Why SEO is Important and How it Functions

In this article, we clarify why SEO is important to inbound marketing. We’ll outline SEO usage, the functions of SEO, its primary objectives, what a monthly SEO program looks like, the potential value of SEO, as well as Pedestal Search’s professional SEO services.

SEO definition in marketing

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing a web page, website, or digital property to improve its organic rankings on search engine result pages (SERPs). In the early days of SEO, this largely meant optimizing the content, technical performance, and site structure of a web page. However, today, off-site elements, such as backlinks from authoritative websites and customer reviews on third-party platforms, play a big role in organic performance.

At Pedestal Search, we categorize SEO variables into three buckets:

1. On-page: Any variable affecting a website’s organic performance hosted on the website itself. For example, content and metadata.
2. Off-page: Any variable affecting a website’s organic performance hosted externally on the website. For example, backlinks and user reviews.
3. Technical: Any variable that affects the ability of search engines to crawl and/or index a website. Also, technical SEO usually encompasses user behavior metrics (now called Core Web Vitals), such as page speed.

Search engine optimization purpose in marketing

The purpose of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of inbound traffic to your website. It’s beneficial to both the consumer and business because it connects searchers with content that’s most relevant to them. This means consumers get the information they’re looking for.  Meanwhile, companies get direct exposure to their desired target audience because they’re providing useful information that helps the searcher make an informed decision during their consumer engagement cycle.

What is SEO strategy?

A search engine optimization marketing strategy aims to improve the search engine rankings of a website to gain more organic traffic. A solid search engine optimization plan should incorporate several sections, such as content strategy, website audit, technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO.

Why do we need SEO?

SEO is arguably the most effective inbound marketing strategy available in 2023. To whet your SEO whistle, we performed an organic search to find a few tantalizing SEO statistics:

• Of digital marketers, 70 percent believe SEO is more effective than PPC at generating sales.
• Almost 70 percent of online experiences begin on a search engine.
• Over 60 percent of all shopping experiences begin online, even if the transaction occurs offline.
• Again, over 60 percent of B2B marketers stated organic traffic resulted in more leads than any other initiative.
• Inbound organic leads have an average 14.6 percent close rate versus outbound leads which average 1.7 percent.

Professional SEO services goals and objectives

A proper SEO strategy yields tangible, measurable key performance indicators (KPIs). Clearly defined objectives pave the way for KPI results that are quantifiable and qualifiable—so the benefits of specific SEO practices can be seen and adjusted appropriately. Some of the main goals and objectives of an SEO program are:

1. Increasing organic impressions.
2. Increasing organic traffic.
3. Improving the website’s organic engagement.
4. Increasing organic conversion rate and sales.

What does a monthly SEO audit service look like?

A good SEO program is often complex and multifaceted. Professional SEO services will contain program modules aimed at improving on-site, off-site, and technical SEO elements. A good SEO program might look something like this:

• Initial strategy proposal
• Monthly reporting
• Ongoing keyword research
• SEO-driven content production (landing pages and blog content)
• On-page optimizations (optimizing existing content for search engines)
• Conversion rate optimization
• Backlink building
• Customer review management
• Technical SEO assistance

Does my website need professional SEO services?

All websites stand to benefit from professional SEO services. SEO is a complex, multifaceted digital marketing strategy. It requires cross-department buy-in and a long-term vision. Without specialized knowledge of the numerous components of SEO, it is often one of the most difficult strategies to execute well. Pedestal Search can help businesses:

• Develop a fully-realized, multifaceted strategy that converts;
• write SEO-driven content that targets each level of the organic growth cycle;
• execute SEO-driven PR tactics to build off-site authority;
• optimize web pages for both organic visibility and conversion rate; and,
• defensively prepare websites for algorithm updates and unexpected shifts in the digital marketing sphere.

Get in touch with Pedestal Search for in-depth SEO audit services

There are many approaches a website can take to improve its discoverability online. However, a proper search engine optimization plan and digital SEO strategy will produce the best results. To learn how you can increase traffic to your site and improve the overall health and performance of your website’s rank, contact us. 

 

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If you enjoyed reading this article, we suggest you read these two articles to learn more about SEO: