Is Search Engine Optimization still worth it? Is investing in different organic traffic a feasible and applicable marketing strategy this year? Is Search Engine Optimization Dead? Some agencies dealing with this industry face these questions every year.
Never have these essential questions made a lot of sense than in the past years, with Google algorithm updates (Hummingbird, Panda, etc.) popping out like mushrooms, as well as changes to the Google’s Search Engine Result Page or SERP.
One of the main problems is the old SEO methods that are used to get the result that everyone is hoping for, simply do not work anymore. You would be surprised about the fact that some well-established firms with big budgets like Ehow.com or J.C. Penny has faced a big problem when it comes to organic traffic.
Why is Google algorithm very important, https://computer.howstuffworks.com/google-algorithm.htm to fond out more.
SEO has evolved or improved dramatically, and it now requires more than just having excellent content. So, is it still a viable investment this year and beyond? The answer is a resounding yes. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is more important and influential to most businesses than ever. It is still considered as one of the most powerful online marketing techniques that can provide long-term results to business websites.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
It is a set of optimizations and tweaks to websites with the goal of attracting free organic traffic by ranking high in SERP or Search Engine Result Page. Ranking high can help websites get discovered by Internet users when they are looking for keywords that are related to the site’s industry (or niche), services, products, or brands. It will lead to another question.
Why is organic traffic significant?
According to studies, organic traffic is accountable for at least 50% of all user visits to websites, trumping other sources like social traffic, which accounts for 5% and paid traffic, which gets 14%. Not only is it the main source of the site’s visitors, but bit it can also benefit the business in a lot of ways. People use Google, Yahoo, or Bing when they are looking for information, buy products, or avail services.
For most people, the first thing they will do is to use search engines to look for services, products, or relevant information when they need them – At least 80% of people doing their shopping conduct online research before making a decision or making a big purchase. Organic traffic is usually targeted when it comes to user intent. Internet users looking for particular keywords are most likely looking for specific targeted information.
Google’s search result has a significant role in discovering services or shops, as well as making important decisions when purchasing products or availing services. The same goes when doing product-related searches in which case; online users are looking to purchase the exact product in the keywords they are using.
Using SEO is more cost-effective – Investing in this method is going to get users long-term benefits. Once the site gets ranked on the first page, site owners can now enjoy being on the top spot for a very long time (assuming they will continue to maintain the site).
A business website will attract more sales – Ranking high on SERP bring a lot of potential customers to the website. Search Engine Optimization makes it a lot easier for users who are interested in the product or services to discover the company.
Organic ranking is very important for local businesses. At least 30% of searches through mobile devices are related to the user’s location, and more or less 70% of consumers who are doing local searches visited stores near their area, at least within five miles. With excellent SEO, not only will the business show up in SERP, but customers will also shop up at your company or store.
It is future-proof – With the rise of Artificial Intelligence technologies and voice search, SEO firms like Georgia SEO explosion, business and site owners alike will have more opportunities to be found by users organically.
How rankings on Google changed?
A few years back, it was not too difficult to rank websites on Google, it was not very advanced or sophisticated, and there were not many competitors either. Google was able to know or understand every content of a website, but it was not very smart. A lot of “SEO experts” were able to control and manipulate all the information on their sites in order to get a good standing on Google’s ever-changing algorithms. Thus, this industry was born.
Google is an ever-changing platform, with between 500 to 600 tweaks and updates every year. It does not mean that businesses will be worse off. Most of these tweaks are very minor to improve reliability, user experience, and stability. Significant updates have the possibility to be groundbreaking and game-changer. Real SEO specialists always keep updated for any changes that can disrupt the industry.