Did you know that the SEO industry is set to top $80 billion by 2020? Clearly, SEO in digital marketing is serious business. If you ever want to be a digital marketing professional, check out this guide here.
But how does it factor into your current strategy?
Despite what you may have read, SEO is anything but dead. As the figure above attests, it's a thriving business. And with good reason.
Even the speediest, bestselling digital marketing campaign will fail without traffic. And you won't get traffic without a solid SEO strategy.
Trying to compete online today without SEO is like running a posh boutique in New York's Upper East Side and then neglecting to put up signage (or even unlock the doors).
Just how long do you think that store will last?
Without SEO, you have no solid way to direct traffic to your website, lead pages, blog posts, ads, and more. Here's what SEO in digital marketing is and why you need it.
Remember the locked, sign-free New York boutique analogy above? In the digital world, it's the equivalent of a website that's not keyword- and key-phrase optimized.
Now, what happens if you decide to put up vibrant signage outside your boutique and buy a couple of billboards to advertise? What if you unlock the front doors and put a greeter outside to welcome people and draw them inside?
Before you know it, you have a crowded store and inventory flying off the shelves. This, my friend, is what optimizing your website looks like: plenty of traffic and plenty of sales.
Best of all, the traffic is "qualified" because they used a search engine to look for one of the keywords or long-tail key phrases that your site is optimized for. It's a win-win for your brand and the searcher alike.
Alright, enough of the analogy. What is SEO in digital marketing?
Despite the fancy name, search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the art of making your website and other digital materials easy to find.
Because of Google's emphasis on user-friendly customer experience, an optimized website should also prove uncomplicated to categorize and effortless to crawl.
SEO represents a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy. It helps the people interested in your products and services find your brand. And it lets you cut through the competition to gain the digital attention your company deserves.
But the advantages of optimization don't stop there. Besides increased traffic to your website and landing pages, SEO can help you track the ROI on your digital marketing campaigns.
That way, you know what you should and shouldn't be spending from a marketing standpoint.
How does it work?
There are a variety of SEO apps and software options out there that can help you track the paths that leads take to get to your products and services. They can even let you know, down to the keyword, how customers move from a search to purchase.
How invaluable would this information be to your company? And your future digital marketing endeavors?
Shop SEO plans now to learn more about tools available to help you collect and analyze this crucial data for your company.
You've probably heard at least one (if not many more) stories of overnight success and celebrity among You Tubers or Instagram influencers. These stories usually begin with a hilarious or unforgettable image or video and the right hash tags.
Before the You Tuber or Instagramer knows it, their image, video, or meme has gone viral. It's instant brand awareness.
Like keywords or key phrases on your website, hash-tags allow for easy categorization of content on social media channels. That way, the right people find the right content.
Then, and only then, does that content go viral.
Optimizing your website and pages will increase brand awareness of your company. As a result, you'll rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). In other words, the right people will find your content.
When you rank higher for certain keywords on SERPs, users begin to associate your brand with those terms. And your brand's trustworthiness metric skyrockets.
Done right, optimization ensures your content "goes viral" within your ideal demographic.
Yes, SEO represents an $80 billion market. But don't let that figure scare you. It still proves more cost-effective than traditional means of marketing.
Why? Because your leads are qualified. Billboards, newspaper ads, cold calling, and sometimes even email campaigns bring your message to many people who don't care. But SEO lets people already looking for your services and products find you.
Many of these consumers may be near the end of the buyer's journey. If they find your company ranked at the top of SERPs, you'll get their business.
Instead of targeting anybody and everybody in your marketing efforts, SEO lets you advertise with surgical precision. The narrower and more defined the consumer base, the more likely they will be to purchase from you.
Last but not least, website optimization will make your site easier to use. And that's crucial to growing your brand.
Optimization involves rearranging your site architecture and links for ease of use. This makes finding information on your site faster and more rewarding. It also makes it handy for search engines to find your most relevant pages.
And, trust us, you want your website to be highly navigable.
After all, you wouldn't want customers at a brick and mortar store walking out because they couldn't find an employee to ring them up. Right?
So, why is it okay for customers to get lost on your website or wait 20 seconds for an image to load?
Instead, make your website quick and easy to get around, and you'll ramp up your online sales.
Now that you have a better concept of what SEO is and why it's important, are you ready for it to revolutionize your digital marketing? Search engine optimization is an effective strategy, but it can be costly. Consider budget friendly SEO services for small business to get great results without breaking the bank.
Browse our blog now to gain more helpful insights when it comes to SEO in digital marketing.
