Search Engine Optimization is more important than you might think.

Studies have shown that most search engine users don’t click past the first three pages of search results; many don’t even click past the first page if they find what they’re looking for. Your own experience using search engines probably confirms this. What does this mean? It doesn’t matter how many search engines spider your site; if it isn’t listed in the first three pages, it might as well be invisible. Indeed, getting on the first page, among the top three results, is even better.

Search engine optimization, and internet marketing in general, can serve a number of different purposes. Search Engine Optimization can generate sales, both online and offline. SEO can generate leads. It can convince search engine users to take the actions you desire, such as signing up for your newsletter, downloading white papers from your site, registering for a seminar, and so on. And while it is doing all this, your website’s prominent position on the search engine results pages (SERPs) contributes to branding and name recognition.

When done correctly, search engine optimization and internet marketing can bring people to your site that are actually looking for what you are offering. You know they’re looking for it because they typed in a key word or phrase that is directly related to your content. Most consumers are really tired of being inundated with marketing everywhere they look, but are still receptive to the kind of ‘just-in-time’ marketing represented by a high placement in search engine results.

You may be thinking that the search engines should be able to give you a good place in its results without you having to do anything special to your website. It’s true that search engines are constantly working on their technology to make sure they deliver the most relevant results, but there will always be a limit to how well they can operate. Also, the way you have set up your site (title, headers, META tags, and so on) may end up hiding your site too deep in the search results, where hardly anybody looks. Even worse, you might not be targeting relevant keywords. A professional SEO can help you target the right keywords and make sure users actually see you and that the ones that see you really are looking for what you have to offer.

The truth is, search engine traffic can make (or break) an organization’s success. Targeted visitors to a website can provide publicity, revenue, and exposure like no other form of marketing. Given this, investing in SEO, whether through spending money to have a professional do it, or spending time doing it yourself, can provide an exceptional rate of return.

When you hire Shout It Out Design to be your  SEO consultant, we will build your site with SEO in mind, but we can do even more with your design package- just ask.