2023: Seo is More Important Now Than Ever

The 2020 pandemic saw a massive shift in how businesses operate. It caused many businesses to go online for the first time, joining the digital age. And for those that were already online, it forced them to re-evaluate and change how they operate to survive.

With so many businesses now online, the competition for customers is fierce. This is why SEO is more important than ever before.

By definition, SEO is “the process of optimizing a website for Google search and other search engines with the goal of earning higher web traffic levels and improving the visibility of the site.”

If you want your business to succeed, ensure that your site is optimized for search engines. Otherwise, you risk being lost in the sea of online competition.

Here’s Why SEO Is Important Now and in the Future:

• Businesses need to be visible to survive

It is no longer enough to have a website; businesses need to ensure that their pages appear as high as possible in search engine results. This is important because people are more likely to click on websites that appear at the top of the SERP.

According to SearchEngineJournal (SEJ), pages that appear organically on the first page have a CRT of 28.5%. This percentage drops to 15% and 11% on the second and third pages of SERPs, respectively.

You’re missing out on potential customers and revenue if your business is not visible in top search results. In fact, studies have shown that 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results.

Appearing on top of SERPs will help in driving traffic to your website, which may lead to increased leads, sales, and revenue.

 

 

• The number of internet users continues to grow, and brands need to

There are now over 4 billion internet users worldwide. This number is only going to continue to grow as time goes on. With more people using the internet, the competition for online customers will only increase.

To compete with other businesses in your industry, you need to make sure that your website is optimized for search engines. Otherwise, you will lose out on valuable web traffic and potential customers.

 

• Google is constantly changing its algorithm

Google makes over 500 changes to its algorithm every year. As the algorithm changes, businesses must change their SEO strategies to stay ahead of the curve.

Businesses that invest in SEO have a competitive edge as they often see a significant increase in web traffic and leads.

 

• How people use the internet is changing; businesses need to change their SEO strategies to stay ahead of the curve.

For instance, voice search is on the rise. With the advent of Siri, Alexa, Amazon Echo and other voice-activated assistants, more and more people are using voice search to find what they’re looking for online.

Voice search is different from traditional text-based search because it relies on natural language processing (NLP) to understand what the user is saying.

This trend will only continue to grow, so businesses need to ensure they are optimized for voice search to draw these customers.

 

• Visual content is becoming more important

In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with information, visuals are becoming increasingly important in catching people’s attention.

This means that businesses need to use optimized, high-quality images and videos to grab attention and stand out from the competition.

 

• SEO is more affordable than other marketing strategies

One of the main benefits of SEO is that it is more affordable than many different marketing strategies, such as paid advertising. While paid advertising can be effective, it can also be expensive for small businesses.

SEO is a more cost-effective solution because it helps you to organically attract website visitors. This means that you don’t have to pay for each click or visit to your website.

In addition, SEO can help you to save money on other marketing activities, such as print and online advertising.

 

• SEO can help companies to build trust and credibility

When people see your website appearing in search results, they will be more likely to trust and view it as credible. This is important because 63% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase from a brand they trust.

SEO can help you to build trust with potential customers by increasing your visibility in search results.

 

• SEO can provide valuable insights about your customers

Another great reason to invest in SEO is that it can provide valuable insights about your target audience. By analyzing your website traffic, you can learn about your visitors’ demographics, interests, and behavior.

This information can be used to improve your marketing strategy and make better decisions about the direction of your business. In addition, SEO can help you to track the progress of your marketing campaigns and website goals.

 

• SEO can help a company to reach a global audience

If you want to expand your business to a global audience, SEO can help you to do that. With the right SEO strategy, you can make your website visible in search results for people all over the world.

SEO can help brands to reach a larger audience and expand their businesses to new markets.

 

 

• SEO can be used to target specific locations

Local search is one of the best ways to get new customers, and research shows that 97% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses.

You’re missing out on a huge opportunity if you’re not using SEO to grow your business.

 

How Companies/Brands can Improve their Website’s SEO

The trick is to optimize your site and your content. Here’s how:

• Evergreen content will remain essential

It is crucial to focus on evergreen content within the industries and accumulate views as the years pass. It is best to combine evergreen and trending topics/themes for traffic while also planning for the future.

 

• Develop content that aligns with search intent

For increased SEO visibility, align this with your users’ search intent. This requires knowing search intents and using the proper keywords in your content writing process.

Keyword research will help you determine which terms people are searching for and how difficult it will be to rank for those terms. Then, you can create content that is optimized for those keywords.

 

• Write long-form content

One of the best practices when promoting a website is posting long articles (more than 300 words).

The study found long forms were rated more popular in Google rankings. Long-form article shares compared with average article traffic and backlinks were up 35%, 45% compared with a typical article.

If you want to develop long-term content, it is essential to choose the right keywords. The keyword difficulty must be balanced with the search volume.

 

• Create interesting title tags and meta descriptions

Google’s algorithm considers titles in the search results. Meta descriptions influence clickthrough rates (CTR) and the visibility of content in searches. Use the title tag to make sure you are concise. When writing a Meta description, you must keep it at a minimum of 160 characters and use relevant keywords.

 

• Utilize optimized images

Images are a great way to enhance your online presence and improve user experience. Bad images may affect your loading speed.

The optimal image will give the highest image quality. If you wish to optimize the images, you can use JPG or PNG format.

Free image compressing programs such as ImageOptim ShortPixels or TinyPNG may help.

The lazyload strategy is a great tool to optimize page load times. Free plugins like Lazy Load can help lazy load your video files or photos.

 

• Use authoritative backlinks

Google uses backlinking as a critical factor when ranking websites. Backlinks to spam sites may negatively impact the ranking of your website, though.

For a better chance of avoiding it, you have to get backlinks from trusted websites.

A simple way to generate backlinks is to look at the links of your rival’s web pages or use the links of their sites.

You can use backlinks gap tools like MajesticSEO, Linkody, or ahrefs to monitor your website’s backlinks.

 

 

• Include internal links

Internal links are very important for Google rankings when properly used. This link creates an information hierarchy for your website and informs Google of your content topics.

Linking to other pages on your website is good for both users and search engines. It helps reduce the bounce rate and encourages users to explore more of your site.

For SEO, it is essential to use keyword-rich anchor text so that Google can understand what the linked page is about.

 

• Optimize your website for mobile devices

More than 60% of all internet traffic is from mobile devices. This trend is only going to increase as time goes on.

Mobile optimization is essential for good SEO. Make sure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly.

 

• Improve your website’s loading speed

Slow website speed can negatively impact your SEO ranking. Google wants the best user experience possible, so they prefer faster websites.

You can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to test your website’s speed and get tips on improving it.

 

Bottom line

In the past, SEO was often an afterthought in digital marketing campaigns. However, as the internet has become increasingly crowded with businesses and companies of all sizes vying for attention, SEO has become more important than ever.

A well-executed SEO strategy can help your business stand out from competitors and attract more customers.

If you need help with your SEO or have any questions, take advantage of experts in our agency. Our team can help you develop and execute an effective SEO strategy that will help improve your ranking and visibility in search engines.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.