Welcome back for part 2 of our two-part search engine optimization series. We promise this won’t be disappointing like the sequel to your favorite movie.
If you’re just joining and you have limited background on the basics of SEO, part 1 is a good primer. Here we’ll discuss search engine optimization in more depth, specifically, how your business can benefit from SEO:
Integrates seamlessly with your current marketing plan
Sometimes it’s difficult to determine exactly how a marketing tactic will mesh with all of your other great ideas. Search engine optimization, and search engine marketing in general, supports and strengthens the effectiveness of your existing marketing efforts.
Drives new visitors to your website
SEO initiatives increase the probability that your website will be found by individuals who may not have otherwise known it was there. Therefore, search engine optimization can increase the number of new visitors to your website and attract potential new customers.
Connect with your target audience
Your target audience likely is using a search engine to look for the products and services you offer. Just last month, more than 90K people searched Google for “auto loan rates.” If you’re a bank or credit union, you want to be on the first page of those search results. Optimizing your website for search engines can help you achieve such ranking, and a well-designed website can help convert visitors into new customers. If your website is not prominent on search results, your target market instead will find your competitors that have a dedicated search engine marketing strategy.
Increase brand awareness
Brand awareness is essential. You might have an exceptional product or service, but if people can’t find your site, then you are limiting your potential success. High search engine rankings on keywords and phrases relevant to your company will help you increase brand awareness and extend your overall brand reach.
Maximize content distribution
Search engines can maximize the distribution of your content through organic search results. Whether it’s your website content or your social media content, search engines help you reach new audiences when your content is optimized. Not only can this provide exposure for your company, but certain content (such as blogs) can position your company as a subject matter expert.
Gain a competitive advantage
As more people go online to find products and services, SEO becomes increasingly important for companies to compete successfully. The higher your company is ranked on search engines, the more likely individuals will find your website and not your competitors’. Search engine marketing is one of the few arenas where you can position your company side by side with your competitors and allow the target audience to choose. Any hesitation in doing this immediately gives your competitors more market share.
Increase brand credibility
Search engine rankings are significantly influenced by a “credibility score.” Your site becomes more credible as more sites link to yours and you develop additional good content that gets shared. And the higher your search engine ranking, the more credibility your brand will have with potential customers.
Become known locally
Search engine optimization can help your local business compete with the big dogs. Although most big companies are investing in search engine optimization, they often have no specific geographic focus because they typically have locations throughout the country. SEO allows you to optimize your website for a specific geographic area, helping your local company stand out and driving targeted traffic to your site.
Measure results
As with any marketing effort, you want to use your dollars wisely. Search engine optimization is highly measurable, allowing you to track its success and ultimately your return on investment. Most analytics software will track the percentage of search engine-driven traffic to your site and the search queries that are generating that traffic. Some can even track which pages most people visit after coming from a search engine, allowing you to monitor conversion patterns. Not only do these analytics provide insight into the success of your search engine optimization strategy, the information also provides direction for improving the effectiveness of your strategy.
The benefits of search engine optimization extend far beyond this sampling. But the bottom line is that SEO has a place in the marketing plans of every company, no matter its size, location or budget.
Ready to learn more and develop an effective search engine optimization strategy to drive visitors to your website and not your competitors’? Contact ZAG Interactive for a free SEO consultation.