Search engine optimization helps search engines determine how relevant a website is to a search term. The more relevant a website is, the higher it ranks in the search results. SEO consists of on-page optimization, such as creating keyword-rich ALT tags and having a responsive design, and off-site SEO, including guest posting and content marketing. SEO has numerous benefits, including:

More Traffic

Since over 70 percent of people do not bother going past the first page of Google’s search results, it is important to be on the first page. SEO won’t get you the top position for a highly competitive keyword right away, but aiming for it will help propel your website to a better position in the search results. A website will get very little traffic if it’s buried on page 10 of the search results.

Crevand SEO Boise, reports traffic increases of over 80% with their client SEO campaigns. “With data-driven campaigns that position sites high on first page search results we see enormous traffic growth”. States Mr. ODonnell, President of Crevand SEO.

More Qualified Traffic

Traffic is good, but qualified traffic is better. If you sell widgets, SEO allows you to focus on keywords which show a person’s intent to buy, such as cheap widgets, widget reviews and widgets with free shipping. This will help you attract visitors who are using Google to decide which website to purchase from.

Great ROI

It takes months to see a return on an investment in SEO, but it is an investment that keeps paying dividends with free traffic. While investment SEO isn’t a one-time task, it is easier and less expensive once the technical SEO is complete. Link building and content creation are ongoing tasks which require effort, but they are inexpensive compared to PPC advertising.

Organic Results Get More Clicks

People are more apt to click on an organic result than a paid ad in the search results. If they use Google often, they trust the search engine to deliver websites that have what they want. Perhaps they believe that ads are not as relevant since brands paid for the top spot.

SEO Can Improve a Company’s Reputation

When a brand’s web pages and blog appear at the top of the search results, it improves a brand’s reputation. These are pages you control. Every good SEO campaign includes content marketing. Hopefully, your content marketing articles on Medium and other relevant sites will also show up near the top of the SERPs. If you company has a bad review, or a disgruntled customer wrote a negative blog post about your company, you can push these results down where very few people will see them.

You Won’t Lose Your Position in the SERPs

Your competitors are actively engaging in SEO. If you do nothing, they will take your place in the SERPs and your website will drop down in the results. It’s unrealistic to believe you can take the top spot for highly competitive keywords from established competitors, however, you can get some of your web pages ranking for less competitive keywords which will bring you qualified traffic.

SEO is not quick and easy, however, you can never hope to earn money from your website without it. Use these six benefits of SEO to help your business grow.