March 1, 2019
SEO might sound like something other people think about. Why would you want to know about this when you run a business in a different sector? How will it help your business?
The truth is, if you can get your SEO practises right, your business will grow. In today’s world in which more people search for goods online than ever before, you need a website, and if you have a website, you need it to be noticed – particularly in you are working in an area that has a lot of competition. Getting noticed is all about SEO. Here’s how it can help your business grow, be noticed, and thrive.
Improve Your Search Engine Rankings
When you search for something online, the likelihood is that, unless you know exactly which website to head to from the start, you are going to use a search engine. The most used search engine in the UK is Google, so much so that ‘to google’ has become a verb that we all use with hardly a second thought.
Using SEO correctly means that you will be seen higher up in the search engine (and particularly Google) rankings. You may wonder why this matters, but it is actually hugely important for the success of your business. People don’t have a lot of time – when they are searching for something it’s because they want to find the answer. The first page of search engine results are where they will concentrate their ideas, clicking on the top few links. They might, if nothing useful has come up, venture to the second page, but it is unlikely they will go much further – they will change their search terms instead.
Being on that first page of results is crucial, and being as near to the top as possible is something to aim for. SEO can get you there.
Conversion Rates
The number of people who visit your website compared to the number of people who buy when they are there is your conversion rate. Clearly, the more people who buy, the better your conversion rate will be, and the better it is, the more profit you will make.
Properly targeted, well thought out SEO campaigns will help to increase that ratio and give you a better conversion rate. This is because targeted SEO will bring people who are genuinely interested in what you are selling; they have already half decided that they want something from you, and you simply need to finish the process. This saves time, money, and effort, and all stems from the correct usage of SEO.
Brand Awareness
Every business needs to be more visible if they want to be more successful. This means working on ‘brand awareness’ so that, even if people don’t need what you are selling right now, when they do need it they will immediately think of your brand and your business.
Again, SEO will help with this. It links back to getting better rankings on the search engines, as this is certainly a good start. But it is also about using SEO to place your website and your ads in other places so that they begin to be noticed all around. A great example of this is social media and your blog.
Engagement
In order to become more successful, you need to ensure you have good customer engagement. SEO can ensure that this is possible. The more people who see your website, your social media posts, your blog, and your adverts, the more people will get in touch with you. This gives you the perfect opportunity to find new customers and to engage with them.
Social media is particularly good for this; people can see the questions that are asked, and your responses (assuming they are made public). This will show that you care about your customers and that you want to work with them and help them wherever possible. In some cases this caring side of your business can be the reason that people turn to you rather than a competitor, and therefore it is imperative to get it right.
It isn’t just the public forum of social media that counts when it comes to engagement, of course. Even if no one else sees the question or the answer you provide, it is just as important to answer any question that comes your way. You should also acknowledge any feedback, pay attention to reviews – positive or negative – and always remain professional at all times.
