That reason up above has got to be the most critical of them all. SEO is important for business because you have to be where your customers are. The internet is hardly the new thing anymore. It’s been around for a fair while and the platforms on it that people hang out on keep changing.
Tightly linked to the Internet is of course Google. Sure, there are other search engines, but Google is still king. Yeah, there are players like TikTok and what not that are changing the game, but there are going to be people who search for solutions. That’s where Google will reign supreme.
Let’s look at other reasons that SEO specifically is important for your business.
#1 – target people at different stages of their buying journey
One of the key things you learn as a marketer is that different people are at different stages of the buying cycle. That plays itself out so clearly on search engines, aided by SEO.
Say you sold wedding dresses. Big event with a time frame, budget and so many other considerations. Early in the buyer’s journey, you have idea what you want. You go onto the big, old Goog and type in:
“wedding dresses [this year]”
I’m not the target market, but I’d imagine this person wants to know what’s currently trending right now. Then they get a good idea of this. They see a style they like, they type in:
“Oscar De La Renta Wedding Dress”
Gorgeous designer dresses. Big problem: they cost $10,000. So she might type something like:
“Hire Oscar De La Renta Wedding Dress Near Me”
See how the keyword changes and how it signals intent? Imagine if you were someone who provided wedding dress hiring services? You want to be there, don’t you?
#2 – you can build an online presence
This is the next important reason to do SEO for your business. You have a bricks and mortar business, yes, but that definition is so yesterday. You have a website, an email address and now you need an online presence. You can pay for that, or you can get it for free. SEO is one way of getting it.
Yes, it takes time, but if you’re not out there enough and aren’t keen on shooting videos, then writing and sharing your content can work too. Simply pair it up with the keywords you’re looking to target and you can appear on the results your customers are searching for.
#3 – you can scale your business
Scaling is one of those dirty words in business, particularly in technology. Everyone says they want to scale, but in reality it’s easier said than done. Scaling essentially is about growing the output without changing the input much. Most things in life are one to one.
Digital marketing, SEO and paid search are a few areas where it’s possible to compound quickly and grow the output (views, clicks and online purchases) while keeping the input (content created, money paid for ads) relatively stable, or at least growing at a slower rate. You can start free, but once you find that you have traction, go for paid services.
But you have to start somewhere first. It’s not too late to jump on the SEO bandwagon. Look at me, I’ve been writing for years but am only treating it properly. You can do it too. If you’re ready to take the plunge, let me know. We can do it together. 🙂