7 Reasons You Need
Outstanding SEO
You have a great product or service that people need – the only problem is that most people have never even heard of your company. And when they search online for a solution to their problem, a hundred other answers pop up before they ever get to yours.
You need to rank in the first several spots to get more visitors!
But how?
One commonly discussed option is search engine optimization (SEO). But can SEO really put your company on the map and generate more leads for you? Or is it a money hole that doesn’t end in any tangible results?
We know there are a lot of unanswered questions! Here at LifeX Marketing, we want to put our years of marketing experience to work and cut through the fluff so you can get real answers about SEO.
Ready to get started? Let’s dig in!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Is SEO?
To get started, let’s ensure we understand what SEO is.
As we mentioned earlier, SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization" and is the process of optimizing your website to increase organic website traffic.
To put it another way:
When someone searches for your product, your website competes with other sites offering that product. But when your SEO is better than your competitor's, your website shows up first.
This is a huge deal.
After all, as the old saying goes, “The best place to hide a body is on the second page of Google.” In other words, when people search for a product, they rarely click to the second page of Google – most often, they find what they are looking for within the first several search results.
In fact, only 0.78% of Google searchers click on the second page at all. In contrast, the top 3 Google results receive over half (55.2%) of all traffic.
At the end of the day, excellent SEO helps you rank on the first page of Google, which results in more leads and profit for your business.
SEO vs. Paid Ads
Are top-notch SEO practices always required to rank well on Google?
Not necessarily.
An alternative to SEO is paying Google for ad space at the top of the first page of search results. These are known as google ads, and they work quite simply:
- Google reserves up to four paid spots at the top of the page, which is marked with a small ‘Ad’ notice next to the result.
- You can claim one of these spots by bidding on a keyword. Different keywords cost different amounts, and you pay every time someone clicks on your ad (known as pay per click (PPC).
Running a Google ad is a good way to get your company to show up at the top of Google search results, but generally is not as good as long-term SEO.
After all, once you quit running Google ads, your company may be right back where it started – somewhere other than the first page of Google! On the other hand, SEO takes longer to see Google ranking improvements, but it is sustainable over the long term.
As you might guess, combining search engine optimization and PPC is often very effective. Paid ads help bring in leads while your SEO is being built.
If you want consistent leads over the next 5 years, SEO is a much more budget-friendly option than Google Ads.
Does SEO Really Work?
Now that we know what SEO is, we must tackle the next big question: does SEO really work?
The simple answer is a resounding “Yes!” And it’s not hard to find proof:
- 61% of B2B marketers stated that SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other marketing initiative.
- SEO drives 1000%+ more traffic than organic social media.
- SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate (compared to a 1.7% close rate for other methods like cold calling, direct mail, and more).
But let’s escape the cold, hard facts and tell you a few client stories here at LifeX Marketing.
One client in the manufacturing business approached us hoping to get more qualified leads. They offered propane tanks for sale so customers could shop from more than one propane provider to purchase their propane.
However, as a new business, they didn’t have many people visiting their website. When we optimized their website with SEO, they saw the number of visitors to their website double within 6 months.
Another client contacted us, hoping to get their product in front of more people. After a discovery call we dug into research and marketing strategy with them. With a little hard work, we were able to increase the number of keywords they ranked for by 1,000% in just one year.
The point isn’t to toot our own horn. Any company willing to do the hard work could likely achieve the same results.
The point is that If done correctly, SEO works.
But what about the stories of people that poured thousands of dollars into SEO only to get no results?
Let’s take a look at what it takes to ensure your SEO campaign is successful.
Simple SEO Best Practices
You may have heard stories about companies who couldn't get SEO to work for them. Sadly, these stories exist, but they usually come with an asterisk.
And what's the asterisk?
When SEO doesn't work, it's often because the marketing agency that was employed was not utilizing best practices or failed to follow through on completing what they said they would do.
With that in mind, here are a few simple SEO practices to utilize immediately. If an agency is doing your SEO work for you, double-check to ensure they follow these simple rules.
- Regularly create content on your website to make sure Google rewards you for having fresh content.
- Do keyword research to identify relevant keywords for your business and tailor your content accordingly.
- Create a unique, keyword-relevant page title and meta description for every page on your website.
- Ensure all URLs on your website are descriptive and use keywords wherever possible.
- Aim to keep your site speed as fast as possible.
- Keep image file sizes below 200kb to minimize the impact on site speed.
- Submit an up-to-date sitemap to Google to help it understand your site’s structure.
This list barely scratches the surface of good SEO practices, but it’s a start!
And the main thing to remember is that you have to be consistent with your deliverables if you want SEO to be successful. If you know what to do and do it consistently, you should see SEO positively affect page rankings in several months.
How To Know If SEO Is For Your Business
We just finished saying that SEO works – but at LifeX Marketing, we have a policy of honesty and transparency. Frankly, SEO is not the best marketing strategy for every company.
So how can you know if your business is a good candidate for SEO?
Let’s find out!
When SEO Is Not A Good Option For You
There are several times when SEO may not be the best option for you. Let’s take a look.
1. You need to rank fast.
SEO plays the long game. By consistently utilizing best practices, you can start to move into higher Google rankings over time. However, if you want to rank on the first page of Google within a week, you’ll be better served by running Google Ads. Just remember that SEO is usually more effective than ads over the long run.
2. No One Is Searching For Your Product or Service
If you are an innovator, you may have a fantastic product or service that no one is searching for. In other words, even an optimized website might not get you any more leads because no one is searching for that product or service in the first place.
For example, let’s say you created metal detector sandals that would look for treasure as you walked along the beach or meandered around the park. It’s a great idea, but if people aren’t searching for “metal detector sandals,” then running an SEO program isn’t the best thing you could do.
3. You Want To Promote an Event or One Time Offering
It’s hard to do SEO for things that change rapidly.
If you have an event to promote, traditional SEO isn’t going to help you sell any tickets – especially if it’s a first-year event. By the time the event is indexed and ranked by Google, it’s most likely too late to participate, or the event is over.
Influencer outreach, public relations, and paid advertising are much better suited for promotion in these situations.
If you do not fall into one of the 3 preceding categories, there’s an excellent chance SEO could elevate your business.
If you aren’t sure if you need SEO or not, feel free to contact us. We’ll always give our best advice regarding SEO being the best option for you.
7 Reasons You Need Outstanding SEO
Before moving on let’s take a quick inventory of what we have learned so far:
- What SEO is
- SEO works!
- How to know if SEO is a good option for your company.
Along the way, we’ve hinted at why SEO is important, but now we’re going to take a deeper dive into why you need a robust SEO program at your company.
Let’s get started!
Organic Search is Most Often the Primary Source of Website Traffic
Paying for a Google ad can put you at the top of the search results in a hurry. But as it turns out, internet users are more likely to click on an organic search result than one of the paid search results.
In fact, studies indicate that 71.33% of searches resulted in a page 1 Google organic click.
More often than not, you’ll get rewarded far more for an organic search result on the first page of Google than a paid ad.
Local SEO Means Increased Engagement, Traffic & Conversions
With the rise and growing domination of mobile traffic, local search has become a fundamental part of the success of small- and medium-sized businesses.
Local SEO aims at optimizing your digital properties for a specific vicinity, so people can find you quickly and easily, putting them one step closer to a transaction.
And in general, local SEO is very effective.
- In 2020, 93% of consumers used online searches to find a local business.
- 42% of local searches involve clicks on the Google Map Pack.
While SEO, in general, is effective, local SEO is even more useful because if someone notices that your place of business is near them, they are likely to call or visit you.
SEO Is Relatively Cheap and Very Cost-Effective
Sure, it costs money. But all the best things do, right?
SEO is relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, and the payoff will most likely be considerable in terms of a brand’s benefit to the bottom line.
And remember – this isn’t just a marketing cost; this is an actual business investment.
SEO Is Quantifiable
Marketing can be frustrating because it’s sometimes difficult to know whether or not your efforts are making a real difference.
While SEO doesn’t offer the same easy-to-calculate ROI as paid search, you can measure its effectiveness with proper tracking and analytics.
It Means a Better User Experience
When you improve your SEO, your customers will have a better experience.
Why?
Because user experience is a big piece of great SEO.
Google has learned how to interpret a good or unfavorable user experience, and a positive user experience has become a pivotal element to a website’s success.
Google’s Page Experience Update is something that marketers in all industries will need to adhere to and is part of their longstanding focus on the customer experience.
It Boosts Your Credibility and Authority
The Internet has drastically changed what the sales process looks like for many businesses.
That’s because today, consumers have access to a wealth of helpful resources that can help them learn about their options before they speak with a sales representative.
And with SEO optimization, you can become part of that learning process.
That’s especially true if you combine your SEO efforts with content marketing. When you create informative, valuable content, you have the opportunity to build trust and credibility with potential customers early in the research phase.
It Works Long-Term
Usually, SEO shows tangible results within the first year. As a long-term strategy, it allows you to grow your brand awareness with your audience. Even when the market changes, your online presence keeps attracting new visitors. Besides keywords, you can improve your strategy with:
- Natural links
- Positive user behavior
- Machine-learning signals
- Optimized on-page elements and content
Over time, your marketing team can build effective strategies at the core of your campaigns, contributing to your company’s growth.
Conclusion
If you aren’t already running an SEO program for your business, the time to start is now.
SEO works, and there is a high chance it can benefit you and the people you serve.
Not sure how to get started? We’re more than happy to help you. All you have to do is:
- Schedule a Call
- We listen and create an SEO strategy that works for you
- We consistently deliver and report on the plan, so your business grows
If we discover that another form of marketing would serve your purposes better, we’re happy to point you in the right direction. Here at LifeX Marketing, we offer the following marketing services:
- Copywriting
- Marketing Strategy
- Website Design
- And, of course, SEO
We’re also Storybrand certified guides, so we can make sure you are talking about your products and services in a way that appeals to your customer.
Give us a call today – we can’t wait to meet you!