Because of Google’s increasingly sophisticated algorithm, getting good rankings on unpaid search results is becoming more and more difficult.
It’s no longer simply about making a few tweaks to your website: It’s about creating a useful online resource that your target market will engage with. And, it doesn’t help that paid Google listings are becoming progressively more expensive, as more and more advertisers join the auction-based advertising platform.
Given that it’s a much more challenging, pricey and time-consuming task to be visible on search engines, is it still worth investing in? Yes it is. Here are seven reasons why.
1. Everyone uses Google
Ok maybe not everyone, but Google now processes over 3 billion queries a day, which translates to 90 billion searches a month or 1.1 trillion searches a year.
That’s a lot of attention from your target market and it’s where most people start their hunt for products or services.
2. People are in search mode
Few other marketing channels have a target audience that’s as receptive to what you’re selling. Think about it: Your customers are proactively looking for what you’re offering, rather than you trying to push your marketing message onto them.
This makes them better sales prospects, which means your ROI on search marketing is likely to be much higher than other more traditional marketing channels.
3. It’s measurable
Like other forms of digital marketing, you can see exactly how many people are visiting your site from search engines, and how many are converting into leads and customers.
This means you can work back to exactly how much your search marketing efforts are costing you, so you can justify your budget. This is difficult if not impossible with something like a TV ad or a print feature.
4. SEO is the gift that keeps on giving
While it’s true that SEO is a medium to long term commitment, once you get those natural (unpaid) results on search engines, you don’t pay for them. So while there’s an upfront investment in making your site a good resource, you don’t pay each time someone visits your sites when coming via Google.
5. Paid results are becoming more legitimate
With Google now rewarding advertisers for having useful ads that users respond to, paid search listings are getting more relevant to searches.
This means people are beginning to trust paid search results a lot more than they used to. And as always, you only pay when a user actually clicks on your ad.
6. Search marketing benefits all your other marketing
Marketing isn’t a siloed affair: What benefits you in the digital space will have an impact offline too.
By investing in good SEO or having a paid search campaign, you build up your brand’s credibility online, which can help convert customers better on offline channels too.
7. Your competitors are doing it
For all the reasons above, your competitors are very likely to be involved in a search strategy. If you don’t join in, you’re leaving yourself out in the cold.