Helping your organisation understand the benefits of SEO

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) may be nearly 20 years old, but many businesses still view it as a ‘nice-to-have’ rather than an essential marketing tactic for their business. But if a business is serious about its online presence then SEO must be a key part of the marketing arsenal.

However, convincing your organisation of the importance of investing in SEO and getting them to understand the benefits can be a battle. In this post, we will arm you with key points to help you sell the benefits to the executive board.

Why is SEO so important?

The first step to getting buy-in from the board is explaining why SEO is so important for businesses. Don’t flood them with data and jargon at this stage or you may frighten them off before you get the chance of securing their support. Keep it simple and communicate the key benefits:

• Organic traffic makes up the majority of website visits
• SEO helps to build brand authority and credibility
• Good SEO leads to better user experience
• SEO impacts the buying cycle
• SEO is a cheaper digital marketing tactic
• Good SEO supports the long-term success of your website

When you’ve piqued their interest, you can explore these benefits in more detail.

Organic traffic often makes up the majority of website visits

This may sound like a bold statement, but it is a true one nonetheless.

More than 50% of all website traffic originates from organic search. And, with a limited number of web users venturing past the first few results for a search query, let alone past the first page of results, it’s paramount that your business is highly visible in order to win that valuable click.

The better your online visibility, the more traffic your website will get.

SEO helps to build brand authority and credibility

It goes without saying that trust, authority and credibility is built up over time, but the more visible your website is, the more users begin to trust it.

A website that ranks well has effectively been given the seal of approval by the search engines; and users expect the top ranking websites to be relevant and credible, so they are more likely to click on the result.

Ranking well with quality content that addresses the needs of your target audience will also build the credibility of your brand, positioning you as an authority within your given sector.

Good SEO leads to better user experience

Good user experience is a key component of ranking highly, so a website that ranks well will generally have a better user experience than those that rank poorly.

Delivering users what they want, and quickly, will not only help your site gain more visibility in the search engines but will also win you favour with your potential customers.

SEO impacts the buying cycle

With more and more customers using the internet to do their research before making a purchase, this presents an ideal opportunity for businesses.

Understanding the buying funnel, and serving valuable content to address questions and needs when users are doing their initial research, can mean you remain front-of-mind when someone is ready to make a purchase.

SEO is a cheaper digital marketing tactic

While SEO will require an investment of time, and some necessary costs for producing quality content, it still remains a relatively cost-effective marketing tactic. A well-optimised website will begin to draw traffic organically meaning you won’t pay for this traffic acquisition.

Good SEO supports the long-term success of your website

Unlike many other marketing efforts, SEO is in it for the long haul. The effort you put into optimising your site and producing quality content now, will usually continue to pay dividends in the longer term, as long as your tactics comply with Google’s search guidelines of course!

The proof is in the pudding: SEO return on investment

When you’ve secured the backing of your organisation, and they’re committed to the benefits of SEO, it’s time to showcase the fruits of your labour.

While SEO return on investment may not be quite as clear to track as paid advertising, there are several key metrics you should definitely shout about to prove your tactics are working:

• Better keyword rankings
• Total number of quality backlinks
• Increased organic traffic
• A good Bounce Rate
• Session Duration
• And, most importantly, conversions

These are our top tips for getting your organisation to understand the benefits of SEO. Do you have any other tried and tested methods for getting that all-important buy-in?

Are you looking to kick-start your SEO or take your optimisation efforts to the next level? Get in touch today to discuss our SEO services.