The Importance of Search Engine Optimization

Google

Online marketing is becoming more and more important to running a successful business and a company’s search engine rankings are a crucial component of successful online marketing: 57 percent of B2B marketers say that search engine optimization has the largest influence on their lead generation. Consumers are increasingly buying products online and to find what they are looking for they are increasingly turning to search engines such as google, yahoo, bing, etc. The vast majority of adult internet users report performing a search at least once everyday. The higher a company’s website appears in search engine ranks, such as google rankings for example, the more likely a customer is to click on the link to their website. Customer’s typically go to the first result they see that meets their criteria and are unlikely to search through pages and pages of search results. Therefore, a higher ranking in search engine results leads to more traffic on the site and subsequently translates into more sales. It also crucial that the website have a high organic ranking, as opposed to a sponsored ranking. Between 70 percent and 80 percent of Internet search engine users say that they pay no attention to sponsored results and instead always choose organic results. Therefore, search engine optimization can increase a company’s ranking through a variety of Seo tools, such as improving web content and appearance and utilizing keyword research.

Overall the more online marketing activities and search engine optimization a company engages in and the greater their Internet presence, the more likely they are to attract consumers. Nearly 9 out of 10 US Internet users aged 14 and over report browsing or researching products online. Approximately 40 percent of this group will follow up on social media, requesting more information prior to making a purchase. Furthermore, more and more people are utilizing mobile devices while out shopping to connect to the internet and obtain information about products and companies. Studies how that by 2014, mobile Internet usage, such as smartphones and tablet, will overtake desktop computer Internet usage. 65 percent percent of mobile Internet users rely on their smartphone or tablet to find a local business in order to make a purchase. So the bottom line? The more online marketing the better. Companies should work to develop a presence on social networks and blogs, and also utilize search engine optimization.