Defining its current status vis a vis online business
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation has been around as long as website development but many website owners paid scant regard to its very existence and much less its machinations. Over recent years, out of necessity, they have had to adjust their perception of SEO and try to understand its relevancy to their website's performance and its potential 'Return On Investment' to their business. In its complex and varied form SEO is now an indispensable tool in gaining top rankings in Google search. Many short sighted critics have had to eat their words of derision with their often untimely and mistaken pronouncements after every change and update in the Google algorithm that SEO was dead. Not only is it alive and kicking but is also continuing to set the standards required for achieving credibility and authenticity in all business websites. Business owners, now accepting of the role SEO plays in effective digital marketing, realise that the virtual sales world mimics in many ways the High Street outlet and retail business. It is not enough to merely present a pretty shop window to the passer by or a visually and aesthetically attractive website to the online browser. You have to market your products and services to potential consumers in a meaningful and effective way. Attracting customers is the main aim of any form of marketing and SEO is key to creating an environment and scenario where your website can achieve top-tier ranking in SERPs, so providing a highly visible platform for your online business to target the high value customers you want to attract. Your business goal is to convert as much site traffic as possible and turn clicks into sales. Historically, in some cases of website inactivity and failure to attract consumers, businesses simply ignored the anomaly and reverted to accepting the situation as if there was nothing they could do redress the deficit. This is no longer a feasible option where many businesses depend entirely on their website's performance to attract customers and provide a return on investment. Many businesses have reconfigured their business model to selling solely on the internet, having given up their real-time High Street outlets, and are consequently performing very successfully. At a closer look it is obvious that much of their success is in great measure due to their online digital marketing campaigns of which SEO is a vital part. A growing awareness of the
need to be ranked highly in SERPS by the Search Engines, especially Google, has enhanced the ability of business website owners to compete competitively at the highest level and achieve sales targets that are consistent with effective digital marketing campaigns.
SEO spend is integral to Website performance
The penny has finally dropped with businesses who hitherto did not fully understand or simply ignored the need to comply fully with the Google algorithm that dictates how websites are analysed and assessed by their crawlers for ranking purposes in SERPS. Eric Schmidt of Google has made no secret of the fact that they want to reward companies “who focus less on gaming algorithms and more on creating value for their leads and customers.” Google sets out clear criteria for what they would love to see in websites and for which the reward will be top rankings in their search. This is a clear call to action which if ignored will invariably incur the penalties that will reduce page ranking status. SEO is integral to reaching those standards set by Google's algorithm which will ultimately attract the desired traffic and provide increased sales. Why would you as a business website owner, dependent on acquiring top rankings, not adopt the necessary steps to be on the first page of SERPS? It makes good sense to invest in professional SEO services and enjoy the profitable high rankings in the search engines with the experienced technical know-how of your chosen SEO provider. An SEO campaign is a worthwhile investment and will pay dividends into the future. A growing awareness of this reality has therefore, de facto, become the popular acronym on every web owners' lips. Online businesses have a common purpose - to make profits from successful online sales. It is always rational to balance results against spend and these will be clearly apparent in analysis of site traffic after beginning an online SEO campaign.
Inherent advantages of SEO
There are many obvious advantages to implementing a SEO campaign but the more obvious include:
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Increased targeted traffic – Appearing in the top rankings in search can greatly increase traffic to the site and stimulate a higher percentage of resulting conversions
• A lower bounce rate
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An improved ROI – (return on investment). SEO provides results that can be tracked and quantified and analytics allow us to assess performance on a demographic and customer engagement level so informed choices can be made regarding future SEO strategies and campaigns.
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Cost effective: The inbound nature of SEO and the qualified type of customer makes for a cheaper form of marketing spend.
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Better site visibility: Usability and navigability are also improved with SEO campaigns. It is therefore easier for search crawlers to navigate the site and reward positive findings.
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Wider brand awareness: Having your website top of the rankings makes it more visible to a greater number of browsers and adds kudos to any SEO campaign.
The benefits of an SEO campaign are all encompassing, not only giving you a website audit but also carrying out the necessary amendments to give you the perfect vehicle for future SEO campaigns.
