Continually thriving sales, consistent lead generation and empirical data bear out the guiding principles of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on an ongoing basis throughout Toronto, across Ontario, and broadly amidst any market locally and globally where business is done online.
Still, it inevitably happens: a manager, owner or client doesn’t readily accept that honing online content to strategically selected search-engine queries will pay off on the bottom line in the long run.
It takes a gentle guiding touch sometimes, but the light of strategic, informed SEO can find any budget-holding decision-maker at any time. More often than not, it simply takes seeking first to understand before being understood. The IT and online marketing consultants of Every IT Solution come armed with the understanding that seeing your brand atop your relevant queries’ search rankings is just the first domino to fall in a positive chain reaction. Let’s untangle a few common objections and uncertainties…
1. SEO puts you where the people are
Stop me if you’re heard this one: “Search results don’t boost revenue or gather customers…”
To some extent, that’s an understandable conclusion: no, neither Google nor any other search engine will pay you for sitting atop the first page of results for your targeted keywords. On the other hand, Google is the single highest-traffic nexus in all of the Internet.
No, seriously. A recent study by Shareaholic.com surveyed 270 million site visits to glimpse which destinations online travelers sought out most frequently. Organic Google visits accounted for nearly half those visits. There’s a useful, prestigious reputation to be built on being the single most relevant resource recommended by the world’s most visited website. If nothing else, consider the sites that Google’s overall traffic share topped this past February before dismissing the visibility that’s possible through good SEO:
GOOGLE (ORGANIC) – 48.81%
DIRECT – 18.2%
FACEBOOK (REFERRAL) – 6.38%
YAHOO (ORGANIC) – 1.16%
STUMBLEUPON (REFERRAL) – 1.29%
PINTEREST (REFERRAL) – 1.05%
BING (ORGANIC) – 1.21%
GOOGLE (REFERRAL) – 0.91%
TWITTER (REFERRAL) – 0.82%
That’s right. Even if you combined the Internet’s most prevalent social networks, added Google’s two most significant search-engine competitors and spotted them Google’s paltry referral traffic, it doesn’t come close to eclipsing Google’s organic visits.
Oh, and by the by? According to HubSpot.com in 2012, SEO tied with direct traffic for the highest lead-to-customer close percentage (15%) of all possible marketing channels.
2. Even a small brand can dominate search rankings through good SEO
True, the biggest brands inherently enjoy an edge thanks to their notoriety and recognition.
That doesn’t mean that every avenue to massive search-engine presence is closed off to a smaller brand. A great deal of SEO greatness is achieved in zeroing in on which searches to pursue. If I run a hamburger stand, I can’t hope to eclipse the worldwide recognition and customer base that McDonald’s has accrued.
A sound SEO strategy with relevant, consistent content can still generate me enough renown to build substantial leads as the leading eatery of Mesa, AZ. When people reach out to Google for their search needs, they’re often seeking a locally available product or service. That often means utilizing a geographic modifier.
Chances are, they aren’t going online to look up a national or global brand. That reputation is well-ingrained. They’re seeking out localized options. That’s where SEO levels the playing field.
3. In the long run, the benefits of SEO far outstrip those of even paid search ads
Once more, the numbers don’t lie.
Searchers are apt to be a bit more … shall we say, “skeptical” of paid search ads. There’s immediate reward to be had from Google Ads, but think of those as the Chinese food of online marketing: fill up on that option, and you’ll find yourself hungry again shortly.
Search relevance – best had through smartly advised SEO – ultimately benefits the rates you’ll pay for Google Ads. Recent research indicates that organic searches generate 92% of clicks from search results. That’s because those are the results on which the engines themselves focus. Shun SEO and minimize the importance of relevance among natural search results at the risk of walking right past the most populated stream of potential customers.
4. “Too many new customers”? No such thing….
If someone is seeking your brand specifically, that person probably already has a motivation to purchase your goods or services.
While they’re important, why forsake growth? Marketing and advertising are centered on creating new customers more than retaining existing ones. Those are the ones you’ll need to convince. Look to increase your notoriety among untapped wellsprings of clientele.
5. Social Media vs. Search Rankings
I refer you once more to the traffic Google enjoys versus what Facebook, Pinterest, StumbleUpon and Twitter combined can muster.
Social media are key to generating the content that drives search rankings and a web of backlinks between social-networking hubs and your website. They’re also vital to distributing your relevant SEO content.
You probably still have questions. Every IT Solution’s online marketing consultants have the experience and understanding to hear you out and provide answers. Contact us today, and we’ll immediately provide you with a free consultation to make recommendations for your brand.
