If you've been looking for new approaches to implement into your marketing strategy, undoubtedly, you've heard the term "SEO." SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it's the process of improving your website to rank higher on search engine listings. The SEO process usually involves the following:

• Ensuring your website is secure and mobile-friendly

• Enhancing the quality and quantity of its content.

• Using an internal linking strategy and seeking out partnerships for high-quality backlinks.

• Meeting the user's search intent.

Before you write off SEO as technical jargon you don't have time to address, it's worth considering the most common reasons SEO should be a part of your digital marketing strategy. If you overlook this one, you may be missing out on organic website traffic that has the potential to increase leads, sales, or donations with little or no financial cost to you. 

SEO Boosts Your Brand Visibility 

If you want to catch the eyes of your target audience, you need to make sure they can find you. For example, if your prospective customers are looking up products or services you offer, appearing on the first page of Google search results is ideal. Unfortunately, most users don't click beyond the first one or two pages. 

How do you get there? Google uses nearly 200 factors in its search algorithms and prioritizes content that appears to best answer the searcher's question. So, ensuring your content addresses the topics your audience is looking for is the best place to start. 

By appearing in the top tier of search results, your website traffic is likely to increase, exposing more people to your brand and ideally, increasing conversions, as well. 

SEO Helps You Build Credibility 

People typically see businesses that rank on the first page of Google as credible and high-quality. While this isn't always the case (as anyone can use pay-per-click advertising and get to the top of the page), it does increase the likelihood of getting noticed online. 

Furthermore, your credibility increases when you provide the types of content on your website that users are looking for (required for great SEO). By answering your visitors' questions and becoming a reliable source of information, users will identify you as a credible source of information. 

SEO Improves the User Experience 

SEO and the website user experience go hand in hand. You can have the best information on your website, but if you bury it behind confusing graphics, use a poor layout, or make it difficult to navigate the menus, the user will leave before consuming the information. 

On the other hand, if your website has quality content that's displayed in an easy-to-read manner, uses good contrasting colors, and has typography that's easy to read, the user experience is positive. Your audience will likely stay on your website longer, sending a signal to Google that everything is well. 

SEO Gives You an Advantage over Other Brands 

I'm in the nonprofit website design space, and there's quite a bit of competition out there for nonprofit website design. However, many of the websites I encounter are not optimized, and I continue to outrank many of them, especially when it comes to offering nonprofit templates. My own SEO expertise gives me an advantage over other companies that provide similar services.

While you may not be able to compete on price, product variety, or other factors, you can "out optimize" your competitors. 

SEO is More Economical than Other Marketing Strategies 

You get better at SEO the more time you dedicate to it. Even if you're paying for SEO services, you won't be spending nearly as much as you would spend on advertising.

Organic web traffic is not only more effective, but it's also free! So over time, these SEO costs pay for themselves. 

SEO Results Are Easy to Measure

If you've ever paid for an advertisement on television or radio, you know that tracking your return on investment for this type of marketing is challenging. 

SEO results, on the other hand, are relatively simple to track and measure with website analytics. Whether you're using built-in analytics from a website on Squarespace, Google Analytics, or a paid option like Fathom Analytics, the data you collect provides valuable insights that help you make better, more informed business decisions. 

For instance, if you optimize your About page to lead more visitors to book a call with you, those results are easily accessible via an analytics account. You can track how many visitors click on your "book a call" button on the About page before the changes vs. after and see if your strategy is working. If not, you can continue working on the website content and experiment until you get the desired results. 

Final Thoughts

All businesses, small or big, are capable of implementing SEO as part of their digital marketing strategy. It's not an overnight success formula, and the best results come with a combination of training and time. However, those who invest in a human-centered SEO strategy that first meets the users' needs are likely to see a positive response in search engine rankings and conversions. 

How do you prioritize SEO in your marketing strategy? 

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