Monthly Archives: March 2019

The importance of SEO for an online company

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O’Brian, et al (1963) ‘Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practise of assuring that websites are indexed and effectively presented in internet search results’. In simpler terms, this means to make your website appear in internet searches, making them more easily accessible to your desired audience.

Why is SEO good for your company?

Whether you be a small or large business here is why SEO is right for you…

According to Improve My Search Ranking.com here are 5 key benefits of SEO for a small business:

  1. User-friendly websites: SEO can help small business create a better, easier and smoother running website for their customers.
  2. Bring in more customers: websites who use SEO bring in more customers and grow at a faster rate (almost double) than those websites which do not.
  3. Better conversion rates: websites which are optimised by SEO are easier to read, get around and load faster. They are also formatted so all users whether be on a laptop, mobile or tablet all have the correct layout.
  4. Build brand awareness: customers only tend to look on the first page of search engines. Therefore, small companies who want to build brand awareness should invest in SEO in order to gain top rankings for key terms.
  5. Bypass competition: two companies, same products, one with SEO one without. Which company will attract more customers from a simple search online? Correct… the one using search engine optimisation!

Although Word Stream’s blog is about why SEO may be harder for small companies to use SEO … these are also reasons why big companies should use SEO:

  1. Money: the more money you are able to put in the more benefits you will receive. Especially if you are in a highly competitive market.
  2. Time: just like money the more you put in the more you will receive back. If you put more time into making a successful SEO for your company, you will be able to stay on top.
  3. Dividing tasks: big corporations are able to divide tasks and cover all areas a lot easier, compared to smaller businesses. If you have a specific team covering SEO for your company, you will more likely be successful in your links.
  4. Software: being a bigger company means you are able to invest more in your company. Investment into better analytics, more advanced research and optimising tools.
  5. Relationship with Google: bigger companies tend to have better relationships with these search engines. They pay a sum to have specific advertisements on these search engines, leading to personal relationships inside.

LyfeMarketing set out a few tips on how to maximise the benefits of SEO for your company:

  1. Title Tag: the first thing a customer sees on a search engine. 70 characters or less; focusing on your business name and what the content is.
  2. Meta description: this is a little more detail about what your page is about… relevancy is key.
  3. Sub headings: easier for your visitors to read whilst improving your SEO performance. The use of H1, H2, H3 tags in order to help search engines understand your content.
  4. Internal links: hyperlinking to other content engages SEO to understand your site better.
  5. Image names: using images on your website you should tag what is in the photo. Search engines are able to indicate your website when users perform an image search for particular key words.

Escalon made a whole page on the pros and cons of SEO:

Pros:

  • The more money and time you invest in SEO for your company, the more you gain.
  • Using SEO builds trust and credibility of your company.
  • SEO delivers free, traffic into your website. Boosting figures.
  • Customers are 8.5 times more likely to click on a website which has a paid research result

Cons:

  • It takes time, if you are not able to invest time into SEO you will not get the full benefits.
  • As your SEO builds, your competitors may start to do the same.
  • If your SEO, progresses really well, you may not be able to keep up with the sales.
  • Be careful of the resources you use, some may cut corners, or break the rules leaving your company blacklisted.

If you would like to read more about the pros and cons click here.

To avoid any mishaps here are a list of reliable websites and guides to help you progress and succeed with SEO:

  1. https://seranking.com
  2. https://www.boost-your-website.co.uk

 

References:

OBrien, P. and Arlitsch, K. (2013). Improving the Visibility and Use of Digital Repositories Through SEO (A LITA Guide). Chicago: American Library Association, p.Chapter 1.

Enge, E., Spencer, S. and Stricchiola, J. (2015). The art of SEO. Beijing: O’Reilly

Samson.S  (2015) SEO 101: Search Engine Optimization, Learn the Basics of Google SEO in one day. Committee of Publishers and Associations

Hamit, J. (2019). 5 KEY Benefits of SEO for Small Businesses | IMSR. [online] Improve My Search Ranking. Available at: https://www.improvemysearchranking.com/5-key-benefits-seo-small-businesses/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].

Gabbert, E. (2018). 10 Reasons SEO Is Harder for Small Businesses. [online] Wordstream.com. Available at: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2012/10/15/why-seo-is-harder-for-small-businesses [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].

Standberry, S. (2017). What is SEO and How Does It Work? [Here’s the Answer]. [online] Digital Marketing Blog. Available at: https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/what-is-seo-and-how-it-works/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Escalon Services. (2017). Pros and Cons of Investing in SEO. [online] Available at: https://escalon.services/pros-and-cons-of-investing-in-seo/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].