Generally, many people are afraid of SEO because it can look complex at first glance. However, SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is possibly one of the best tools you can use for your business to increase website traffic.
So, if you’re still on the fence about SEO, keep reading. This article will cover five of the most common SEO fears and how to take steps toward overcoming them!
SEO Takes Too Long
Search engine optimization might not be a quick fix for your business because it takes time for the words to rank in search. However, that doesn’t mean SEO isn’t worth it. Here are several benefits SEO can provide for a business:
SEO Benefits
Boosts Your Credibility
Top-ranking sites on search engines are usually the most credible websites because their websites are heavily optimized with high-ranking keywords.
Supports Organic Content
Because SEO is part of organic marketing, it can support your organic content. For example, any type of non-paid content your business produces, such as social media captions or blog posts, can have SEO weaved throughout it.
By pairing SEO with your organic content, you could potentially rank higher in search engines and establish yourself as a credible information source.
Pairs Well with Paid Advertising
Although SEO is an organic content strategy, it can also pair well with Paid Advertising, such as Pay Per Click (PPC). For example, optimizing your content for both SEO and PPC could position your site at the top of the search, potentially increasing your credibility.
In addition, you can use search engine optimization to enhance your PPC campaigns. For example, if you have a high-ranking page filled with SEO, you could potentially use it for a paid advertising campaign as long as the cost-per-click for the keyword isn’t too high.
Provides a Competitive Advantage
Using search engine optimization could potentially give you an advantage over competitors who haven’t optimized their sites. In addition, a solid search engine optimization strategy can help you stand out amongst the competition and position you as a leader in your industry. For example, the most optimized website will rank the highest in search results, so it might be beneficial to improve your SEO as much as possible.
Can Increase Your Reach
Generally, most paid campaigns focus on a specific demographic or target audience rather than a keyword. So, you can use SEO to target people associated with the keyword to potentially reach a broader audience.
You Can Track Your Results
You can track the effectiveness of your SEO strategy using analytics. Using analytics can help you determine which keywords your customers are clicking on and which ones they aren’t. Then, you can use your strategy to reflect the data.
Improves User Engagement
Search engine optimization can increase user engagement because a better-optimized site usually means a quality site in the eyes of your customers. So, optimizing your content with high-ranking keywords can help you stand out in search.
It’s Too Complicated
While it’s true that SEO is a learned skill, it’s not as complicated as many might assume. In the modern world, it’s easier than ever to potentially learn about search engine optimization by watching a few YouTube videos or taking an online course.
In addition, if you don’t have time to learn search engine optimization, you could always hire an SEO Specialist to help you. For example, you can find hundreds of cost-effective SEO Specialists on freelancing sites!
It’s Spammy
A basic understanding of SEO can prevent you from falling into a spammer’s trap. For example, many spammers may take advantage of business owners who don’t know much about SEO to make a quick buck. However, the more you educate yourself on search engine optimization, the better prepared you can be against these schemes.
SEO Costs Too Much
Although many costly SEO services exist, search engine optimization doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, you can learn about search engine optimization yourself and use your knowledge to optimize your website. For example, hundreds of blogs and videos go in-depth on SEO that you could use to increase your understanding.
It Might Not Work
Fortunately, SEO is usually an effective marketing strategy that, when used right, can drastically enhance your website. To enhance the effectiveness of SEO, it might help to become as informed as you can about search engine optimization and possibly hire a specialist to help you.
How to Get Started with SEO
Disclaimer: information is intended for educational purposes only.
Now that I’ve hopefully helped reduce some of your fears about SEO, it’s time to learn how to use it for your business!
Create Valuable Content
Creating valuable content can be extremely beneficial for implementing search engine optimization strategies. For example, high-quality content can make it easier to find high-ranking keywords, potentially enhancing your website’s quality.
Stick to One Topic (If Possible)
Try to stick to one topic when writing content so that you can focus on one high-ranking keyword. Discussing too many topics may make it difficult to rank in search because there are too many keywords, and search engines won’t be able to identify your topic.
Choose Keywords Wisely
One of the best ways to choose keywords is to put yourself in the mind of your target audience and search for terms they might look up. For example, instead of using the keyword phrase ‘social media marketing,’ you could use ‘best social media marketing techniques.’ This keyword process can help you optimize for both search and keywords, potentially giving you an advantage.
Update Your Meta Description
Your meta description is one of the first things users see when they get to the search results page. So, it can be helpful to put high-ranking keywords that a user might look up in your meta description to stand out from the other search results.
Add SEO to Your URL Slug
Optimizing your URL slug with keywords can help your site rank higher in the search results and improve your credibility.
Use More Inbound Links
Using internal links can improve your search engine optimization because it helps search engines identify what keywords you want to rank for. Over time, linking your posts to other relevant posts on your page can position you as a credible source.
Optimize Your Images
Optimizing your images with keywords is another great way to rank higher in search results. For example, you can put high-ranking keywords in the image’s alt text, which can contribute to the keywords in your content.
Excited to learn more about SEO and techniques that could help you? Enroll in ENTRE!
