Is SEO Worth The Money?

Following our past blogs, we hope you now have a better understanding of what SEO is. The next question is… is it worth it?

Simply put, YES. 

Investing in SEO is more than worthwhile. In fact, a study conducted by Econsultancy ranked SEO as one of the most effective marketing channels with regards to return on investment (ROI). It’s a method of marketing that almost guarantees long-term results, with most companies seeing an ROI of over 200% within the first couple of years. As we progress into 2020, SEO is only going to become more crucial as Google updates its algorithm and the digital marketplace becomes increasingly competitive.

Why Is SEO So Important? 

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is all about driving organic traffic to your website by making sure people can find your content using the search engines. Developing a long-term strategy requires in-depth research – you need to get to know your competitors and customers and determine which search terms (keywords) your prospects use to find your services.

The idea is to create content that addresses all your potential customers’ requirements, from answering niche questions to creating long-form guides that provide detailed information on a subject matter related to your industry or services. It’s important to remember to insert relevant keywords into your content where they fit naturally so that the search engines can understand the purpose of your content and the intended reader.

What Can I Expect from SEO in Terms of ROI? 

While there’s no definitive way to determine exactly how much profit you’ll make off the back off your SEO campaigns, you should expect to receive a return on investment of between 200 and 300% within the space of a year or two, especially if you partner with a specialist SEO agency. It’s worth noting that optimising your site for the search engines is an ongoing process. It may take time before you start noticing real results, but stick at it, and you can expect your SEO strategy to help your business grow significantly.

According to Econsultancy, SEO is the most cost-effective online marketing channel. In a recent survey, 28% of businesses that invested in SEO reported ‘excellent’ results, and another 45% reported ‘good’ results. Conversely, only 8% of companies that invested in social media marketing reported excellent results. Even mobile marketing only yields excellent results for around 8% of businesses.

Here’s a breakdown of how many companies reported ‘excellent’ results with regards to specific marketing channels:

• SEO – 28%
• Email marketing – 26%
• Paid search (PPC) – 15%
• Social media – 11%
• Mobile marketing – 8%
• Affiliate marketing – 8%
• Offline direct marketing – 6%
• Online display advertising – 2%

So, the short answer to the question ‘is SEO worth the money?’ is a resounding yes. That’s not to say you should ignore other online marketing channels. However, SEO should always be a core element of your overall digital marketing strategy.

How Do You Develop an SEO Strategy? 

Admittedly, getting to grips with search engine optimisation can be rather challenging. One of the most essential things you can do is keep updating your website with high-quality content that will resonate with your readers. For fresh content ideas, you need to see what your competitors are doing, find out what your customers want to know, look at trends within your industry, and analyse keywords your customers use to find you.

Don’t just search for high-traffic keywords aiming to drive as much organic traffic to your website as possible. Also focus on low-traffic keywords that might be easy to rank on the search engines for. When it comes to SEO, converting website visitors into leads is just as important as getting them to find your content in the first place.

Besides developing a user- and keyword-focused content marketing strategy, you need to consider a range of on- and off-page SEO factors that can affect your search ranking. For example, page loading speed and mobile friendliness are both essential ranking factors. But the search engines also determine your trustworthiness by analysing how many backlinks you have to your website and your social media signals.

The most straightforward way to get ahead with an SEO strategy is to let a team of experts develop it for you. Provided you choose a reputable agency, you can let somebody else do the hard work and keep your site optimised as the SEO landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

Let Move Ahead Media bring your company to new heights. Contact us for a free assessment today!

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