Marketers talk all the time about the importance of a Search Engine Optimization strategy to the health of an online business. But when you’re actually busy running your business, it’s easy to put search optimization aside, especially given its complexity.
Unfortunately, this can significantly limit the potential of your online store. Here are some of the reasons why a solid approach to SEO is essential to the health and success of any ecommerce business.
SEO helps your business get found online.
Creating a functional online store is a feat to be proud of; However, if no one can find your store, all this effort is useless.
Of course, you can invest heavily in paid marketing to build awareness of your brand. But just as physical storefronts rely on foot traffic to bring in a good portion of new customers, online stores rely on potential customers coming to their site while searching for products to increase their business. This type of online traffic is called “organic traffic”.
From 53% of website traffic comes from organic search results, and 71.33% of searches resulting in a page 1 click on Google, not working to maximize your SEO is leaving money on the table.
SEO makes your business more competitive.
A solid SEO strategy makes you appear more competitive both to the search engines themselves (like Google and/or Bing) AND to customers shopping online.
Search engines are constantly working to improve the search results they provide so that people find what they need quickly, making them more likely to come back again and again. Functioning with search engines by following a good strategy shows them that you care about providing quality, accurate and relevant content to their audience, which they are more than happy to promote.
Not only does this increase the possibility of your business being listed above your competitors in organic search, giving you a competitive advantage, but it also increases customer trust because they can see that you have gained enough credibility with search engines to appear more prominently. .
SEO provides valuable insights into consumer behavior.
Learning what constitutes a good SEO strategy can also provide insights into consumer behavior that you can’t find anywhere else. Think of it this way: if you fully understand how the web works, it’s easier to game the system and gain the upper hand.
For example, explore What customers are looking for and how This approach to finding new products allows you to adjust the way your site presents products so that they are aligned, increasing your chances of being found quickly. You can also identify new opportunities based on research on what people are looking for. If you sell aquarium supplies and searches for “metallic rainbow aquarium gravel” are increasing, you know it’s a product worth adding to your inventory.
SEO costs less than advertising.
As mentioned earlier, paid advertising is always a great option for customers to find your business. But the associated expenses can quickly add up as more and more people interact with them, even if none of them actually make a purchase.
SEO is completely free because it is specifically linked to the changes you make to your website. Even if your efforts are successful, you won’t have to pay extra like you do with pay-per-click, for example. And because SEO is built over time, you’ll always see improvements if you start, take a break for a few months, and then start again.
The only things you can what you have to pay for are the monitoring tools (most of which have adequate free options), plus the time and energy for research, strategizing, and auditing, which you can do it in-house or by hiring an SEO contractor or agency (always cheaper than advertising!).
SEO increases revenue.
The final reason why SEO is an essential part of ecommerce is that it simply increases the amount of money your business can make. With more online visibility, more online visitors, and with more online visitors, more sales opportunities.
Better yet, the more sales you make, the more potential your business has to generate positive customer experiences. Satisfied customers are much more likely to come back and spend more at your business and tell their friends about it, too.
SEO is not going away.
As the Internet evolves, search engines’ ideas about how their search algorithms can improve to better serve people searching for information online will also evolve. And as algorithms change, SEO best practices will change as well. Investing time and effort into a good, constantly updated SEO strategy ensures that you and your business stay ahead of the curve.
Do you want to outsource your SEO strategy so you can focus on other areas of your business? Marketing360®, Volusion’s marketing partner, is available to help you with SEO services designed to meet the unique needs of your business.