Despite the number of times I’ve seen comments online like “SEO is dead” or “SEO doesn’t work any more,” there are very few businesses that wouldn’t benefit from SEO, aka search engine optimisation.

If your customers are searching for the products or services you sell online, then SEO will benefit your business.

If your products or services solve problems that potential customers are facing, SEO can work for your business.

SEO is all about getting your website to rank higher in the SERPs (search engine results pages).

The goal of SEO is to increase organic (non-paid) traffic to your website by improving its visibility for relevant search queries which are the terms people enter into search engines.

SEO involves various techniques such as:

• Keyword research
• Content optimisation
• On-page optimisation
• Off-page optimisation
• Technical improvements to make the website more search engine-friendly.

The ultimate aim of search engine optimisation is to attract quality traffic and increase the website’s authority and trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines.

And if you approach your search engine optimisation with SEO best practices in mind, you’re onto a winning digital marketing strategy.

How SEO will help your small business

Targeting the right traffic

SEO is all about targeting the right traffic, as the wrong traffic will bounce back off again, and we don’t want a high bounce rate.

When SEO is done correctly, and I mean with a Keyword Strategy, it means targeting the right keywords to bring in the right traffic and turn that traffic/website visitors into paying customers or clients.

Then, incorporating on-page SEO into your content and implementing a content strategy will help you answer your potential customers’ questions.

Knowing your ideal client/customer and utilising the power of SEO can be a fantastic combination for your business.

Targeting the right traffic for your business website also means you’ll have a better conversion and who doesn’t want that?

Show potential clients or customers the solution

What do you do when you face a problem? You search for the answer online, don’t you?

Now, imagine yourself in the position of your ideal client/customer. If they were looking for the solution to their problem online, would they find your business? If they can’t, then SEO will help your business.

You can even take it a step further and Google a question related to your business using Google incognito mode to see what you find. It can be very enlightening and helpful as a starting point to get you in the right frame of mind and direction as your target market.

SEO boosts your visibility

Actively working on your SEO is a great way to boost your website’s visibility. Ultimately, you want your website to be on the first page of Google and other search engines, and ideally, when you hit that SEO sweet spot, position one on the first page of SERPs (search engine result pages).

The more visible your business is (and there’s a few components to make this happen), the more eyes and potential customers/clients will see your website. And you’re also lowering the visibility of your competition too. So, it’s a win/win.

Connect at different stages of the buying cycle

The majority of your website visitors won’t be ready to place an immediate order or sign up for your services on the first visit. So, your website really needs to have content that focuses on the different stages of the buying cycle, such as awareness, consideration, and decision.

Of course, this content should be search engine optimised to ensure it’s visible to the right person at the right time.

You can also use newsletter signups and/or lead magnets to capture your ideal client/customer’s details in exchange for a fabulous resource or incentive/discount. That way, you have their details and can remarket to them, warm them up, and wow them some more with your fabulous products, expertise and knowledge.

Cost-effective marketing

SEO works out to be very cost-effective for your business when you think about the long-term gains search engine optimisation brings especially when compared to paid online marketing options such as Google Adwords or Facebook Ads. Which are basically a ‘pay-to-play’ system. You pay for each visitor these platforms send to your website. And when you turn those ads off, website traffic stops.

On the other hand, SEO continues to work for you for years to come and, therefore, helps reduce your customer acquisition cost. As you don’t pay for every visitor with SEO, so your investment goes further and delivers long-term results for your business.

And personally I get so much enjoyment from watching my website and client websites climbing search engine rankings.

Increase trust and credibility with SEO

Trust is crucial to the buying process. If you don’t trust someone, their website, or their online presence, then you’re not going to hang around, let alone want to do business with them. At the end of the day, if someone doesn’t trust you, they won’t buy from you, will they?

With SEO, you can increase trust and credibility by appearing at the top of the search rankings, instilling confidence in your potential clients/customers. It’s commonly known that when clients/customers are looking for a business like yours, they’ll pay more attention to the businesses that appear first in the results. Let’s be honest: How often do you click past page 1?

Is SEO still worth it?

SEO is not just a strategy; it’s a long-term investment for long-term gain. It’s like a seed you plant today and reap the benefits for years to come. (Given that I don’t have a great green thumb, that’s maybe not the best analogy I could have used, but you get the idea, I hope.)

I recently received an enquiry from a potential client who found me via a blog post I wrote three years ago. How many marketing strategies are still working for you three years later?
What do you think? Do you still think SEO is still worth it?