We are starting another year full of hopes, dreams and ambitions, so what better way to kick start this years business with anything other than SEO?

So first of all...

What is SEO?

SEO if you havnt gathered already stands for "search engine optimization". It is simply the process of optimizing your website in order to be placed higher on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP's)

Search engine optimization isn't as simply as it may seem to some people. A lot of the time it is perceived as a "magic button" or something that happens over night. Well unfortunately for us SEO's its not. A number of technical processes are required to move your website even the slightest up the SERP's, but, unless your planning on sticking your foot in the door yourself, i recommend not getting too caught up in the details.

Why do i need SEO?

As mentioned above SEO is a very long winded process, but also a very valuable one. Optimizing ones sight would considerably move you higher on the SERP's and could even potentially get you to the top, so what does this mean from a business owners prospective?

Well...to start, the higher you are ranked on your chosen search engine the more likely it is for people to notice your site, because lets be honest, none of us really scroll past page 1 to find what we need. In fact, multiple studies have shown us that the first result on Google show an average of 33% engagement from searches, with a total of 75% of people not even moving past page 1. You can see how incredibly important this is as by ranking lower you are missing out from hundreds, if not thousands of potential leads/sales. So in short, the higher you rank, the more traffic your site will accumulate.

You should also think of SEO more of an investment than an expense, all these newly potential leads and sales will not only increase your web traffic but also with a bit of effort convert into successful sales. Done properly, the extra visitors you are pulling in will outweigh the cost of any Search Engine Optimization services.

Not only does SEO increase your traffic for customers and clients but will also draw in the attention of other business', meaning your not only using this as a tool for the SERP's but also as a way to grow your business as a whole. Other business' will begin to notice you and which a little nurturing and a carefully crafted approach these can blossom into a worth while business relationship, this can develop a whole new level of growth apposed to just an increase in search traffic.

Speaking of other business', SEO is the ingredient that makes you stand out from every single one of your competitors. A lot of business owners overlook online marketing and social media management as they believe it to be some sort of myth, or even something that's not worth there time, which in essence, is perfect for you - it will utilise the opportunity and throw you leaps and bounds ahead of the competition easily out ranking them. Putting you at the top of the search engine results also improves your overall trust of the business. Searchers are more likely to trust your brand apposed to someone ranking much lower. This all helps your business grow and over time will result in a successful campaign increasing your business dramatically.

Hopefully a couple compelling reasons for you to use SEO services, although, this is just scratching the surface and there are many more you can look up. But i assure you, the pros always exceed the cons. Remember, if you really want to take advantage of SEO, make sure you hire someone worth the money, after all, business owners and CEOs don't have the time to be worrying about marketing!