Why Organic SEO is Vital to Your Digital Marketing—Ignoring it Will Hurt Your Bottom Line

Posted by ImageWorks Creative Team March 01, 2018

 

What does SEO do? Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures that when a consumer searches for a product you offer, they find you first—and not a competitor. SEO is all about ranking high on search engines, be it Google or Bing. According to GE Capital Retail Bank, 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases (Hubspot). And of this, 60% of consumers begin their research on a search engine before heading to a specific website (Minewhat). You can’t afford to not be found on search engines.

Because of our increasingly information-saturated world, it is important for businesses to understand the way that consumers gather information about products they want to buy. More and more people are turning to search engines to research a product, and it is your job to make sure you show up when they are searching for you.

The bottom line is: You need SEO.

Still not convinced?

Here are five reasons why you need SEO that will bring you to the light.

1. Good SEO Drives Traffic to Your Website

This may seem obvious, but this is also one of the most important benefits of improving your site’s SEO. The first position on Google organic search has a 31.35% click-through rate (Advanced Web Ranking). Improving your SEO gets more eyeballs on your page, ultimately resulting in more conversions. Among marketers, SEO has consistently been the #1 lead producer compared to other marketing strategies (Hubspot Report).

According to a survey performed in 2017, 61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority (Hubspot). Is SEO important to you as well?

2. SEO Leads Have Higher Close Rates than Other Types of Leads

According to Search Engine Journal, “SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate.” This means that good SEO can dramatically affect your sales. Because people find your product when they are searching for it, they are more likely to purchase because your product fits the right need at the right time. Customers drowning in a sea of information overload from businesses don’t need another email offer or phone call—they want to find out about your business on their own terms. Search engines put the online shopping experience in the customer’s hands. And SEO places you within their grasp.

3. SEO Establishes Your Business’s Credibility & Helps You Beat the Competition

If your site ranks on the first page of Google, a consumer will automatically assume that you are an authority site. Conversely, if your site ranks on the second or third page, the customer assumes that your site and services are not as good as those on page one, that your business is new, or that your company is not as trustworthy. Good SEO automatically brings positive assumptions about your business. This is why ranking higher than your competitor will help you gain business that might have gone to them.

4. SEO Encourages Business Offline

Let’s take a look at some statistics. In a study performed by WordStream, 72% of consumers who did a local search visited a store within five miles. Google reported that in 2016, 28% of searches for something nearby resulted in a purchase. In 2014, Search Engine Land found that 78% of local searches on a mobile device resulted in offline purchases. Local business absolutely must have proper SEO to take advantage of this network.

5. SEO Amplifies the Performance of Other Marketing Strategies

When SEO is combined with other marketing strategies, they make for a powerful duo. Combining Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC) strategies with SEO results in many more clicks than either of the strategies alone (Google Research). When combining SEO with remarketing ads, a high search ranking boosts the perceived authority of your site, making the consumer more likely to revisit.

SEO is an essential marketing strategy in 2018. It drives traffic to your website, gives you high quality leads, establishes credibility and beats competition, encourages business offline, and is a powerful strategy to partner with others.

ImageWorks Creative is a VA / DC-based online marketing agency. We are SEO experts, and know exactly what it takes to get you ranking high on search engines.

To discuss your online marketing and SEO click here, OR give us a call at (703)-782-8934 to discuss an SEO plan for your business.

By
Scott Margenau and Prajina Adhikari

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