Almost 100% of web traffic is driven by major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. They allow people to navigate the millions of indexed sites online to find what they’re looking for and weed out irrelevant information. Over the years, the algorithms for these search engines have come to display the best results higher on the first page. This has improved the trust of Internet users in businesses that they otherwise would have never heard of. However, these search queries aren’t simply based on “the best” companies. They’re based on companies that are implementing the best search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. In this article, we’ll examine the top 10 reasons why a company needs SEO, especially in today’s competitive marketplace. 
1. Less Than 1% of Internet Searchers see the Second Page
Did you know that 99% of online interactions occur within the first page of search engine results? If you’re not on the first page, you’re going to be getting 1/100th of the visibility you could have if you were ranked better. Internet users have come to trust search engine results pages and the higher you are to the #1 position, the better—the #1 spot in Google gets 31.7% of all clicks.
Nearly half of the businesses operating online today don’t invest in SEO tactics. What does this mean for you? It means that you can successfully rise above your competition using some strategic tactics and ongoing digital marketing. If you don’t, you’re more likely to fall in line with the irrelevant online businesses and rely on word of mouth or paid advertising, which isn’t nearly as efficient. While SEO takes some time to show results, with a little patience you’ll experience an unbeatable ROI and continued success. The long-term results alone should be a strong enough reason to invest in SEO, but they’re not the only benefits.
2. SEO Improves Overall Brand Awareness and Visibility
Roughly 8 out of 10 people use the Internet to find a product or service and most of them eventually conduct their business online. However, in order for people to trust you enough to give you their money without ever meeting you, you need to make sure that your brand awareness and visibility is strong and trustworthy. SEO can help improve your overall brand awareness and visibility by increasing your ranking on popular search engines and improving user experience. Popular search engines help people trust different sites, so the higher a site is ranked, the more people view it as trustworthy.
3. A Majority of Searches are Done on Mobile Devices
Over 4 billion people around the world use their smartphones every single day, all throughout the day. While people still use computers for things, many times Internet searches are done on a commute, in between meetings, or during lunch hours. The convenience of a mobile device makes it far easier to use when searching for restaurants, new electronics, home services, or physical stores.
With over 50% of Internet searches being conducted on mobile devices, your business needs to be easily accessible. SEO can help your website become optimized for mobile devices for the best performance possible. Mobile SEO improves your local search results and ensures that everyone can access your information, regardless of where they are.
4. It Improves Overall User Experience
In addition to adhering to your mobile audience, SEO will help improve the overall user experience across all devices. Page loading speed, aesthetics, and content make a huge impact on how your visitors view your company. If your page loads too slowly, they’ll leave. For example, if your page takes more than 3 seconds to load, your visitor is likely already browsing products on your competition’s site. SEO is also a crucial part of protecting your customer’s data, which will help build trust and accountability across your audience. The more your visitors trust your site, the more likely they are to do business with you. 
5. SEO Improves Your Bounce Rate
By strengthening your SEO strategies, you’ll experience fewer bounce rates over time. High ranking sites are there because of a number of features that Google, or Bing deem as important, including user experience and loading speed. The better your site works, the less people who are going to click “back” or “exit.” The higher your bounce rate is, the fewer conversions you’ll see. SEO involves both front-end and back-end optimization to ensure your website is working it’s best for your visitors.
6. SEO Increases the Discoverability of Your App
With an increasingly mobile-focused world, many businesses are developing apps that integrate well with smartphones or tablets. Utility apps had a 96.6% mobile reach among online users in the U.S. in 2019. This means that there are very few people who don’t rely on apps day in and day out. SEO can help your apps become more visible in searches, which increases download rate and use. Mobile apps are a great way to strengthen your SEO and improve your brand.
7. Content Marketing Relies on SEO
Many companies are paying for content marketing without fully understanding its connection to SEO. However, content marketing relies on SEO. While you can write hundreds of blogs and simply post them to your website, if they’re not optimized, they’re not going to have the best impact on your overall company ranking and you’ll be wasting money. Instead, opt for an SEO strategy that integrates content marketing to get the best results.
8. Online Traffic is Stronger Than Paid Advertising
Paid advertising is often seen as annoying or unwelcoming to consumers and while it can give you results; they simply don’t measure up to the impact SEO has. Organic search engine results compromise 85% of all Internet clicks while sponsored and paid advertising, like pay per click (PPC), only accounts for 15% of traffic.
With Internet marketing and strategic SEO practices, your business, products, and services are put in front of your targeted market and prospective customers who are actively seeking exactly what your company offers. This, in turn, provides more qualified leads and will end up improving your conversion rate tenfold.
9. SEO Increases Sales and Leads
The more online traffic you’re getting, the more conversions you’ll see. Higher exposure results in higher leads, which translates to higher sales. An optimized page results in a conversion rate that’s 200% higher than a page that hasn’t used SEO beset practices, which is huge for business growth.
10. SEO Works Without Interruption
Paid advertising and printed campaigns only work for a certain period of time—SEO works without interruption. Even before SEO optimization strategies start showing results, they’re working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, giving you the best results possible for your marketing efforts.
If you’re looking for an SEO firm that will help you improve your online visibility and organic traffic, or are interested in learning what we can do to grow your business online, contact SEO Fuel Marketing today for a free SEO consultation.
