What is Search Engine Optimization? How can it benefit your business?

Currently, each business is turning into digital as well as adopting all the necessary digital ways to increase the sales. However, while playing with digital marketing tactics; one of the major exercises that have always created pain in planning is how to rank the websites in search engines. How to be visible on the first page? All the internet search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc have primary search results, where websites or web pages, videos and display listings are shown and ranked based on their content and search engines’ rules. Ranking on the search engine page is more important than ever and it is necessary for every marketer and businessman to understand the true meaning of SEO as well the potential it creates for any business.

What is Search Engine Optimization? SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the umbrella term used for all the methods that you can use to ensure the visibility if your website or weblog and its content on the search engines. It is the set of rules that can be followed by website owner or marketer to optimize the websites for search engines and thus improve their search engine rankings. In simple words, it is one of the non-paid ways to increase the quality of the websites by making them user-friendly, faster and easier to search/navigate. It can be considered as a framework of rules and guidelines, a number of stages and a set of controls to increase the visibility strictly followed by our search engines. How can it benefit your business?

More Visibility- The majority of search engine users are more likely to click on the top links mentioned on the first page of search engines. As per the study, 60% of clicks go to the first top 5 suggestions that means only 40% of clicks are left for the second through the millionth result on Google for the keywords or other ways. Securing that top spot on Google is a sure-fire way to gain thousands upon thousands of visitors especially in the case of online businesses and e-commerce. Also…

Great User Experience- SEO is not only for search engines, but a good SEO practice also improves the user experience and usability of the website. Internet users lack patience. If your website doesn’t offer them a good user experience, they won’t bother you at all and will look for other better option which can benefit your competitors. Therefore SEO can put you ahead in the competition. For example, if two websites are selling the same products or services; the more search engine optimized website will gain more traffic and visitors which can turn into potential sales.

Beneficial for Social Media Marketing- SEO is good for the social promotion of your website. The people who find your website by searching Google or Yahoo are more likely to promote it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or other social media channels.

Equal to No Investment- SEO is considered as a low-cost investment as organic listings are essentially free. One of the benefits of SEO is when you are listed on top of the page; you don’t need to pay for clicks. With a little bit of effort and the right knowledge, you can see your website grooming and get consistent traffic.

Brand Credibility- Our internet users have deep faith in Google. They believe that the first listing in Google must be a reputable company with high ethics. It helps in creating higher brand credibility. The further back you are in listings or rankings on Google the more people are skeptical about your website. If Google has a spot dedicated to you at the top especially if it is a top-tier listing with other subpages listed below the main home page it gives your website credibility that no ad can top. Ads can often be seen as annoying and many people have ad blockers installed on their browsers.

Better ROI- SEO gives a better return on investment than normally paid ads. Generally, 2% of those visitors might convert into the sale when you buy 1000 visitors from the paid ads. When you get 1000 clicks from SEO, 4% of those visitors will convert into a sale, leading to a better return on investment. This higher conversion rate is one of the major benefits of SEO that cannot be matched by any other form of marketing. Google searches actually get people who searched for the tag on your website. These people are actually looking for your product which gives one upper hand for your conversion. However, Ads can be from anyone. Many people may misclick on an ad. A hit from Google is much more valuable than a hit from an ad.

SEO has become the need of the hour. It is the best way to optimize your website and drive more traffic to your websites, blogs, online stores and gain more reliable customers to fulfill your business purpose.