Why Is SEO Important for Your Business?

Almost every business relies in some way on their website and other online presences to connect with potential customers or clients. Customers look to a company’s website to learn more about them, determine if they are trustworthy, and decide if they are the right fit for the needs they might have. 

If you’ve spent any time researching different digital marketing techniques, you’ve probably come across the term SEO. But what exactly is SEO, and is it something your business really needs?

What Is SEO?

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a broad term that refers to the practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in search results on popular search engines. Most people primarily view and utilize the first page of search results, so if your business does not appear on the first page, you may struggle to reach potential customers. Search engine optimization can involve retargeting a site’s content and language to use specific keywords or search terms, improving the site’s performance, and optimizing the user experience of the site to ensure that it is easy to use and navigate.

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What Is Involved in SEO?

SEO involves a combination of strategies and techniques to help improve a website. 

Conducting Keyword Research

First, keyword research helps to identify the search terms that are most commonly used by customers looking for the services or products that your businesses offer. This type of analysis is crucial to find out how to best target your site to reach your ideal customers. 

Creating and Updating Site Content

Next, this research can be translated to the content on your site. Creating quality content that highlights what your business does and what it offers helps to communicate to customers exactly what you do and how you can help them. Additionally, creating blog or informational content that answers user questions and provides value to potential customers is key for signaling your expertise in the field.

Analyzing and Improving Site Structure

Finally, a crucial step in the SEO process is to ensure that your website is easy to navigate by both search engines and users. This can involve making behind-the-scenes, technical improvements to a site, as well as analyzing how users interact with a site and where potential issues may be arising. User experience and SEO go hand in hand, so it’s important to provide a straightforward user experience

Why Is SEO Important for Your Business?

Many people never consider why they see the websites that they do when they use a search engine. As long as they are able to quickly and easily find what they are looking for, they probably won’t give it a second thought. However, behind the scenes, there are a number of factors that search engines use to determine which sites appear first when a user types in a query.

If your site is slow, confusing to use, has limited content, or experiences other issues, it will have a hard time ranking well and reaching customers. Additionally, customers who do find your site may be turned off by a poor first experience. Many customers’ first impression with a business is through its online presence. If that impression isn’t a good one, you can lose a potential customer right away.

For many businesses, their biggest challenge is competing with similar businesses in their industry. This can be a challenge for both online-only companies and companies with a local presence. Having a site that is lean, efficient, and precisely targeted at your ideal audience helps to boost user traffic and ensure that your customers have a positive experience with your business from their first impression. This is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd and build a reputation in your industry.

Build Trust With Potential Customers and Clients

Organic search results are where many people turn to when they’re looking for information that they can trust. Companies can pay to advertise their products and services at the top of search results, but many users place higher value on the organic search results that rank beneath these advertisements because they haven’t been paid for. Any company can pay for advertising, but top organic rankings have to be earned by quality content and consistent reputations.

Building trust with your customers goes beyond just ranking well in search results. If customers reach your site but are then greeted with confusing pages and a site that is hard to navigate, doesn’t answer their questions, or seems untrustworthy, they likely aren’t going to give you a second thought. 

Provide Value From the First Impression

One of the most common ways that people utilize search engines is asking questions. Creating content that answers popular questions surrounding your business and offerings can enable your website to rank for these questions that people ask. This can not only boost the number of people visiting your site, but it can also establish authority for your brand. Customers are much more likely to do business with a company that provides solutions to their problems and doesn’t merely promise opaque services that may or may not follow through.

Competition With Similar Businesses

If your business struggles to compete with similar companies in your industry or area, one of the best ways to stand out is to implement a SEO strategy for your website. By identifying the language customers are using to identify your industry or business, you can optimize your site to best reach them. Creating informational content that answers your customers’ questions and provides them with the information that they need is one of the best ways to stand out from the competition as a trusted expert in your field. Additionally, using things like interactive content can help your website go above and beyond in standing out to your visitors.

What Are the Benefits of SEO for Your Business?

SEO can have a number of benefits for a wide range of businesses.

Increased Visibility

Having a site that ranks on the first page of search engines for valuable search terms can provide a tremendous boost in your company’s online visibility. While traditional advertising has its benefits, ranking well in search results can help to sustainably unlock a massive audience depending on your industry and offerings.

Increased Site Traffic

When was the last time you clicked to the second page of search results for a query you typed into a search engine? If you’re like most people, it probably isn’t very often. One of the biggest goals of a SEO campaign is to help a site to begin ranking on the first page of search results for their most relevant and valuable search terms. Having this prime positioning can lead to a tremendous increase in organic traffic to your website from popular search engines.

More Customers, Leads, and Sales

If you’re a business that relies on its website for more customers or sales leads, the more relevant traffic you can get, the more conversions you’ll get. The key to conversions, however, is connecting with the right customers. Your website could receive thousands of visitors a week, but if they aren’t relevant to what you offer, they’re merely going to leave. By focusing your site’s messaging to target the language your customers are using, you can connect with the right customers. 

Does My Business Need SEO?

If you have a business with an online presence, SEO can be a tremendous investment in improving the reach and reputation of your business without having to spend money on costly advertising. If you still have questions about what is involved in a SEO campaign, explore Go Fish Digital’s approach to search engine optimization. Interested in learning more about how SEO can help your business specifically? Get in touch with Go Fish Digital today to get started!