You might have heard the term SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and it’s derivatives banded around, but are unsure if it will really make a difference to your business.
Search engines can seem like opaque behemoths – simple layouts that deliver what you’re looking for (usually), and yet they’re worth sums of money that look more like phone numbers than financial statements.
If you’re searching within a particular field, you might notice the same websites popping up again and again. These are businesses that take care of their SEO. The search engine ranking is a badge of honour – and the higher you are on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP), the more credible your business is. But why is it important for your business?
Brand Authority
Having a high SERP ranking is the equivalent of turning up to the Oscars in an immaculately tailored Italian suit, made from the finest cotton, and smelling of ridiculously expensive cologne. Tenuous metaphors aside – you’re rubbing shoulders with the best in the industry, and you look like you belong there.
We’ve become a planet of people that Google things without thinking and we have faith our search engine overlords will provide the information or services we need from reputable sources. Although most people don’t understand how search engines work, they have an inherent trust in them.
If your website is on the first page when someone searches for you, it will direct more traffic your way and let your potential customer know that they can trust you.
The User Experience
Search engine algorithms are very clever – they’re cooked up by the finest brains that Silicon Valley has to offer, probably in unspeakably cool offices with beanbags, table tennis tables, and free vending machines.
As such, they can tell when your website has a positive User Experience (or UX to use the technical term). If your site is optimised for mobile phones, has fast load speeds, and has short, easy-to-understand paragraphs clearly outlining what you do, the search engines will bump your ranking up.
The happy byproduct of this is that your potential customers will find it easier to navigate and want to spend more time browsing – hopefully through to your sales pages.
SALES INCOMING! Inbound Marketing Strategy
Unlike your regular outbound marketing channels that involve contacting potential customers whether they like it or not, inbound marketing revolves around making it as easy for your audience to find you when they want information.
Inbound marketing doesn’t involve contacting people when they don’t want it. Have you ever checked your phone, thinking that one of your friends has sent you another hilarious meme, only to find a spam email alert glowing on your screen? I think most of us have t-shirts from that club!
It goes without saying that when we feel harassed or annoyed, it sours any experience we have of a brand. No one wants to feel hassled. However, inbound marketing allows people to look at what you have to offer and make their own decision (hopefully) helped by your wonderfully laid out website.
According to a study by HubSpot, this strategy should pay off, as 59% of marketers said that inbound practices yielded the highest quality of leads for their sales team.
Save Your Business Money
Once you’ve invested some money in making sure your site has SEO-optimised content and the search engine powers that be have recognised that, you should begin to get a steady stream of visitors.
This is a huge advantage over Pay Per Click (PPC) adverts, which cost your business money every time someone clicks on them. According to research, the average cost per click across all industries is $2.32.
And while PPC ads are displayed above organic rankings, over 70% of searches result in an organic click on the first results page. As we mentioned earlier – people trust search engines to show them what they need to know. They know that anyone can pay to have a featured advertisement, but to climb to the top of the SEO meritocracy requires your website to be reputable.
Is There an Easy Way Up?
So you’ve realised how important that SERP ranking is for your business, and of course, you want to climb that ladder! You might be wondering if there is a quick route to get you where you want to go. Unfortunately, the answer is no. As with all good things, this takes time, and trying to force the search engine’s hand can result in penalties.
There is no magic bullet for SEO – gone are the days of being able to stuff keywords in like a greedy toddler at a dessert buffet and watch your website’s rank rise. Google’s Panda algorithm update has made churning out low-quality content obsolete. Why they chose the least aggressive bear in the animal kingdom to name their rubbish-content killing algorithm after escapes us, but as we already said, search engine providers can be hard to understand!
Google uses over two hundred different metrics to measure the quality of your site, including:
- high-quality content
- user experience
- page loading speed
- mobile optimisation
If you want to boost your SEO, it’s worth your while to develop a consistent strategy that should pay dividends over time.
