It’s the information age, and anyone who’s anyone understands the value of the internet. Unlimited potential for making meaningful social connections, doing business on a global scale, or championing a cause that speaks to one’s inner passions, all noble and worthy pursuits. However, navigating the intricacies of the internet can be a labyrinthine endeavor. There are approximately 1.13 billion websites on the internet, and while only 18% are active, gaining notoriety among 200 million websites is still a tall order.

Enter digital marketing; a methodological approach for websites to grow their traffic, generate leads,  and build an online presence that translates to profitable business. Within the digital marketing arsenal is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is a technical approach that digital marketers use to improve the ranking of websites or social media pages within search engines.

SEO is an increasingly important tool for digital marketers. Let’s discuss some of the advantages it extends to digital marketers.

Web traffic is the premier indicator of a great marketing strategy. It implies that one’s online presence augurs well for their profitability. SEO ensures your website ranks higher than the competition when users search for specific terms. For instance, a potential customer seeking cloud computing services may search for ‘cloud computing consulting services near me.’ Such a query will automatically narrow the search to companies that included their addresses on their websites or metadata.

An optimization strategy that geotags your website’s products or services are rendered will rank higher than those whose information is unclear. Consequently, a higher ranking encourages potential customers to browse your website for information.

Traditional marketing strategies hinged on leveraging cost-intensive resources to get one’s message out to the public. However, the Internet does not require such steep monetary thresholds. Strategies like SEO shrink the costs associated with positioning one’s brand or organization optimally for the public to interact with it. A keyword search and creating content on your website that will outperform other highly ranked outlets on the internet. People or organizations that do not outsource content production on their websites tend to incur no costs for this service.

Understand that web crawlers work around the clock to go through different websites and determine how best they rank within their search engine. Having an SEO expert comb through your website architecture, design, and optimize these technical aspects occasionally will be a necessary cost. However, these costs are negligible compared to running television ads or renting space for billboards.

The cost efficiency you enjoy via digital marketing does not mean you will not incur any costs. However, you can calculate your return on investment once everything is set up and optimally running. The primary ROI measure directly linked to great SEO is a higher ranking across different search engines. This encourages website traffic and directly impacts your bottom line.

Other metrics you can use to improve and evaluate your ROI include the quality of leads you realize, website click-through rates, and website visibility. SEO also encourages long-term and sustainable organic growth. These benefits mean the investment into your website will realize higher returns in the long term.

Part of SEO is implementing measures that improve user engagement and experience when they visit your website. Search engines are generally designed to ensure users realize results that are most relevant to them. The goal is to ensure your website ranking continually improves across different search engines. It sets you apart from the fray by continually improving how easily users can find relevant information based on your content. It inadvertently invites search engines to improve your rankings based on relevance.

The other side of the coin is user experience. SEO also seeks to load page components on your website optimally. Websites with many components across each page may have longer loading times than well-balanced or minimalist concepts. Your team should perform page loading audits and optimize content, among other web assets, to guarantee that user experience is not encumbered by poor page speed.

Content Marketing is another tool in the digital marketing war chest. It is a method of creating content through your website, among other digital channels, that positions you as the go-to resource within your industry. SEO often supports content marketing efforts. Producing content that features inbound and outbound links, relevant keywords, and title tags will ensure that users who need your published content can access your page faster by searching common terms. Content marketing and SEO, in this way, ensure you are better positioned to attract the audience and potential clients that will benefit most from your product, service, or content.

There is plenty of information online. Millions of websites publish content daily, making it difficult for users to determine one website’s credibility over the other accurately. One of the most common ways people gauge credibility is by relying on the website’s rank after performing a search. Results listed higher typically forward the idea that they are more credible than others.

Websites whose user engagement comes organically created are more capable of building trust with their audiences. SEO helps marketers sell their respective platforms as dependable which makes building lasting relationships with your audience an easier task when done properly.

Off-page SEO is another facet of optimization that seeks to funnel potential clients to your website by leveraging other platforms like social media. Most brands today use social media accounts to push blogs, products, or services to their following. These social media handles work as resources through which brands build recognition, share memorable content, and showcase their expertise while driving traffic to their website.