I don’t usually write blog articles on the personal level, but today I think I should make an exception. The reason is a chance meeting I had the other day with an old friend from school, whom I hadn’t seen for twenty years. So, here’s how it all went down:
I bumped into Andy while queuing for coffee and following the initial greetings he went on to ask me what sort of work I am into. When I answered that I am an SEO expert, he gave me a doubtful and worried look and proceeded to say “Oh, I’m sorry…must be tough on you then…” I was puzzled by his reaction and although I was in a hurry I asked him to explain what he meant. His response puzzled me even more. “Aren’t marketers dropping SEO nowadays? I am sure I read a recent survey somewhere…I am afraid your trade is fading away, my friend…it’s all about social media now, isn’t it?”
My order was ready and I didn’t want to start lecturing away, so I told Andy I had to leave and promised to arrange a meeting soon to catch up. Driving to the office however I couldn’t help thinking what he had said and I was intrigued as to why he had come to that conclusion…
Spurred from this incident therefore, I think I should clarify certain misconceptions surrounding the wonderful world of SEO. Andy was partially right as there are studies around suggesting that marketers and/or business owners are indeed claiming that they are not investing into SEO as a marketing channel.
In a recent such study in the USA, carried out among 500 digital marketers, 56% of them claimed that they do not invest in any kind of SEO strategy, despite the fact that almost 85% indicated they are satisfied with their digital marketing efforts and their results in achieving their set goals.
According to the findings of the same study, 81% of respondents cited social media marketing as their go-to tool, 78% said they use a website and 69% that they resort to email marketing, while the majority also mention the use of display ads, mobile applications and content marketing.
Although therefore someone reading the results of such a survey may quite logically jump to the conclusion that SEO is falling lower on the agenda of marketers and digital marketers in particular, I would rush to point out that such a conclusion would not be accurate.
The two main disadvantages of SEO over other digital marketing means, such as those already mentioned above are, firstly that SEO functions in a complicated manner that many are unaware of or having a difficulty grasping immediately, and secondly that unlike its counterparts, which often generate immediate results, SEO takes longer to yield tangible benefits for businesses as it is a process, or even an amalgamation of processes, not a static, easy, one-off solution but a dynamic, ever-evolving, integrating procedure.
It is also highly possible that although they do not recognize that they do so and thus replying in surveys the way they did in the one mentioned above, most businesses are in fact investing in SEO to a larger or lesser degree. It is almost impossible to carry out successful digital marketing efforts, either through your website or via social media without optimizing your online presence. You are therefore using SEO, you just don’t realize that you are doing it.
In short, the point I am trying to illustrate here is that if you can see anything online, then you can SEO it and to take the point further, if you are actually seeing it, then it probably means that you have already, in some way or another, “SEOed” it! In a nutshell, any company producing shareable content online and any company creating an appealing website, are actually investing in SEO. Telling your stories on social media channels, or delivering your messages to consumers in a targeted manner via email marketing campaigns, is also part and parcel of SEO.
So, and I don’t say that because I am proud to be an SEO expert, but because it is a plain fact, SEO is and will continue to be at the heart of every successful digital marketing effort, the pillar and cornerstone of every effective digital marketing campaign.
In fact, choosing to ignore SEO completely will surely end up undermining your efforts in all other available digital marketing channels. Yes, the results are less obvious, perhaps less direct and it is true that they take longer to be achieved.
Bringing about measurable, tangible results through SEO is painstaking. It does require persistence, commitment, patience and professionalism, but the quality of the results you can achieve in the long-run through a properly run SEO campaign are unparalleled.
Take my word for it, and if my word is not enough, please contact me and the team here at Netresort so that we can showcase, using numerous examples from case studies and clients we have already worked with, that the proper and optimized research on the keywords that you are prospective clients are interested in, the creating of unique, valuable and targeted content on those keywords and the promotion of your content in an optimized manner across all the appropriate digital channels, is the bullet proof way to boost your overall digital profile and help your business’ growth and profitability spiral.
Trust me, it’s not nuclear science, it is just successful SEO and if you don’t understand how it is done or how it can help you, let us show you how and let us see you off to success!
P.S. Thank you Andy for giving me reason to write this. Next time, coffee is on me!
