Have you ever wondered why a competitor website appears to be better positioned in search engines than yours? To understand this question, we have to talk about SEO or Search Engine Optimisation. In general, SEO intends to make web pages attractive to search engines, through methods that transmit relevance to users and, consequently, place websites among the first results. We can say that it is like building a path that takes a website to the user and vice versa, as well as the path that we built to get you to read this article.
Seen in a more detailed way, SEO aims to reach the highest position in the organic results of the search engine results pages (SERPS), following a specific combination of keywords (or keyphrases) entered by users in the search engine. The results sequence displayed varies depending on the relevance between the phrase typed in the search engine and the content, according to a ranking algorithm used by the search engine.
Thus, the creation of relevant content, aligned with a series of techniques that facilitate the visualisation of the website pages by the search engines, results in higher visibility next to competitors and, also, next to potential customers. This is the significant advantage of betting on an SEO strategy.
Let’s talk in numbers…
Studies in the Statista conclude that, at the moment, 48.9% of the global population accesses the Internet, for various reasons – for example, information search or purchases. It is also estimated that this value will increase in the coming years, reaching, in 2019, 50.8%. This represents that more than half of the global population accesses the Internet, which is quite significant. Combining these facts, according to a Forbes article, 93% of online experiences start in search engines. In 2017, Google reached 74.54% of the global market share in terms of using search engines. The vast majority of people use the Internet whenever they want to get some information, more specifically to Google, which turns out to be a facilitator path of this entire research process.
SEO: a profitable strategy
The truth is that for a page to appear in the first results of search engines; there are other alternatives to SEO, such as paid advertising (PPC). Although it is a valid solution, since it is important to highlight a page in the first results of the search engines, either through organic results or sponsored links, it brings with it some less positive aspects regarding SEO.
When you do a Google search, how likely is it to click on a paid ad? If you’re like most users, the trend is to give preference to organic results, which means that paid ads show a lower clickthrough rate (CTR). That is, in one way or another, the page may appear in the first results. However, the strategy followed influences the decision and choice of the user in different ways.
With paid advertising, there is a higher probability of getting immediate results, which can be interesting in some cases. In this case, the clickthrough rate is more related to the content of the ad which makes the advertising contribute to the growth of website traffic, in the short term. However, from the moment the investment decreases, the results tend to fall. Thus, advertising should always be allied to an SEO strategy, so that the content benefits of the positioning that is accelerated by paid advertising, in the long tail.
SEO features higher quality traffic that is easily converted into lead or sale. The first organic results on search engines give the user greater confidence in the brand, as it comes as a reference for the searched keywords.
Achieving the first positions in search engines is the goal of several companies. Search Engine Optimisation is one of the most profitable and effective digital marketing techniques for brand awareness. However, to achieve this goal, much work needs to be done. It is not enough to have a digital presence. You need to know how to be online.
At MindSEO we develop SEO strategies tailored to the reality of each client, with a view to maximising the results of digital marketing. If you want to improve your online presence and performance, but you still have doubts about how to do this, contact us.
