Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 Search engines are booming highways of the internet. It is estimated that 93% of all online experiences begin with them, which is a staggering number. Many of these searches are directed towards brands and businesses of all shapes and sizes. This poses an incredible business opportunity you should not miss. Namely, in this day and age, search engine optimization (SEO) is the name of the game. This dynamic practice revolves around the process of fine-tuning your website in order to attract more organic traffic. It helps you elevate your digital marketing strategy and lay the foundations for steady growth. So, it is time to step up and reach new business heights. Playing by the rules Search engines rank websites according to established SEO standards and requirements. Since Google owns a lion’s share of the market, your efforts should revolve around guidelines this internet giant sets and promotes. There is no better way to get in front of people and capture their attention. On the other hand, if your strategy is not on-point, you risk losing a mammoth share of business and falling behind the competition. Therefore, get familiar with basic rules of the game. Avoid black-hat SEO like keyword stuffing and stick to tried and tested tactics that boost the ranking organically. Gaining organic visibility Lalmch / Pixabay The majority of users actually ignores ads or installs blockers to keep them at bay. They want an organic, smooth experience, which matches their starting intention, and who can blame them? Note that visitors who come to your via paid ads have a conversion rate of only 2%, while SEO provides a much better ROI and closure rates of 14.6%. Google is well aware of this and strives to connect people with the best possible results. That is why businesses that handle effective SEO management have a chance to reach a huge audience and outpace the competition. Establishing connections The beauty of it is that with SEO, you are able to target people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say or offer. You are not shooting in the dark and wasting resources on something that fails to deliver results. In other words, you make it easy for everyone to find relevant information about you and engage with your content. Another change that takes place is that search engines can crawl and index your pages. So, any update you make to the website becomes accessible to users ASAP. Be there at the moment they need something and type it in the search box. Branding and promotion Studies have shown that 75% of internet users never scroll past the first page of results. It is clear that people trust what they see ranked at the top. That is to say that in order to capture traffic, you need to make it to the forefront of SERPS. Apart from the sheer amount of traffic, there are some other benefits that can be reaped from his. Most notably, occupying such a distinguished position is something that signals that your brand is reputable and trustworthy. In this regard, good SEO paves the way for successful online branding. Technical optimization To get the ball rolling with your strategy, you should first do a thorough SEO audit. The main objective is to evaluate individual pages in the light of technical requirements and performance. So, inspect whether some SEO elements are missing, duplicate, or non-responsive. Uncover errors and mitigate frictions along the buyer journey. Assess how fast your pages load. Bear in mind that more than a few seconds is too long and it tends to turn business away. Once you finish a technical audit, turn your attention to content and gauge how well optimized it is. Making it happen Once you manage to direct visitors to your website, you need to figure out the most effective strategies for converting them. This tactic is what brings additional revenue and reinforces your bottom line. There are many ways to go about this. But, most of your efforts should be aimed at optimizing your sales funnel, website navigation, and overall user experience. Pay special attention to hallmarks of the on-page SEO, including product images, alt titles, product descriptions, landing pages, and calls-to-action. Finally, forge high-quality content and update it regularly to add value to your website and business. Get ahead of the game In the world dominated by search engines, SEO is the mainstay of any strong online presence. It gives a powerful boost to businesses seeking to tap into new markets, foster customer loyalty, and improve profitability. So, you cannot afford to neglect it— the global marketplace is right at your fingertips. Other businesses are already investing good money in SEO: are you ready to keep up the pace and overcome growing pains? If the answer is yes, make sure to rise above the competition, spread brand awareness and spur sustainable, long-term growth. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article was written for Business 2 Community by Mike Young.Learn how to publish your content on B2C Author: Mike YoungView full profile ›More by this author:6 Tips You Need to Consider When Selecting a Venue for Your EventsWhy You Need to Know About Event Apps and Gamification