Google ‘SEO is dead’, and you’ll get article after article about whether organic search engine optimization, known as SEO, is alive (can have an impact on your business) or dead (a waste of time).
Contrary to what you might’ve recently heard, SEO is not dead – far from it. I do not mean the ways marketers reached “The Top of Google” in the mid-2000s are still alive. The search landscape now is fundamentally different than it was 2 to 3 years ago, much less 10.
Many companies, including thousands here in Atlanta and the surrounding area, still are investing in organic search. They are renewing their commitment to developing an updated, search friendly web infrastructure in response to search engines’ continual update to improve their algorithms.
So with that in mind, here are the 3 biggest reasons you should also renew your commitment to investing in organic SEO.
1. It Still Works
OK, so— we have established how much SEO has changed. Still with me? Despite Google and others’ constant updates, the best practices and principles behind SEO still work.
While one tactic might be useful today and ineffective tomorrow, the overall strategy still applies. As long as you are committing to quality user experiences while performing calculated SEO strategies, you will rank higher and receive better organic traffic.
And based on the way search engines are developing, it doesn’t appear that search optimization is going away anytime soon.
2. It’s Still Cost-Effective
Compared to paid search (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, and cold outbound tactics (buying a list), organic search remains the foundation for growing your online present. Given the costs you put in (hiring a marketing agency, writing content, learning best practices), organic still generally provides a reasonably good ROI.
PPC can potentially bring in more revenue in the short term, and social media can help your brand more in the long run. However, investing in SEO is still the best option for most businesses.
3. It’s Still Something Your Competitors Invest In
Not having an active content profile or a responsive website for mobile browsing can be damaging to your online presence. Both are factors Google looks at when evaluating your site.
Moreover, you’re losing ground if you aren’t actively investing in SEO. There is no ‘standing still.’ It’s just forward or backward because if you aren’t gaining ground – that means one of your competitors is.
So remember at the top of the post when I said SEO isn’t dead? You could say the opposite: investing in SEO is more alive than ever. Your business needs an SEO strategy to succeed digitally – the sooner, the better.