The Power of Organic SEO

​In the world of digital marketing, it can be easy to imagine that the most valuable type of impact you can make is a paid one. However, according to studies conducted by Impact BND, organic search leads to a 14.6% close rate, whereas outbound marketing leads only have a 1.7% close rate. In fact, some statistics point to 61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority.

​So what is SEO, and how does a person go about growing their reach organically?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): A Primer
In layman’s terms, search engine optimization, or SEO, is a means of increasing your website’s traffic – and therefore it’s visibility. Most of this work is done through what we call “organic” or “non-paid” foot traffic on search engines, like Google. A search engine’s job is to piece through and rank all of the information found on the internet pertaining to a certain topic. Depending on how well your site is set up to present that information is what gives you a certain “ranking”, or order on a searching site.

Your goal, then, is to make sure your website and the content you produce is designed to give you the best possible ranking. For instance, my company is called NextStep. If someone who was interested in marketing and my company typed “nextstep marketing” into the Google search bar, my rank in the list of answers shows I have a high SEO score.

The objective is to increase your SEO score by creating custom, unique content that is powerful in its messages, provides your customers with valuable information, and shows you’re an expert in a topic or field. Because the more unique, valuable and highly rated the content, the less you’ll be competing with others.
And the less you compete with other’s for digital space, the higher your ranking will be.

The Power of SEO
When you take the time to invest in optimizing your website and its content, you’re ranking will increase. In other words, your website will be easier to search and find. This, in turn, increases the traffic on your site – aka “organic” SEO. So why does this matter? Does organic SEO really make that much of a difference compared to paid search ads?

Well, according to New Media Campaigns organic SEO is “about 5.66 times better than paid search ads.” Why? Simply put, people want honest, thoughtful information. While paid advertisement can be useful, the value of SEO is that it is generally created when people put thought into the content they’re creating and how they’re connecting with their audience.

While a largely impersonal, data mine approach may work for companies like Amazon, when the average consumer is looking for a business, they look local. In fact, nearly 86% of people who look for a particular type of business simply use Google Maps to see what’s in the area.
So, if you’re wanting to make sure you’re one of the first results that pops up the next time someone needs to book a massage or find a new doctor – your best bet for gaining some of their mindshare is by creating and maintaining organic SEO.
 
Tips and Tricks

• Make sure page names are unique
• Create thoughtful, custom content that is distinct
• Have a strong brand voice
• Find a niche
• Make sure your website is optimized to work on mobile devices as well as desktop

 
For more information about creating a plan that will increase your SEO, contact us here. 

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