Perhaps one of the most powerful marketing strategies in recent years is internet marketing. Companies nowadays take advantage of this opportunity by setting up their own websites where they can include every detail people need to know about their business.

However, the job doesn’t just end with the creation of the website. Marketing is all about attracting potential customers and being able to convert them to actual clients, and this is practically a never-ending cycle.

Thus, the first thing you should do is to ensure that people are actually visiting your site. And that’s where SEO comes into the picture.

What Is SEO?

In simple terms, Search Engine Optimization is the method of driving traffic to a particular website or webpage without spending a dime. This means that searchers only need to use search engines and be directed to your website naturally or organically, and nothing else.

People use search engines when looking for certain things, and they need to key in keywords or key phrases to achieve this. Website owners, on the other hand, need to include these keywords strategically within their pages to be able to rank in search engines.

The higher the ranking in search results, the better. This is due to the fact that most people can’t be bothered opening beyond page five of the results if those on the top pages have answered their questions.

What Can SEO Do For New Website Owners?

Perhaps one of the main reasons why you should give your website much importance is the fact that you have complete control over it compared to other types of online marketing. Different social media platforms, for example, are owned by individuals. They decide what to allow and what not. In short, you’re at their mercy all the time.

It’s entirely a different story with websites as the domain is yours (or at least at a certain period as long as you pay your dues), you decide what to post, when to post, the designs and layouts, and the likes. No restrictions. You only need to make sure that people get to see them.

This brings you to the importance of SEO when building your new website. Below are some of them.

1. SEO Is Free

It’s but natural to set aside a budget for every aspect of your business. Salaries, utilities, taxes, etc. have to be funded for the business to operate smoothly.

When trying to up the performance of your website, SEO is one great tool to use without necessarily needing to spend on cost. This is very beneficial for small businesses and those that are just starting up.

2. SEO Provides Quality Traffic

If your company has tried cold calling as a method to increase sales or placing an advertisement to webpages, the chances of rejection are very high. It’s entirely different when it comes to SEO.

People use search engines because they are interested in something. They go to websites and webpages because they want to know something or purchase something, which makes SEO a very effective inbound marketing technique.

3. SEO is Your PR In Disguise

You may wonder how is this so when SEO and PR seem poles apart in terms of use and goals. However, one of the techniques of SEO is by linking different reputable websites on your page. The more reputable and respectable the site being linked is, the more opportunity for you to be respected and eventually patronized by potential clients.

You can also do it the other way around like backlinking strategies, and some companies are offering this service. They can help you have your websites linked or mentioned in some of the biggest and most reputable online news agencies and magazines like Forbes, Reader’s Digest, ABC, CNN, and the likes.

However, while the linking is free of charge, the mediator between you and these websites charges fees in the form of subscription.

4. SEO Gets You Ahead Of The Pack

Competition nowadays is stiff. You have to make the most of everything you have to be able to gain an advantage over competitors. And SEO can help you achieve just that.

As SEO is a somewhat a never-ending race to stay at least a step ahead of your closest rival, you need to improve the website with the latest SEO upgrades regularly. These not only involve monitoring your website but also checking your competitors’, keeping up with the latest news

about SEO, and changes in Google algorithm.

5. SEO Is More Effective Than PPC

Besides the fact that SEO is free, it is more effective in terms of the number of clicks than PPCs. In fact, the Google search result’s first page currently accounts for 92% of the total search traffic clicks.

On the other hand, a measly 15% of this traffic either tries another search or click an advertisement like pay-per-clicks.

How To Start Using SEO

Now that you know the importance of SEO for your new website, it’s time to understand how to apply SEO to your website. Here are a few different steps to consider in making your site SEO-friendly:

  • Create and post unique content and blogs on your website. Google hates plagiarism, and you lose your chance of being ranked in its search engines.
  • Make your website mobile-friendly as well, because the majority of internet users nowadays use mobile devices when searching.
  • Linking within your website would be one of your best weapons, as it ensures that readers would be able to navigate your website.
  • Use regular and readable URLs in such a way that it can be both read by people and search engines.
  • Avoid blackhat SEO techniques like cloaking, which means hiding your text within the HTML.
  • Use keywords that make sense in an article or blog and not force them for the sake of ranking.
  • Optimize images like using keywords and reducing their size for faster loading.
  • Avoid having orphan pages or those that don’t have a connection to any part of your website.
  • Reply to the reader’s comments to keep your website more engaging.

Parting Words

SEO can come across as something intimidating if you have no idea how it works. However, it becomes invaluable once you realize its importance in formulating an overall marketing strategy for your business.

In this day and age, where everything keeps on getting more expensive, it’s always good to have something that remains to be a free service. Just as long as you have the time and the will to do it, SEO can get the job done for you.