SEO Haters Gonna Hate (And Why Theyre Wrong)

Surprisingly, there are still many people that avoid using SEO tactics for their business, despite the evidence of its marketing power. There are so many studies supporting the impact of SEO, it’s difficult to see why anyone would ignore it. According to a Marketing Sherpa study in 2012, more than 50 percent of consumers use search engines to look for products online, and 70 percent of these shoppers use organic search, compared to those that use Adwords ads. Furthermore, a recent Google study showed that almost 20 percent of local smartphone searches lead to a purchase within a day, demonstrating the power of local SEO. So why are some companies still ignoring SEO? SEO Still Works It continues to change, but the fundamental SEO techniques still work. Google algorithm updates may be annoying, but they mainly affect sites that use dubious SEO tactics. Using white hat SEO strategies, such as publishing unique articles and optimizing meta data still works. When you get it right, you can increase brand awareness, drive more web traffic, and therefore boost sales. Get Better Conversions When you use the right SEO strategies, you can put your products and services in front of the right people at the right time. Basically, by optimizing your website content for specific search terms, you will attract more qualified prospects. Compared to PPC or social media ads, SEO campaigns have a much stronger return on investment. People Trust Organic Search Results As already mentioned, people are more likely to click on organic search results than paid ads. A report from GroupM UK and Nielson, published by eConsultancy showed that 94 percent of searchers click on organic results in Google and Bing, whereas six percent click on paid ads. Without SEO, You’ll Lose Out to the Competition Whether you like SEO or not, most businesses with an online presence use SEO strategies in some way to improve their online presence. Why give your competitors the advantage? Put simply, if you’re not investing in SEO, you’re losing some of your customers to the competition. SEO Has Never Been Predictable It’s true that SEO has never been an exact science, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid it. It may be unpredictable, especially with regular algorithm updates, but the basic SEO techniques have always been reliable. Yes, you can no longer purchase higher search engine rankings, but if you apply the latest SEO best practices, you can ensure your SEO results stay on a predictable path. SEO is an Ongoing Process Some businesses think it takes too much time to see results from SEO, but if you continue to publish relevant website content, including unique articles and visuals, after a relatively short time you will start to see results. It may seem difficult, but simply completing one SEO task at a time can accumulate to bring measurable positive results. SEO is Not as Technical as Some People Think Even for startups with little experience, SEO is simpler than many people realize. Writing unique articles and providing useful website content is one of the leading ways to boost your SEO efforts. Even if you have to buy content for your website, the SEO benefits can be still be significant. SEO Success Can Be Measured It’s not as mysterious as many people believe. Yes, Google has stopped giving companies valuable keyword data, but this was only really useful to identify keyword trends. Website traffic from search engines can be directly tracked with Google Analytics and linked to online sales or any other key performance indicator. The Bottom Line As an increasing number of businesses are using SEO to get found by potential customers, it’s a mistake to think you can survive in today’s digital marketplace without using at least some SEO techniques. It may take time, but it’s still one of the most cost-effective marketing tools for any business. If you keep up with the latest SEO trends and tactics, the benefits are undeniable.