Why is SEO Important to Your Business?

The customer journey typically begins with a web search, and if you’re not ranking high in the results, you’re going to be overlooked by potential clients and partners. Here’s how and why you should focus on boosting your search engine optimization efforts.

1. Your keyword strategy should accommodate prospects at all stages of the buyer’s journey. This all-inclusive approach will help you reach everyone from the knowledgeable prospect who is ready to purchase to the novice who has just realized the need for your product or service.

2. Title tags and meta descriptions should be keyword-oriented and tell search engines and users exactly what to expect from your web pages. This not only helps search engines pull your content for relevant search queries but also gives prospects a reason to click through.

3. Graphics and logos should be optimized with alternative text (alt text) to describe images to search engines and give users context when pictures don’t load properly. This improves search performance and user experience.

4. Online business listings should be claimed and updated to ensure name, address and phone (NAP) consistency. This helps build credibility with search and ensures that prospects can find and contact you. Registering with Google My Business will put you on Google Maps and help you rank higher locally.

5. Analytics should be monitored to determine how prospects are finding your business (via search, social media, business listings, etc.) and what specific content is drawing their interest. This data provides insight into what’s working, what isn’t and what you can do to improve SEO performance.

Remember, SEO isn’t a one-time update to your website. It’s a long-term digital marketing strategy designed to improve search visibility and increase web traffic and conversions over time. To be effective, your efforts must evolve with your business, search technology and customer preferences.