Consumers today rely on search engines to get the information, services, and products they need. Over 3.5 billion searches are performed on Google every single day. And that number is only growing.

Regardless of the size of your business or what it offers, showing up on search engine results pages (SERPs) could be the deciding factor between a business that is growing and one that is failing. 

What is SEO?

Simply put, search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving your website to increase search visibility, which in turn leads to increased website traffic. 

Search engines use bots to crawl the web, collect information on website pages, and index them. They then use algorithms to analyze these pages to determine their rankings on SERPs. SEO helps improve your site's rankings in the organic (non-paid) section of the search results on Google and other search engines. 

Your search engine rankings are determined by a range of factors including content, website design, and user experience. Understanding your target audience is the key to optimizing your website and delivering content to search engines in a way that allows you to connect with your potential customers. 

SEO is NOT a One-Time Thing

This is a common misconception many people have. Many clients either expect immediate results or think that SEO is a one-time thing. This is not the case.

SEO is a long term strategy. Benefits from optimizing your website will not be immediate or evergreen. As consumer preferences change and new competitors enter the market, you must continually optimize your website content, links, and structure to maintain your rank on SERPs.

Why is SEO Important?

According to one research study, the number one results in Google gets 31.7% of all clicks. Combine that with the fact that only 0.78% of Google searches click on something from the second page and you can see why SEO is so important. 

While paid advertising and social media campaigns can generate traffic to your website, organic traffic still accounts for a large majority of the traffic driven by search engines. In fact, the average click-through rate on Google paid search ads is only about 2%.

If your target audience and potential customers can’t find your website, you will not generate online leads and sales.