Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
70-80% of search engine users ignore the paid ads, focusing on the organic results.
Generating Organic Search Traffic
Organic search traffic is far and away the most prized traffic online today. It’s some of the most targeted traffic you can get. Think of it, when you jump on Google it’s usually because you’re looking for a solution to some issue in that moment. Whether you popped a tire and need to find a mechanic or you cut your hand and aren’t sure how to tell if it’s infected. Search engines are used to help people make informed decisions.
With search traffic, you have the unique opportunity to put your offer in front of people who are looking for the exact thing you offer. Just think of the power of that simple fact. Search engines allow you to put your offer in front of the right people at just the right time.
Search Engines Have Become Highly Competitive
Being that organic search traffic is so targeted, it’s become an extremely competitive market. With over two billion websites online today, your website has to be properly optimized for search engines if you have any hope of getting your share of the search traffic.
How Does SEO Work?
Google looks at more than 200 different factors when ranking a page in the search results. But what exactly is Google looking for? Well, it wants to know that your website is the authority in your niche and has the content that people are seeking. When those two things are working together, you have a fair chance at making it to the top of the organic search listings.
If you have the content people are looking for but your website was just set up a month ago, you won’t have the authority to rank at the top of search results. It takes time to show Google that you’re the authority in your niche and it’s important to be patient with the process. However, it will certainly pay off in the end when you start bringing in loads of targeted traffic essentially for free.
It may seem a bit odd but it’s important to realize that Google is formed by bots that go out and index the web. They crawl websites, basically reading the code, to determine what the website is about and where the website should rank in the search results. By speaking the language of the Google bots, you can optimize your website to tell Google and other search engines what your website is all about. This will help you rank for keywords that are related to what you offer.
Why Is SEO So Important For Online Success?
Studies show that over 80% of all online interactions start with a search engine. That means a majority of the time when someone goes online to look for something, they use a search engine. Really, the only other major things people do online these days is send emails and look at social media. Simply put, a majority of your business is likely going to come from search engines.
If 80% of all online interactions start with a search engine, then it’s going to be important to show up in search engines when people are looking for what you offer. But with over two billion other websites online, it’s not easy to make your business visible on search engines.
Why Are Search Engines So Competitive?
Over 50% of all search traffic on Google goes to the top 3 results according to their own statistics. That means you have tens of thousands of websites all trying to rank for the same keywords within their same niche. The result is an extremely competitive landscape that requires deep SEO knowledge to navigate.
If you don’t get your SEO figured out and get your website ranking at the top of search engines, then someone else will. A handful of your competitors are already sitting at the top of Google sucking up a majority of the traffic but you can beat them out over time.
How Can SEO Affect Your Business?
The unique thing about organic search traffic is that it’s completely free. So, not only is it some of the most highly targeted traffic out there today but it’s also essentially free! You can only imagine how that impacts the competition in this market.
Being that you don’t have to pay for organic search traffic, it makes scaling your business much easier. See, if you were getting all of your traffic and sales from paid ads on Facebook for instance, if you stopped paying for the ads you would also stop getting traffic and sales. That’s not the same for organic search traffic.
With organic search traffic, once you are ranking and getting traffic to your website, videos, or other content, that traffic will just continue to flow in as long as you maintain your rankings. If you are in a niche with a lot of organic search traffic, this becomes extremely advantageous. Just think of the implications of 5,000 website visitors per month costing the same as 10,000 visitors per month. It’s insanely scalable.
SEO Is A Vital Piece To An Effective Marketing System
Without this highly targeted and essentially free source of traffic, it’s much more difficult to win online. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible but having a steady flow of organic search traffic is sure to propel your business forward long term.
An effective marketing system utilizes organic search traffic to generate high-value customers at really low margins. This helps you grow your business steadily over the long run. People need to be able to find your business online if you want to be successful in this day and age.
Although organic search traffic is highly targeted, it’s important to remember that you have to have a compelling offer and messaging on your website if you are to convert the search traffic into customers. SEO is a crucial piece of a complete marketing system but it won’t work on its own, you need all of the other pieces in place to be truly successful.
