SEO has gotten a bad name over the years.
And understandably so.
Once upon a time, it was pretty easy. Stuff keywords, spam links and see your rankings and profits soar.
The problem is that SEOs stopped adapting to improvements and changes in Google’s algorithm, but they kept selling the same old services. The end result was thousands of small business owners throughout the world being burned by SEO agencies who were either uninformed or straight up dishonest.
But the problem wasn’t SEO, it was ineffective SEO.
While a good portion of the business world gave up on SEO, plenty of companies continued to use it as a means to grow their client base by using the tactics that actually work. So if you’ve been skeptical about whether or not search engine optimization is worth the investment for your business, here are 5 ways that effective SEO will make and save you money.
#1 - Effective SEO Brings New Leads
Perhaps first and foremost on every business owner’s mind: when you do SEO the right way, it should be a regular source of hot leads with a high conversion rate. This is truly the ultimate goal of any SEO campaign.
If you aren’t clear on exactly how SEO works, here’s a quick rundown to show you why it’s going to be an excellent source of leads.
An SEO campaign aims to rank you high on search engines like Google for terms related to your business. So, if you’re a plumber in Chicago, you’ll be trying to rank for terms like “Chicago drain cleaning” and “water heater repair Chicago”.
When people type those into Google, if you’ve done your SEO right, they’ll find your website. And the more people who find your website, the more people will be ringing your phones or filling out your contact form.
#2 - Effective SEO Captures the Ideal Customer
Some people hear the buzz around social media marketing and wonder why they should invest in SEO when they could just advertise on Facebook.
There’s nothing wrong with social media marketing. In fact, it can be a great way to build your fan base and engage your audience. But one reason that SEO is a better way to get started marketing online is that it is laser-focused.
You see, when people search for something on Google, they are showing a high intent to buy. Someone who types in “emergency electrician near me” is probably ready to hire immediately. SEO lets you capture those customers at the ideal moment: when they are actively looking for your services.
Compared to social media, in which users are just trying to relax and look at funny cat videos, traffic from SEO is much more likely to convert into a real customer.
#3 - Effective SEO Boosts Your Brand’s Reputation
What do you want people to see when they Google your brand or company name?
I know what you don’t want them to see: your competitor’s website, or worse, negative reviews of you online.
Every time a potential customer finds a negative review, that’s money you are probably leaving on the table. SEO is about controlling the search engine results to favor your brand. If you do it right, you can bury that handful of bad reviews that spoil the hundreds of positive ones that truly represent your business.
In short, SEO helps ensure that your brand story is being told the right way in the search engine results.
#4 - Effective SEO Has Ridiculously Good ROI
While paid advertising has its place, SEO is a long-term strategy with a long-term return on investment.
The problem with paying for ads on Google or other search engines is that as soon as you stop paying for the ad, the phones stop ringing and the customers stop knocking on your door. Just like a billboard or newspaper ad.
Organic rankings from SEO are long-term. Once you establish yourself on the first page for a keyword, it’s going to take a lot to knock you down. And every new search term you tackle means more traffic and more leads.
Additionally, people tend to skip over paid ads. Organic search engine results are about 8 times more likely to be chosen by users. And, in the end, SEO provides almost 6 times the return on investment of pay-per-click advertising.
#5 - Effective SEO Establishes You As an Authority in the Industry
The goal of any marketing campaign is to dominate your industry. You want to be the company that people think of when it comes to anything related to the services you offer.
You don’t want to just be a wedding photographer, for example. You want to be the wedding photographer.
SEO helps you achieve this dominance by getting you to rank for anything and everything that customers may be searching for in Google. For instance, if you’re a home remodeler, you don’t just want to rank for “kitchen remodel Missouri” and “finished basement Missouri”.
You are going to target informational keywords too, like “How do I know when it’s time to replace my roof?” and “modern kitchen design best practices”.
The more customers find you as they search for this sort of information, the more you will be recognized as an authority in your niche. The go-to company for services in your industry.
But What is Effective SEO?
So, you know that SEO when done the wrong way is a waste of money. And that SEO done right can be a regular source of new customers.
But how do you know if you’re doing SEO the right way?
Well, there’s no quick or easy answer to that question.
- If you are going to be handling SEO yourself, be prepared to invest months of learning and testing to find out what works best. An SEO campaign looks a little bit different for every industry, so the primary thing to avoid is one-size-fits-all solutions. As well as any tactics that promise fast, easy results (or anything else that seems too good to be true).
- If you are going to hire a professional agency to manage your SEO for you, find someone who knows what they are doing. At Ozark Web Design, for example, we stay up to date on the latest Google algorithm changes and best practices in search engine optimization. And we’ll give you examples of our clients who are dominating their marketing niche.
Our efforts focus on long-term strategies rather than quick tricks that attempt to game the system. Most importantly, we define our success by your success. Avoid agencies that promise to “rank 50 keywords”, and instead find someone who measures their value in the return on investment they can provide.
After all, SEO is only worth it if it’s making you money in the end. Are you ready to make more money? Contact us today!
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