Why is SEO Important for My Business?
As we roll into 2019, the focus on search engine optimization has never been more important. Companies large and small have to not only realize the importance of SEO, but also the importance of updated SEO techniques. The strategies of old simply don’t work anymore.
But before we can discuss why solid SEO strategies are important for your business, we first have to discuss what SEO is — and what it is not. Don’t worry if it’s a little confusing; our SEO experts are here to help you every step of the way!
The Basics of SEO
In short, search engine optimization is the practice of implementing a set of rules and procedures to make your website more attractive to Google and other search engines. There are many factors of SEO, but in 2019, your primary focus should be how easy it is for users (and Google’s bots) to navigate your site.
What SEO is not is anything that falls under paid marketing (also known as pay-per-click, or PPC, advertising). Yes, unless you do it yourself, you will need to pay a company to do the SEO work for you. But paid marketing includes actual advertising you might find at the top or on the side of search results. This leads to “paid traffic.” SEO, on the other hand, leads to “organic traffic,” meaning people find your website by it appearing in unpaid search results.
We can go on and on about what SEO is, including the technical aspects of the process. But what’s most important to know is that a properly optimized website can be the lifeblood of your business.
Why Is SEO Important?
Consider this: an average of about 1.98 million websites were created every single day in 2017. Yet, there’s a good chance that, out of those 721 million websites, you may be able to name a handful at best. The internet is inundated with nearly 2 billion websites today, and standing out can feel impossible.
It’s not just a feeling; without a great website, you’ll most likely get lost in the sea of websites. After all, users only click on the top search result on Google about 30% of the time — but they only click the fifth result about 4% of the time. Without a properly optimized website, there’s little chance of your site getting traffic through search engines.
But the good news is, Google has changed. Now, local SEO has become one of the most important elements in digital marketing today. Google loves featuring local businesses on their search results. But more than that, they love featuring local businesses with good, optimized websites.
Why? Because Google’s ultimate goal is to help searchers find answers and solutions fast. For instance, if you’re looking for a plumber to come fix your toilet, finding one in the next town over — much less the next state over — probably isn’t going to help. Instead, Google will do its best to figure out your location and find the plumbers closest to you so you can get your toilet fixed quickly.
As you can see, the importance of SEO can’t be overstated. If you want to beat out your competition on in the search results, you have to optimize your website presence. Here are a few ways to do so:
Optimizing Your Online Presence
The technical aspects of SEO can be daunting. If you’re not sure what you’re doing, it’s always best to work with a professional SEO company to get it done right. However, there are a few things you can probably do on your own to better your chances of rising to the top of Google’s search results:
1. Take Advantage of Google My Business
One of the most important tools Google offers local business owners is Google My Business. This tool lets you lay out the details of your company so searchers can quickly determine if your services are the ones they need. But there’s so much more to Google My Business that you can take advantage of.
Perhaps the most important feature is the reviews feature. People want to know if you’re trustworthy; after all, the majority of people trust online reviews as much as they trust their friends. What’s more, people will be more willing to hire a business that has positive online reviews over a company that doesn’t have reviews at all.
Encourage your clients and customers to leave reviews for you on Google My Business. You should also fill in as much information as you can on the tool to give potential customers the clearest picture possible of your company.
2. Create Useful Content
Gone are the days of success through shady tactics like keyword stuffing and thin, respun articles. Google’s much smarter than many people believe. If you aren’t creating content that people want to read, it’s going to be hard to move up in rankings. After all, quality content drives traffic, and more traffic often indicates to Google that you have a good site.
Great content can take on any number of forms, from long-form thought leadership blogs about the future of your industry to quick, helpful how-to guides. It doesn’t just have to be in written form, either.
Let’s go back to the plumber example:
A great piece of content could be titled “How to Fix a Loud Toilet Quickly,” with a step-by-step guide to fixing the issue. Even better, it could also include a video showing you fixing this kind of issue. That way, people who are visual learners can figure out the solution easily, and you prove that you actually know what you’re doing — boosting your trustworthiness. And trustworthy content is a big deal to Google.
The more types of media you can create, the better. Videos, blogs, infographics, quizzes and other types of content are all useful for different types of people. Experiment and figure out what type of content works best for your business and your audience.
3. Share, Share, Share
At the end of the day, you have to get the word out about your business. That means sharing it on a variety of different platforms. The easiest way to do so is to share quality content on your social media accounts. Facebook is one of the most common and easiest to use, but Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and other platforms can also be useful.
If you create videos for your site, you need to have a branded YouTube channel. There are technical reasons why YouTube is beneficial for your business, but perhaps what’s most important is that sharing and embedding YouTube videos is incredibly easy — and it gives you a foothold on one of the most visited sites in the world.
Completely Optimize Your Site with the Help of an Experienced SEO Company
Search engine optimization can be difficult. In order to really stand out from the crowd, you need a site that’s free of technical issues and is a resource for visitors. Chances are, you don’t have the time or experience to do that well.
EverSpark Interactive is an Atlanta SEO company that knows a thing or two about helping clients get to the top of Google’s search results. We constantly stay updated on the latest industry trends and search engine algorithm updates, and know what it takes to help you rank.
Contact us today for a free site analysis and to learn how we can help you dominate your competition!