The RCM Digital College offers courses in search engine optimization and various other digital marketing courses. This article will explore SEO and why it is an important aspect of digital marketing.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is used to increase the number of visits to a company’s website by obtaining a high ranking on the search engine results page (Google, Bing, Yahoo).
Search engines include Yahoo, Bing and Google. Search engine optimisation is important because it helps search robots and users to understand what the website is all about. Keywords and phrases make it possible for people to find the websites that they are looking for when they search for them on search engines through search engine optimisation.
Keywords and phrases link to the products and services that are sold on the website, which make searches more targeted. SEO helps link the correct potential customer to businesses that can provide what they are searching for. SEO helps to market websites, without it, websites would just be lost and not easily found when searched for.
Search engines need to assist users to help them find what they are looking for, which means that they need to show the most relevant results first.
Search Results.
When you are searching the web you will stumble across two types of search results, namely: organic searches and paid searches.
Organic or natural searches are results that occur due to the relevance of the search query.
Paid searches are results that appear according to the amount of money that is spent; paid results include pay-per-click (PPC). A marketer will pay a search engine to showcase their website when certain keywords or key phrases are searched.
SEO Strategies.
The two types of strategies that you should consider when putting an SEO campaign together is on-page optimisation and off-page optimisation. On-page optimisation is done by making changes to the HTML code, content and structure of the website. Changes are made for the purpose of making the website easier for users to find and use, and easier for search engines to access the website. Off-Page Optimisation refers to building links for the website.
Why is SEO important?
SEO can be used as a guideline to building a better website, through search engine optimisation tactics your site will become more search engine friendly and will, as a result, be more attractive to users who are visiting your website. There is no point in having a website if nobody can find it!
SEO is designed to get websites ranking in search engines for keywords that are relevant to the product or service that they sell. Without SEO how would we know which keywords are being searched and which keywords we want to rank for?
SEO pushes for optimization of both long and short-tail keywords in order to extend to different corners of the market. As SEO continues to optimize websites for more keywords; the more targeted traffic it will bring to websites.
Search Engine optimisation can help to improve your company’s brand recognition. Every time a website is ranked in a search, it serves as a branding opportunity. The branding effect is increased with dual exposure of both SEO and pay-per-click. The more a website is found in search results, the greater the opportunity is for the website to be branded. Every time a website has branded the opportunity for driving traffic to the website is increased.
What makes the searcher click on a specific site? It’s the feeling that one site is more targeted to what the searcher wants -this is SEO in action! It’s not just about editing tags to get rankings; it’s about editing tags to make them as compelling as possible to get the searcher to choose a specific site rather than the ten other websites that come up in the search.
Targeted traffic is produced through SEO practices. SEO helps you to reduce untargeted traffic while increasing targeted traffic. Eliminating traffic that you can’t help gives you more time to assist the traffic that you can help. How? Carefully crafted ‘meta title tags’ & ‘meta description tags’.
It is SEO’s job to speak to the searcher’s intent by optimizing the content of the pages. If you speak the searcher’s language you are more likely to build trust and get a sale.
By optimizing a site, SEO helps the visitor move from search to the site, then answers, to conversions. This is done through a number of on-page optimization strategies, including the use of solid architecture and implementing ‘calls to action’.
If SEO can give you a profitable return of +10%, it doesn’t matter if it costs R10, 000 or R100, 000. The only loss is when you cut your SEO investment. Of course, not all SEO is equally profitable and smaller SEO campaigns will generally take a longer time to generate a positive ROI (return on investment).
What are the benefits of Search Engine Optimisation for companies?
- The results are low cost- Providing you understand the complexities of SEO and have the time and resources to publish and promote valuable content, then the prime listings are within reach. Most of the prime listings or keywords, that have commercial importance, have already been taken by organisations and they protect their property by dedicating resource and employing SEO companies to make sure they remain there.
- Increase in traffic- Being higher up on the search listings will naturally result in more traffic for the website. The simple fact is that as humans we are naturally lazy which means that we click on the results that are presented to us rather than scrolling through page after page looking for something more relevant.
- Improve brand creditability- Psychologically, the higher up the search engines your business is listed the better it looks for your brand or image. The reason being is that everyone knows and trusts Google to provide them with relevant and respectable results. Therefore, by simply occupying results on the first page you are gaining respect in the eyes of your customers.
- Demand-driven- If your web presence follows correct SEO practices, then when a user lands on your website what they will find will be exactly what they are looking for and this can result in leads, sales and increased profitability for your business.
- Focusing on SEO for Business means practising better web development- Focusing on SEO results in a naturally better, more accessible website. This is due to the fact that to reach the dizzy heights of Google’s standards, your website has to be structured in a way that the search spider can crawl effectively, meaning your site cannot have poor navigation, broken links or low-quality content.
- The promotion that does not rest- Having a well-optimised web presence means that regardless of your office being open for business or, whether or not you still have a willing and able “salesperson” available to answer questions, direct queries can still win new business.
- Forces your business to produce content- When you enter into an SEO campaign one of the things that you need to do is constantly provide the search engine with fresh, relevant and quality content. This means that you can leverage the knowledge that your business has and publish it for all to see. The more people who can see what you do and how you can help them, the greater the chance of them choosing you when they are in need of your services.
- SEO can help businesses achieve their goals- If you want more customers, more leads and more sales then the internet is a huge marketplace where customers are becoming less and less cautious when it comes to purchasing items. Therefore, if your business goals are to raise sales and increase profits, the internet is a fantastic platform from which to reach a greater audience and help you achieve those goals.
- You can expand on existing business- If your business is predominantly online then adopting a professional SEO service can allow you to tap into a different market or engage with your existing marketplace. The population of the internet is about 2.1bn and growing rapidly. By harnessing effective SEO strategies you can target a niche marketplace on the other side of the world, or strengthen your position against a bigger competitor on a local level.
- You can reach people locally- Reaching consumers based on their proximity to your business and their need for your experience is a present reality, and many marketers are already reaping great benefits. For business owners, SEO has levelled the playing field when it comes to raising awareness and attracting and retaining customers as well as rewarding them for their loyalty. Just because your town only has 40,000 people it does not mean there is not a demand for your product or service.
- Competitors are doing it- The internet is an important aspect to consider when doing business and if you want to be on the internet and you want to have an opportunity of connecting with people when they need your service, you will need to think about search engine optimisation.
- You don’t have to be a top dog- Google has made changes to their algorithms to allow each and every business to compete on the same level, whether you are a small or large entity. Therefore, if you can produce the most relevant content that people engage with, then you could find yourself benefiting from the top search spots on the search engine results page.
- You can create networking relationships- Social media is an important factor when it comes to SEO. The more places that your pages are indexed online, the higher the chance you have of connecting with other people that in turn could result in joint ventures, business partnerships and, of course, increased profits.
- Better return on investment (ROI)- Due to the high rate of keyword inflation, paid search in terms of pay per click, can be costly for many small businesses and therefore an ongoing SEO campaign returns a better return on investment over the long term. Search engine optimisation is not something that can simply be ignored, the results are undeniable and a must for your marketing strategy. If you are in business then your goal is to make a profit, to make a profit you need sales, to make sales you need leads, to get leads you need to prospect and advertise. SEO for business is part of the online package you need to consider. When SEO is used correctly and creatively it can become one of the most beneficial tools in your online marketing strategy.
Are you looking for digital marketing courses that will assist you in learning about SEO? Contact The RCM Digital College to start your course today!
The RCM Digital College is an accredited digital college that teaches you everything you need to know about the digital world. The RCM Digital College was established due to a worldwide need for skilled employees in the digital field. We recognize digital technology and its advancements in our society and therefore we have recognized the importance of cultivating the skills needed within the digital field to ensure that we make the most of it. The facilitators who teach at the digital college are all experts in their field and have a wealth of knowledge to impart onto those who are eager to learn. To join the ever-changing, volatile world of digital, contact The RCM Digital College to start your course in digital skills today. For more information visit their website to browse the courses that are on offer https://rcmdigitalcollege.co.za/.
