If you are a business owner, you’ve likely heard the term “SEO” thrown around. Maybe you’ve received several emails from different marketing agencies offering you quotes for SEO services or heard other business owners talking about whether or not SEO is helpful. We’re here to tell you that it is.

But let’s talk about what SEO is first.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. The tasks associated with SEO are how you can get your website to show up better when someone does a search on Google for your products or services.

For example, if you’re a dentist and want your business to rank higher in Google’s search results for “dentists near me” around your location, improving your SEO is the most effective approach to take.

Why do you need SEO?

Think about how you behave when searching for a specific service on Google. Let’s stick with our dentist example: if you are looking for a new dentist and you type in “dentists near me,” what do you look at first?

You may look at the ads (that’s another discussion entirely), but you’ll likely skip past those and look at the Map Pack results (this is where you can see the top businesses listed with their reviews, call buttons, directions, etc.).

From there, most of us usually look at the business with the best reviews. And if we’re happy and feel they fit our needs, we’ll make a call and the search ends there.

Sometimes people might click “view all” and search through businesses that are further down on the list if they want a couple more options to choose from.

And even less likely than that, someone may scroll past the map pack to the “organic results” (the regular Google website links) to continue their search.

SEO is what helps your business show up at the top of those map pack results and these organic results. Those top results are what get most of the traffic and clicks when people are shopping around for new services. If you aren’t listed there, you’re missing out on valuable organic leads. That is why you need SEO.

What are some other benefits of SEO and ranking higher on Google?

Beyond just showing up at the top of the search results for more opportunities to gain leads, engaging in SEO efforts for your business can provide several benefits, all of which ultimately lead to growing your customer base.

SEO builds credibility

Have you ever done an online search for something you saw on a billboard or heard an ad on the radio for but couldn’t find it?
Making sure your website is prominent in the search results, especially when someone searches for your business by name, helps build credibility with potential customers. Seeing that you have a website and an online presence gives a sense of legitimacy.

In this digital age, if someone isn’t able to find your website our Google My Business listing, that’s a huge red flag (even if you do have a legitimate business).

SEO builds brand awareness

Let’s say someone does a search for new landscaping services just to get some ideas of who is out there. They aren’t quite ready to make the call for their new landscape; they just want to get some initial research done.

SEO helps you show up during that initial research phase, and when that person is ready to make a call and conduct their search again, they are more likely to recognize your business because they’ve already seen it. Familiarity is huge when it comes to getting new customers. It creates a sense of trust too (as long as that familiarity isn’t tainted).

SEO is a cost-friendly long-term marketing strategy

If you don’t want to pay for Google Ads forever, SEO is a good strategy to help you show up in the search results for a long time and keep the costs of your digital marketing down.

You may not see results or much ROI right away, but in the long run, your profits will far outweigh the costs.

Ongoing SEO helps you keep up with competitors

Pay attention to what your competitors are doing. It’s likely that many of them are already doing SEO for their business. That’s why they are showing up above you in the search results (if they are). Keep up with your SEO efforts to outrank your competitors so you don’t lose potential customers to them.

SEO can help you find new opportunities for marketing

With the tracking and analytics that different SEO tools provide, you can see how people interact with your website and what information they value the most. This could provide some great opportunities for marketing, not only online but in other areas too.

For example, if you find that your website visitors are frequently viewing one specific service, you might focus your marketing efforts around that.

OR

If you see that you have a high bounce rate (how quickly someone clicks off of your web page) on a specific service page, that can be a good indicator that you need more valuable information on that page and/or a call to action that moves them further down the sales funnel.

SEO is constantly changing

Another huge benefit of continually working on SEO, especially with an expert who stays up to date on best practices, is that SEO is constantly changing.

Something that worked to help you rank in the search results just a couple of years ago might not work today. And what’s working today might not work in a few more years. Make sure that your SEO team is staying up to date on the latest best practices so that your business can continue to perform well in the search results.

Conclusion

In today’s digital world, SEO is a crucial aspect of marketing for businesses. Google is the first place most people go when looking for a new service, so it’s important that you are showing up in the top results.

If you’re not sure how to get started, reach out to us and we can provide you with some additional insights into what your online visibility looks like along with a free quote for our SEO services.

Not sure if SEO is the right move for your business? Check out this article: SEO, Google Ads, and Social Media Ads: When and Why to Use Them