The Importance of Search Engine Optimisation for e-Businesses in the Competitive Market

Business owners who are serious about growing their online market share are now investing in solid search engine optimised web infrastructures. Organic SEO is the name of the game, and here are some of the many reasons why you should be doing it, too:

1. It still works – SEO is not dead, and it will never be. The clean organic techniques to improve rankings still remain sound. A long list of SEO case studies done post-Hummingbird verifies this. Based on how search engines are developing, experts agree that SEO will continue to be an important marketing tool well into the future. Video and audio searches might see a surge, but they still ultimately depend on text based content and keywords.

2. SEO is still one of the most cost-effective marketing methods – Compare SEO to other tools (including online methods like PPC advertising, email marketing, or social media marketing) and you will quickly see that SEO provides the best ROI. PPC can drive revenue almost instantly and social media is certainly important for building a brand, but organic SEO is still the bedrock of online presence.

1. Search engines like Google are grabbing a bigger market share – Statistics show that 80% to 90% of customers check online reviews before making a purchase. This figure is expected to continually increase. Before long, virtually everyone will search for services and products online. If you want them to be able to locate your e-business instead of your competitors, then organic SEO is extremely necessary.
2. Mobile searches are becoming more important – People are searching more and more using their mobile phones and tablets instead of desktop computers. This dramatic mobile usage explosion is setting off a whole new set of SEO techniques, including local search optimisation. Your e-business has to be ready for this new development.
3. Content is still (and will always be) king – Google and other search engines till look at content as an indicator of a website’s relevance. Sure, your social media indicators are important, too, but without content, you might as well not exist. A comprehensive organic SEO campaign will provide you with great content regularly, so that you stay on the search engine radar.

6. Your competitors are investing in SEO – If you are not and improving your organic ranking, you’re losing a competitor who is moving forward. This is how the SEO process works. Are you ready going to let your competitors out-manoeuvre your e-business by ignoring SEO?

This article is written by Damien Ryan, who is the managing director at Ryco Marketing.