Google ‘SEO’ and the first three links that come up are not in fact search results, rather they are advertisements for websites claiming to improve your SEO.
While this primarily provided me with a small chuckle, it also offers a starting point for discussion on the true impact of SEO.
Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO refers to the methods behind increasing the visibility in search engine results. Unlike other Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategies where keyword-related banner advertisements are displayed on search results pages, SEO involves structuring your site in such a way that it ranks highly in search engine results. But why is this important?
Improves Visibility and Credibility
Search engines are becoming a critical part of our lives. I cannot recall a large purchase I’ve made without first looking into different alternatives on google. When 90% of users do not look past the first 3 pages, it is crucial that your business ranks as highly as possible. Not only does this increase the amount of traffic to your website, but being in the top few search results adds credibility to your brand, as it shows consumers that your website is relevant in the eyes of google. In addition, showing up in multiple searches gives you more mindshare with potential customers.
Significant ROI
SEO is known to have one of the best ROI’s of all internet marketing. Unlike traditional marketing where consumers are bombarded with advertisements while trying to watch TV or browse social media, SEO helps to target consumers who are specifically looking for a product like yours. For example, being the number one search result for a given keyword will direct 33% of the traffic to your website.
Improves the quality of your own site
One of the main aspects of SEO is streamlining your website to make them more relevant and search engine compatible. While this is undertaken primarily to improve search engine rankings, it also serves to make your website more user friendly. For example having text links may increase your relevance in searches, however it also may aide consumers, by allowing users to easily find the information they are looking for.
Do you think there are other benefits to SEO? Or is it just a waste of resources? Let me know in the comments below 🙂
THE AGE OF DIGITAL MARKETING 
Really interesting post in regards to the Importance of SEO in relation to Search engine marketing… in my own blog post this week I explore a similar concept but its very interesting to see how you explore the key terms. First off though I definitely agree that there are the above benefits and more to SEO and that it is DEFINITELY NOT a waste of a resource. As supported by Sen (2005) if 90% of browsers don’t look past the 3rd page and your business is on the fourth you are basically assured your website won’t be looked at by 90% of potential consumers. Furthermore, even if you do manage to score a top ranking position on a first page, if your website has poor quality content odds are you will leave the website straight after clicking on it looking for a better alternative. I mean I know thats what I would do myself? If your brand doesn’t incorporate SEO into your overall marketing strategy than the chance of consumers finding your website and actually making a purchase really shrinks. No wonder the Beginners guide to SEO has been read over 3 million times!! SEM is alive and kicking and businesses need to take advantage of a resource that will give their business many more benefits then simply a higher ranking. Would love for you to have a look at my blog post in regards to SEM and leave a comment with your thoughts https://digitalbloggingmarketing.wordpress.com
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Thanks for the comment! Like you said I think it’s a great idea to look at our own personal experience of search engines and what we see. Like you said, 90% of users don’t look past the first 3 pages, but I don’t think I’ve ever even looked past the first page! One of the great things of SEO is that by improving your website so it ranks in the first page, it often means it will be more relevant to our search (assuming the analytics google has in place to cut out websites with irrelevant keywords). It’s definitely a resource that can aide both business and consumers.
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Loving how clear and succinct your explanation of SEO is! Your reflection on your own experiences with SEO are really relatable and have helped me recognise the significance of making in on to the first page- I also hunt around google for better deals before I make purchases and I rarely stray beyond the first 2 search pages.
To answer your question, is SEO a waste of resources? In my opinion, potentially yes… I think that answer varies a lot depending on the market. If you’re in a highly saturated market, with a large number of online competitors standing out is immensely important, especially if consumers enjoy browsing for this product online. Investing the time and effort (and potentially money if you’re paying professionals to organise things) to help make it to the top of the search list may be greatly beneficial, but its a big risk considering SEO strategies offer no guarantee of success. Your mention of the quality of the site being improved overall would be beneficial none the less and that’s a great point I hadn’t thought of.
SEO’s are absolutely a waste of resources if you’re in a niche market. If I’m on a mission to purchase something obscure, a rocking horse for example, there would be very few rocking horse makers competing for my attention- I imagine a feasible list of potential makers would not fill 3 pages.
Just due to the lack of guarantee and control, I think SEO is a good idea in theory, but an unrealistic goal in practice.
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Hey Modernmarketinginsider! I tend to agree with you in the sense that it depends on the market. I know that when I’m searching for a place to go out for brunch for example, I don’t usually look for options online and enter in a broad statement like “brunch in St Kilda” to Google. I usually already have a place in mind, so when I look for information online regarding brunch, it’s using Zomato or a similar restaurant review website to see the ratings. In that case, SEO is somewhat irrelevant.
I hadn’t thought of the benefits of SEO being subject the type of market, but you’ve definitely made me think about it now. It does seem very necessary for saturated markets, as there is a need to compete with so many competitors. Perhaps the benefits are also subject to the involvement in the purchase? Say for example high investment purchases require a lot of information search, so SEO may benefit businesses by ensuring they are high in consumers searches, and provide them with the relevant information. But as you said, if businesses can’t successfully improve their search ranking, then SEO is essentially a waste of resources.
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Im not an SEO expert by any means. I note that most of the discussion around SEO is how it can be used to elevate a business/product in a very crowded market. My situation is a little different in that my offering is unique which means I have no competitors but it also means my target market market (SMEs) doesn’t know that I exist. So how do I use SEO to help people find me when they dont know I exist?
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Thanks for the comment! I am no expert either, but in this situation I’d recommend thinking about what keywords you are using. Unless you are a large brand like Nike, not many customers are going to be searching for your company through your brand name. In order for customers to find your site, I’d suggest using keywords that they are searching for. Looking through the analytics of your blog posts and published articles may provide you with some insight into what areas are relevant to your current audience. Derive keywords from those areas, and try to increase the frequency of your keywords, while always making sure that they are used in the appropriate context. Keep continuity throughout your site by incorporating keywords in page titles, filenames, alt tags and captions. Good luck with your SEO, let me know how it goes!
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