You’ve probably heard the acronym “SEO” a lot lately, but do you really understand what it is or what it can do for your business? Let’s start with the basics. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and businesses use SEO strategy to optimize their web content to improve search engine result ranking and increase the quality and quantity of their web traffic.

All the major search engines, like Google or Bing, use algorithms to determine the ranking of the search results they present to users. You want your business to be one of the first results users see when they search keywords for your products and services. In order to get top billing, you must create accurate, useful web content that search engines understand and that users will find appealing.

If you’re still a little confused, that’s okay! SEO is complicated, and strategy changes with every algorithm update. Successful SEO strategy requires an in-depth knowledge of search engine guidelines that cover everything from domain names and anchor texts to keywords and internal links. That’s why many companies outsource their SEO to highly trained experts.

Even if you choose to leave your company’s SEO to the experts, you should still have a clear understanding of why SEO is crucial, so here are the top 10 reasons you should be incorporating SEO strategies into your business plan.

1. SEO Leads Customers Directly to You

Those search engine algorithms are using keywords to bring users the most accurate and useful search results. When your business has a high search result ranking, you’ll see a huge increase in potential customers that are already interested in your product being led directly to your site.

   2. SEO Increases Trust and Credibility

Search engines set very high standards for top-ranking search results. Being one of the highest ranked results automatically establishes credibility and helps build your customers’ trust.

 3. SEO Builds Brand Awareness

When potential customers do a keyword search for your product or service, they may not have ever heard of your company. But when your company tops the search results, they’ll get to know you right away, and might follow up with a purchase! Those brand-new customers can also lead to more social media followers and increased blog traffic.

4. SEO Has the Highest Conversion Rates

When potential customers discover your company through a keyword search, they’re already interested in your product, so they’re far more likely to be converted into actual customers. In fact, SEO has higher conversion rates than any other source of organic traffic.

5. SEO Is Mobile User Friendly

Mobile search is on the rise. People are using mobile devices for search queries more than ever, and since SEO is very mobile user friendly, it helps your business capture a higher percentage of mobile search users.

   6. SEO Has Measurable Results

It’s very easy to know if your SEO strategy is working. You can measure conversions and source of conversions, progression of website rankings and organic traffic, and even keyword searches.

7. SEO Gives You A Competitive Edge

You might not have a huge advertising budget like larger companies, but with SEO, you won’t need it. Your search result ranking depends on the quality of your content, not the size of your budget. A top-notch ranking gives you the edge to compete with much larger companies.

 8. Your Competition Is Using SEO

If you want to get ahead of your competition, your SEO strategy has to be on point. You want the number one search result spot, but so does your competition. Excellent SEO strategy is what gets you there.

   9. SEO Has High ROI

SEO is technically free. Sure, you might choose to hire an expert to handle the ins and out of SEO, but having a high-ranking page delivers non-stop organic traffic directly to your site at no cost. That’s an outstanding ROI!

   10. SEO Is the Future

SEO isn’t going anywhere any time soon. As long as there are search engines, SEO will be a critical part of your business strategy, so don’t hesitate when it comes to improving your company’s SEO.

If you’re looking for an expert to guide your SEO strategy, SophieZo can help. Book a call today to learn how you can snag a top search result spot for your brand!