When you made the decision to start your own business, I am sure that marketing it and growing it was probably not on the pros and cons list under “pros.” Much of the reasons to own your business was related to the freedom that it offers. Working for yourself and being in charge of your own success has its appeal. With all of the marketing strategies you can do out there, it has become more important than ever to pick the right ones. Nothing will ever replace the good old referral, but SEO, if done right can offer the same levels of ROI and efficiency. 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, so it would make sense to be optimized for those search engines. So, how does SEO help your business? 
SEO Helps Your Business Grow
SEO helps you grow in many different ways.
- Brand Awareness – At the very least of what SEO does is get your business out there. More people will find you than before and will get to know your brand better than if you didn’t do SEO.
- Inbound Marketing – There are hundreds to thousands of people out there looking for your products or services right now. SEO puts you in front of those people. You can offer the best services and products in your industry, but if people can’t find you, what difference does it make?
- SEO ROI – According to a poll by Search Engine Journal, 49% of site owners say SEO brings the highest ROI for their digital marketing.
- Legitimize Your Business – 81% of people research a company online before making a big purchase. Make sure they can find you online, that is what SEO is all about.
Let Your Website Work For You
As stated above, nothing will ever replace the client, friends, and family referrals. What a website can provide for you is a 24/7 spot where potential and current clients can visit to be sold on your services. Your website should represent you and your business. A well-built website will always convert higher than any type of outbound marketing strategy. Make sure your website is able to answer all the questions that might come up about your business. It should also serve as an informational hub for your industry. Be a resource, and you will create engagement amongst potential clients.
SEO Results Are Quantifiable
We hear it all the time, I have given thousands of dollars to SEO companies and never know they’re doing and what results they’re getting for me. A good SEO company will always provide reporting on your results. All of their key deliverables should funnel down into these core components.
- Rankings – This is where it all starts. Optimization, link building, and content production should drive rankings. If they’re not, one or more of these components are not being done right.
- Traffic – Rankings should be driving traffic. If it isn’t, then you are driving rankings for the wrong keywords and you need to revisit your strategy.
- Leads – If you are getting results for Rankings and Traffic, then it should be leading to more conversions.
Check out this SEO ROI calculator to see where your ROI is.
It’s All About Equity
SEO done right is timeless, meaning it will never lose its value. Make sure you are building links and creating content the right way and they will always be valuable to your SEO. When investing in your business, it makes sense to get more back than you invested. SEO done right can provide that. So, how does SEO help your business? I think by now, you know.
