10 reasons why you need SEO

Page One of Search results for “analytics” on Google’s search engine

(5 min read)

Well, let’s start with what SEO is and why it is important for your website and online activities. 

SEO is Search Engine Optimisation. It is the process of improving traffic to your webpages.  The target here is to improve the quality and quantity of unpaid traffic as opposed to direct or paid traffic.  Traffic arrives at your site in a variety of ways.  This could be via news search, image search, video search or could be industry-specific searches etc.1,2 

People working in SEO consider how search engines work and look at what people use as preferred search terminology to find goods and services.  They will then connect relevant search phrases and terms with search engine algorithms to improve the quality and quantity of people visiting your site, closely connecting those more interested in your products and services and therefore more likely to convert from prospects into customers.

So why all the fuss?

1.

93% of online interactions start with a web search

This is a massive number to comprehend.  If you do not rank highly for the areas you should, then you will simply miss out.

2.

27.6% of all click throughs are from page one of search results

In fact, only 0.63% of click throughs come from page two. So if you are appearing on page 3 it is highly unlikely that you will be seen, let alone clicked through to.

3.

Search engines account for 2X more traffic to shopping and information sites than social media networks.

4.

Mobile accounts for 60% of google searches

If your site is not mobile-friendly with respect to look, feel and searchability, you will be left out in the cold. Brrrr.

5.

Good SEO leads to better user experiences

Users spend less time being bombarded with sites they do not need. They find what they need more quickly and specifically.

6.

More local sales

88% of local searches result in a phone call or visit to a local store or service.

7.

SEO enables more effective advertising

Using search engine marketing and pay-per-click advertising you can attract and engage with more people in a smaller space of time – display ads appear where they should and not where they are not needed.

8.

SEO is completely measurable

Sure it costs money but at least you can see growth, traffic data, audience insights, calls, conversions, page rankings etc. In a nutshell you can measure the specific benefits in terms of interactions and sales.

9.

Align with where your punters are

90% of users use mobile devices for searches and opening web pages.  If you are not optimised for mobile, then you risk increased bounce rates, which is bad for search engine classification of your pages.

10.

More conversions are good for business

SEO can drive conversions up to 15 percent higher - think of how many visitors you get a month and add another 15 percent to that. What realistically would that mean in sales or enquiries for your products or services?