Senior marketers and marketing executives are more and more in agreement that organic search traffic is a vital part of any effective marketing strategy, especially as they learn more about the effects SEO services may have on their final outcomes.
according to research, “65% of website traffic and as much as 67% of website revenue are generated by sponsored and organic search traffic.”
However, it is simple to oversimplify, because the impact of SEO varies by sector and location. And the role of SEO in the overall digital strategy may change once more as we learn more about the devices that consumers use during the buying process or the user habits of certain demographic groups.
Additionally, marketers need to be mindful that what has produced results for one organization might not do the same for another. As we all are aware, both Google’s algorithms and the skills of your rivals are always changing.
What then are the top 7 things that marketing executives must understand about SEO?
1. Results may not appear right away.
It takes time for search engines to recognize, evaluate, and index changes, whether you’re establishing your site authority through a sustained content marketing effort or waiting for Google to crawl your new SEO-friendly website. The amount of time it takes to notice changes in traffic, conversions, and income is also impacted by this.
Sometimes it takes months or years for improvements to materialize. Therefore, it may occasionally be challenging to link particular adjustments you or the team have made to ranking or traffic improvements.
Especially for websites that are just starting started or that need to repair their technical and content health after years of SEO atrophy, marketing executives try their best to realize that SEO is a long-term strategy in this situation.
2. SEO is a continuous procedure
SEO is not a “one and done” solution, despite what you may have heard. It is something that needs constant monitoring and improvement.
This also holds true for well-optimized websites; it sometimes happens that they receive lower results as a result of user behavior changes, Google’s algorithms being smarter, or major world events like COVID-19. Another frequent explanation is that rivals’ tactics advance.
The only strategy that succeeds over time is one that is proactive, has excellent content, and has a positive user experience.
3. SEO is always changing
SEO is unpredictable at times and changes frequently.
A change to Google’s algorithm may cause some businesses to rank poorly while helping other businesses. Instead of reverting to reactive decision-making, marketing managers must once more attempt to view SEO as a long-term investment and take appropriate action. It functions if the general trend is favorable.
Of course, not every shift can be attributed to new algorithms. There are many other factors that can affect user demand, from seasonal variations to worldwide pandemics.
When technology and devices evolve, such as with smartphones and voice search, behavior can also shift. Keep an eye on what your rivals are doing because it will impact search engine results as well.
4. SEO Is Advantageous For Other Marketing Channels
Other digital marketing platforms may be impacted by SEO.
The user experience for visitors who arrived at the site via other channels can be improved with better website design with SEO in mind. Regardless of how they arrived at the site, Google has its own criteria and metrics for assessing and rating the user experience.
Similar to this, keyword research for SEO and content marketing can improve overall communications, help to better understand the intentions of users, and help to improve the keyword mix in other contexts like paid search ads.
5. Pay Attention To The Most Important Measurement Values.
There are numerous measures that can show SEO’s return on investment. Conversions, traffic, income, and average order values are some metrics that stand out more than others, including brand or product awareness or exposure.
Each person has a position. However, some are more practical than others.
For instance, traffic is increasingly regarded as a nebulous indicator. We would all like to have more visitors to our websites, but what good are they if they don’t interact with the material or buy anything? It is better to monitor metrics like bounce rate, time spent on the site, and conversions from organic visitors.
Other helpful indicators can, for instance, contrast returning visitors with newcomers who stumble upon your website via Google. You may choose where to best focus your keyword strategy based on the audience by taking a look at which sites end up being most popular among various segments.
Spending too much time concentrating on indicators like search volume and competition might be harmful because they don’t directly affect how well specific websites perform or how many conversions there are.
It is easier to make sure that the content is targeted to a particular user intent or persona by paying attention to keywords that actively attract traffic to your site. Though niche and long tail keywords may have lesser search traffic and less competition, when combined, they can increase conversions.
6. Growth Is Not The Only Factor In Good SEO
Growth and scaling are major themes in digital marketing. In highly competitive markets, a successful SEO plan may focus more on maintaining a certain degree of authority or exposure in a particular vertical than it may on trying to improve rankings over a wider range of keywords.
Senior marketers believe a search engine consultant’s ability is best measured by their website traffic rise. As we’ve covered, increasing traffic at the expense of conversions from less competitive keywords may lead to a bad ROI.
Maintenance and preventative measures against traffic loss are just as vital (perhaps even more necessary) for websites that are already well-established, such as an Animation Video Production company that has a presence on Google, and they necessitate frequent work and monitoring.
7. There Are Numerous False Beliefs Regarding SEO.
Search engine visibility is crucial. However, its worth in comparison to other marketing channels relies on the sector you work in, the customers you want to reach, and the rivals in your specialized market.
Not a sprint, but a marathon, is what SEO is.
To maintain and enhance results, implementations and monitoring must continue.
A successful SEO campaign is built on solid analysis. The trick is to focus on what consumers do as much as on hazy measures and have a solid knowledge of the data.
Ranking #1 for a keyword doesn’t guarantee your website is the best or that your SEO efforts were successful. In other words, it doesn’t matter how or for what the site ranks. What it actually offers is what matters.
Executives in marketing should inquire about key term conversion rates, for example. Are more users visiting or returning to the site? What behavioral engagement measurements and average order values are currently in place by user segment?
Finding the answers to these questions is frequently far more informative and beneficial than boosting traffic and keyword rankings.
Conclusion
SEO works best when combined with other digital marketing strategies.
Consumers are demanding more consistency across media, but there also needs to be true, worthwhile user experiences. The most effective multi-channel strategies should be considered when evaluating SEO operations, and ultimately, users should take precedence over Google.
