Top benefits of SEO that are not increased rankings in search engines
Most people still see SEO as adding more keywords to their site to rank better for robots. While the main goal of SEO is to improve search engine rankings and organic traffic performance, it has developed to so much more than just adding content over the years.
This article will dive into the “happy side-effects” that are part and parcel of following a good SEO strategy, that goes beyond more keywords on a page.
A better first impression of your brand
While optimising your search visibility is directly related to performance, it also looks at how your brand can be shown in the best way, and is more interesting to click through. How you show in search is a first impression, and first impressions count.
Not only will an empty description make you less likely to rank, but it also won’t entice someone to click, and may even make you look untrustworthy.
Increased brand awareness
To attract new audiences you need to increase your visibility. A direct consequence of improved search engine performance is that you increase your visibility. In marketing theory it is said that it takes multiple times of exposure before someone remembers the brand or message.
Through your performance in search engine result pages people will be more exposed to your brand. Even if they don’t click on that occasion, it counts as an exposure, and it will help towards considering you the next time they come across your brand.
Connect better with your audience
To improve your search rankings you need to look at your content. High-quality content that’s optimised for search queries isn’t just about adding keywords. It’s about answering questions, providing your audience with useful information, and being found when they have a problem.
Through keyword research and content research you can learn more about your audience, what they care for, what bothers them, and how you can help improve their lives, on a big or small scale. Being there for your audience when they need you is a great way to support and connect with them.
SEO helps you find those pieces to help you reach out and attract your audience, and in turn you can help them continue their journey.
Improved site speed and accessibility
Search engine optimisation includes technical factors such as site speed and accessibility. It’s easy to say that this work is done to help improve search rankings as it is a ranking factor. The reality is the other way around: it IS a ranking factor BECAUSE a great user experience is so much more enjoyable for your human visitors.
That means looking at how the page loads, does it take too long or does it obstruct the visitor’s journey? Is it responsive and usable on any device? Are buttons, links and images accessible and can they be used effectively?
The real goal of SEO
At the beginning of this article I mentioned that the goal of SEO is to rank higher in search engines.
That’s not entirely true. The real goal of search engine optimisation is to get more traffic into the site with the aim of that traffic converting into sales.
The real goal of SEO is to increase your revenue and/or sales leads. It’s easy to get distracted by only rankings and other metrics, but the importance of those metrics is to provide insight into the real changemaker: the impact on your business.
SEO is about ranking, and so much more
The days of adding a keyword over and over and getting results out of it are long gone. It may have made ranking a bit more difficult, but it has meant such an improvement for the internet and its users.
SEO is about being found by your audience and connecting with them, ranking in search engines is the tool to do so. So when you’re thinking about SEO, don’t just think about ranking spots, but what audience you are trying to reach and how you can serve them better.
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