It is, without a doubt, impossible for businesses to stay relevant in the information age without an effective digital marketing strategy. Seeing as Namibians will soon enjoy nationwide Wi-Fi at affordable rates, your business’ potential online reach will be even greater if you have the right strategies in place.
Say you have just taken your business online. You may have invested in designing the most aesthetically pleasing, most user-friendly, UX considered website for your business, but has your digital marketing strategy considered this fact - if Google produces over 40,000 searches per second (some of them are bound to relate to what you offer), how can you make sure that users find your site among the billions of daily searches? It is, as the age old saying goes, like finding a needle in a haystack.
However, with a firm, ongoing SEO strategy, you can beat Google’s algorithm, to make sure your business gets displayed as a top search result. This is why SEO is essential for your business’ online survival.
SEO In a Nutshell
SEO or search engine optimization, is a digital marketing tool used to order information for search engines like Google. Businesses should set up their websites and content according to SEO best practice principles if they would like to see their site ranked highly in search results, which ultimately leads to higher traffic and greater conversions.
Think of Google as a matchmaker between your business and a prospective client. Search engines, like Google, use keywords to understand what someone is looking for on the net. They use this information to display websites that will most likely contain content that answers the question, offers the product or resolves the issue that brought the user online.
If your business is considered by search engines to be an authority on a specific topic, they will rank your website higher in search results. If your website ranks higher in search results, people are more likely to click on them. In other words, search engines help prospective clients find your business!
In light of the fact that more than 50% of web traffic comes from clicking on website through organic search results, with an SEO optimized website, you can really hike up conversions for your business.
Advantages of SEO
The key to an effective SEO strategy is patience. You won’t necessarily see the results you are looking for overnight. Rather, SEO, as a digital marketing tool, builds on itself over time.
Increase traffic to your website. According to a study by Chitika, websites on the first search engine results page (SERP) get 90% of web traffic and the top three pages get 60%. Consumers want results quickly, meaning all of the time and money spent creating the perfect website doesn’t amount to much if people can’t find it on the first SERP.
More cost effective and more effective. The allure of PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising is that you can nearly guarantee your business a top position on the first SERP but the downside is the price that comes with paying for certain keywords. Studies have shown that for every 1 click on a paid search result, organic search results generate 8.5 clicks and this number increases the higher your page ranks in the SERP. These numbers reveal that focusing on an effective SEO strategy will, in the long run, increase the traffic to your site more so than PPC - without the added cost.
Improve the quality of your leads. As an inbound marketing strategy, SEO targets those who have particular intent, in other words, people who want to find you. 59% of marketers firmly believe that inbound marketing produces higher quality leads than traditional outbound marketing strategies like commercials, billboards, or cold calling. If you place more focus on catering your website to users who are looking for information relating to what your business offers, you are more likely to reach your target audience.
Beat out your competitors. It’s likely that your competitors already have an SEO strategy in place. If you really want to best them, you should implement your own SEO strategy to redirect traffic from their site to your own. Following the correct principles can even allow small businesses to outrank their competitors.
A more user-friendly website. As you make your website easier for search engines to navigate, you will also improve the user experience of your website. SEO is no longer just about optimizing for search engines, now you need improve the user experience too. SEO strategies involve rearranging your website’s structure to make it simpler for search engines to find information and pages on your website, this simultaneously makes the process simpler for users.
SEO in 2019
SEO is always changing but it is certain to remain an essential feature of any successful digital marketing strategy in 2019. 61% of marketers argue that improving businesses’ SEO and online presence is a top priority. Google does not reveal the precise nature of their algorithm, and it’s not likely that they ever will, which is why it’s important for companies to look into hiring SEO experts to keep their website in line with the latest algorithm updates.
V5 Digital is one of the leading digital marketing agencies in Windhoek, Namibia, we help businesses transform to the Power of Digital. If you would like to start benefiting from an effective SEO strategy, contact V5 Digital for a free assessment.
