The benefits of SEO: Why SEO is indispensable for your company

In today’s digital world, a company’s online presence is more important than ever. Because the way people search for information, products and services has changed fundamentally. Therefore, it is important that your website is well positioned in search engines like Google, Bing and Co.

The best way to respond to changing behaviors and continue to reach potential customers is through
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
.

Why this is so, we will explain to you in this article with the help of the advantages of SEO. In addition, we explain why it is indispensable for your company.

One of the most important benefits of search engine optimization is the improved visibility in the various search engines and thus the increased presence of your company on the Internet.

With the help of continuous successful optimization, the algorithms rank your website higher or better. This will improve your website’s positions in the search results lists and you will get more impressions and clicks from the search.

Thanks to the gained visibility, the likelihood of potential customers reaching your website and considering to buy your products or use your services increases.

Compared to traditional advertising methods such as print and television advertising, search engine optimization is a cost-effective marketing strategy. This is because SEO allows you to target your website to those who are actively searching for your products or services. This in turn leads to a higher conversion rate.

In addition, the cost of SEO is lower compared to other online marketing methods, such as pay-per-click (PPC). Depending on the industry, the cost of search engine ads can be extremely high. Another reason for search engine optimization as opposed to PPC is that, at least on the ads in Google search, only a small share falls (See
Brightlocal study from 2018
and
Sistrix study from 2017
) and clicks on organic results still dominate.

Now you surely ask yourself the question,

what SEO actually costs

. Answering this question is not so easy. Because that depends on many factors.
The biggest factor is the decision to organize SEO in-house or hire an SEO agency
.

However, in both cases it is of great importance,

to plan your SEO budget correctly and to use your resources efficiently

.

Search engines like Google use complex algorithms to evaluate the relevance and quality of websites. If your website appears on the first places in search results due to SEO, it is considered a sign of credibility and trustworthiness.

Customers are more willing to work with a company that is well positioned in search results. Furthermore, it pays extremely well for your credibility and trustworthiness if you are very well positioned in the search results for your entire topic area.

Behind this, in the case of Google

the E-E-A-T principle

. This principle is gaining more and more importance in the evaluation of your website and thus influences the positioning in the search results.

In short, the idea behind E-E-A-T is that you, as a company, demonstrate that you have the expertise and experience in your industry to be considered a serious source of information. But validation of your business, from customers as well as other sources, is also part of the principle.

SEO involves not only adjusting keywords and meta tags on your website, but also improving user experience and usability. These two factors play an increasingly important role in the evaluation of your website.

Because a well-designed and user-friendly website is appreciated by both search engines and your visitors. With the help of good user experiences, users and potential customers stay longer on your website and interact with it longer.

For most search engines, this is the signal that your website content is helpful and relevant to users.

Unlike other marketing campaigns, SEO strategies offer long-term results. This is because most campaigns are limited by a budget or by a specific time period, such as social media stories.

However, success with the help of search engine optimization is not limited in time. Once you have reached a certain range in the rankings for a keyword, in most cases you will stay there.

However, the continuous optimization and updating of your website according to the latest SEO guidelines is inevitable in the process, so that you remain competitive in the future.

SEO gives you the opportunity to speak directly to your target audience by creating targeted and relevant content. What’s more, you can use this channel to pick up customers at all stages of the customer journey with the right content, keeping prospects in mind throughout the entire process.

By tailoring your website to the needs and interests of your target audience, you increase the chances that they will become paying customers. As an added bonus, relevant and helpful content leads to better positions in search results.

More and more companies are recognizing the benefits of SEO. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to remain competitive in this area. Companies that invest in search engine optimization have a distinct advantage over their competitors who do not. A well-optimized website will help you stand out from your competition and gain a larger market share.

You have probably experienced it yourself many times during your own searches on the Internet. Some brands that you would expect to see for certain keywords simply don’t show up on the first page for them, even though they are a big player in the market.

The best example of this is the fashion industry. For many generic keywords, Zalando is always in first place. Behind this, large fashion chains or fashion labels often fall far behind, which one should actually expect…

Especially in some niche markets, search engine optimization is still one of the few ways to secure a share of the market. Be it, for example, that your products may not be advertised via ads or competitors do not yet consider search as an efficient marketing channel.

Search engine algorithms are constantly changing to provide users with the best results and create the best possible user experience. Therefore, companies that invest in SEO are better prepared to adapt to these changes and maintain their online presence.

Continually optimizing your website and keeping up with current best practices will help you stay successful in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Another advantage of SEO is that the results are easily measurable by several KPIs. Depending on the specific goal you are aiming for with your website optimization, some KPIs are more relevant than others.

The following values show whether the optimization has an effect:

Number of clicks from organic search: The number of clicks from search indicates how often one of your search results is actually clicked. You can view this value in Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools, for example.

Impressions in the search: The impressions in the search indicate the visibility of your website. The higher the impressions for your website, the more users you will reach through this channel. You can also track this KPI via Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools, for example.

Click-through rate from search results: The click-through rate indicates the proportion of clicks measured against impressions.

100 clicks / 100,000 impression x 100 = 1% CTR

This value can also be found in the search engine’s own tools.

Keyword Rankings: The positioning of individual keywords in the search allows you to determine how well your website matches these terms and their search intent. You can keep track of your website’s rankings using third-party tools such as Semrush or Sistrix, or via Google Search Console and Co.

Number of keywords for which a website ranks: The higher the number of keywords your website ranks for, the greater the reach of your website. You can also track this KPI via various third-party tools or view it in your own respective tools.

Average interaction time or dwell time: This value indicates how long a user interacts with your page in the foreground, that is, scrolls over the page, watches a video on it or similar. You can only view this value via an additional analysis tool, such as Google Analytics.

Bounce rate: A low bounce rate suggests that the information and content on your website is helpful and interesting to users.

Conversions: If you use a well-established analytics tool, you can likewise track how many users from organic search actually converted to a customer. Depending on the business model, different conversions can be tracked. From newsletter sign-ups to the purchase of a product, all can thus be attributed to the actual marketing channel.

Search engine optimization is not cheap compared to other marketing activities. This is mainly because SEO is extremely multi-faceted and complex, and it takes a lot of experience in the individual areas.

Nevertheless, organic search is a marketing channel with high ROI. Because if your website ranks well for the keywords relevant to your business, you will receive qualitative traffic, which in the best case leads to conversions. However, you need to define which conversions these are in advance.

In summary, SEO offers a variety of benefits for your business if you want to strengthen your online presence and increase sales through it. The enhanced visibility, credibility, user experience, and cost-effective nature of SEO make it a must-have marketing strategy.

Nevertheless, search engine optimization also has some disadvantages. It is definitely not to be seen as a short-term marketing effort, as it takes time to produce meaningful results. Furthermore, search is extremely dynamic and with the increasing influence of AI such as ChatGPT or Bard, it will change rapidly.

So only if you as a company continuously invest in SEO and remain flexible, you have the chance to sustainably expand and profitably use this marketing channel.