For many, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a dying breed when it comes to internet marketing. Allowing search engine bots to take words out of context and use them as clues and apply rules blindly to them does feel a little unsophisticated, but it’s also still the best way for search engines to index content and organize it appropriately.
Keywords, tags and everything in between offer search engines clues that are more information-rich than you may think, and if your business is neglecting them, then your business could end up neglected.
Why Do I Need SEO?
There are numerous ways SEO has the potential to help your business, and allow you to remain competitive in an equally competitive industry but most of the reasons can be reduced to a two-word phrase: free traffic.
For those of us who live in Ireland, we may want to find something that pertains to our geographical location. Imagine how difficult this would be if Google didn’t pick out services relating to Ireland by using our search terms. Think, also, about how many websites you will never have been to before that you may peruse as a result of Google’s suggestions. You are, then, part of this free traffic.
Making the most of your ability to generate free traffic will not only save you money because it can eliminate the need for costly advertising, but it can often be more effective than paid advertisements because free traffic generally generates more free traffic.
The Importance of Keyword Research
SEO will only ever translate to real sales if you’re bringing in the right kind of traffic e.g. potential customers for whom you can provide according to their needs e.g. If someone searches for a service in Ireland and finds you by virtue of another search term, rather than the service they are looking for, then sure, you’ve got a website visitor, but they’re unlikely to return, and to them at least, you’ll be lost in Google results limbo.
Research any and all keywords related to your market, and aim to rank highly for all of them. Plenty of free online tools will help you with this.
Whether or not you think SEO is a blunt tool, it’s certainly an important one, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. If you’re serious about improving your company’s SEO, but don’t know where to start, contact Epresence online marketing at +353 (0)87 256 5119 today.