Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing your website in order for it to appear higher in search engine rankings.

SEO helps increase the organic discovery of your site leading to increased web traffic and is super beneficial. It’s hyper-targeted and customer-centric and an effective SEO strategy will assist in delivering your site to the right eyes through relevant search queries.

SEO also helps ROI. Although SEO results tend to take some time, a high-quality strategy can deliver good ROI results. You want your page to rank on page one of google, not on the bottom of three or four as leads will most likely be non-existent. Search engine visibility directly correlates to boosted web traffic and increased revenue.

SEO also shows credibility and improves trust. The majority of searchers tend to not move onto page 2, and while google ranks websites based on multiple factors from content, speed, and being mobile responsive users trust google to deliver the most relevant content first. Therefore users tend to trust in the information shared trusting search engine authority

Trust is built on search engine authority and a high-quality product or service, which increases visitor credibility.

70% of users ignore paid advertisements in favor of organic results.

Did you know that SEO generally focuses on the entire marketing funnel? SEO drives content marketing, which includes a variety of content types that target each stage of the marketing funnel. While a top-of-the-funnel or middle-of-the-funnel blog post may not convert at first, content like this fosters brand loyalty and awareness, both of which lead to conversions.

SEO offers continuous promotion because search engine optimization does not stop after work hours. Content remains even after the budget has been depleted, and SEO rankings can promote your business around the clock. Furthermore, SEO has the advantage of allowing your company to reach users when they are actively looking for you, as opposed to a billboard seen while driving home.

SEO allows you to reach your entire audience rather than just one. For example, a landscaping company may service both homeowners and corporate parks, which are two distinct audiences. Through intent-driven keyword search, SEO allows you to reach each audience. So in order to reach both audiences, you can create 2 separate service pages with one targeting the keyword phrase “residential landscaping services” while the other targets “Corporate office park landscaping”.

SEO aids in the optimization of user experience, which is an important component and a Google ranking factor. According to Search Engine Journal, Google has learned how to interpret a positive or negative user experience, and a positive user experience has become critical to the success of a website. A Google user expects his or her query to be answered in a matter of seconds. A visitor who enters a website and is met with a poor user experience, such as mobile incompatibility or an onslaught of popups, will most likely leave within seconds. High bounce rates indicate to Google that the web page is not valuable to the user, which frequently results in lower rankings.

SEO is essential for search visibility.

We live in undeniably digital times. Organizations that want to establish an influential brand presence should be visible on the internet. If you’re not on page one, you’re not likely to get clicks or promote your brand to anyone. Search engine optimization is now essential for a thriving brand identity.
Fresh Content and Keywords
Google and other search engines love fresh content that is regularly updated with new keywords and phrases. If you are blogging consistently (at least once a week), then you will have plenty of content for Google to crawl and index, thus improving your chances of ranking higher in search results. Additionally, if you use relevant keywords in your blog posts (that are related to your business or industry), it can increase your chances of being found by searchers who type those words into Google or another search engine.

Backlinks
Another great way to improve your website’s SEO is through backlinks—references from other websites that link back to yours. When a reputable source links back to one of your blog posts, it not only brings more traffic directly to that post but also increases the credibility of your website as a whole in Google’s eyes. The more quality backlinks you have on reputable websites, the better chance you have of increasing your rankings on search engine result pages (SERPs).

Engagement
Blogging can also help engage users with your business and its offerings. By providing valuable information about topics related to what you do as a business, you can create relationships with potential customers that may lead to sales down the road. Additionally, many users like commenting on blogs or engaging in social media conversations about topics they find interesting—which could include some of yours! This engagement helps boost the visibility of your blog posts even further while connecting people with your brand in meaningful ways.

Conclusion:  
Whether you choose to write one blog post or ten each month, there is no doubt that blogging can help improve the SEO performance of any small or medium business website. Not only does it provide an opportunity for businesses to share their expertise while gaining credibility from other sources through backlinks, but it also allows businesses to create relationships with potential customers through engagement on social media platforms and comment sections on blog posts themselves. With so much upside for both customers and businesses alike, blogging should be an integral part of any digital marketing strategy!