service you provide. But if you haven’t done your SEO, there’s no way they’re going to find you! You’ll be invisible to them.

A proper SEO campaign ensures that your audience will be able to see you when they’re looking for your product or service. Did you know that only ~8% of search traffic makes it past the first page of Google SERPS. That’s it.

You’ll Grow Your Website Traffic

I trust you know why it’s good to have traffic coming through to your website right?

This is the whole point of SEO after all. First, you build authority so your site will be seen in the top 10 results. Then your (hopefully) killer snippet will attract a click. Last but not least, users engage with your (again, hopefully) awesome website. That’s it in a nutshell.

Your website is your 24/7 sales expert. It should be constantly working to deliver paying customers right into your funnel.

Visibility means traffic

Traffic means leads

Leads mean sales

This simple equation drives internet business. That’s why you’re always hearing about how important web traffic is. In turn, it’s proof of how essential SEO is for any and all small businesses.

You’ll Build Brand Identity

Brand identity is built upon a foundation of steady exposure. You can’t build a reputation if no-one knows who you are.

The perks of having a strong identity are many. Principally, people will be more willing to buy from you. Consumers love a good story. Consumers love if you are who and what you say you are.

You’ll have to put in a lot of hard work to cultivate company culture, refine your brand’s unique style and presence in social channels, and curate the effectiveness and consistency of copy that will inspire your audience to both buy and evangelize.

You’ll Reinvest in Your Business

Mistaking SEO as “costly” is a common mistake. While the adjective may be applicable in the sense that SEO isn’t cheap, it’s nonetheless a fundamentally flawed notion.

SEO is less of an expense and more of an investment. In fact, we’ll go ahead and say it… SEO is an investment in the future of your business.

Statistically and historically, it can provide compelling ROI and make a huge difference when it comes to building brand exposure and capturing more leads.

In fact, it will often deliver higher conversion ratios than any other form of advertising. That’s because the traffic you get from organic search results is highly targeted.

A Yellow Pages Ad gets put in front of all kinds of people. The vast majority of which will never be interested in making a purchase from you.

With SEO, you’ll typically only gain visibility with people that are quite literally looking for a business like yours.