Google searches exceed 63 million each second, and organizations cannot afford to miss out on revenue opportunities that could result from each one. Local businesses are learning that their reliance on paid online ads is less effective than organically generated traffic.
Understanding local SEO (search engine optimization) and how to take advantage of it is leading companies toward fewer ad purchases and more content-driven efforts to drive organic traffic. Here is why this strategy will pay off:
Converting clicks to customers
Paid ads are less effective than organic traffic. While they might generate more clicks, these do not necessarily convert into customers. Using SEO keywords that will pop up in a search attracts people who need the products or services a company sells, making them likely to buy or use them.
According to SEO for Growth, which rates agencies specializing in developing organic traffic for dentists’ websites, dental SEO is a case in point. Dentists operate in limited geographical locations, and ad packages might not be specific enough to target only users living in that area. Instead, people from too far away will see these ads, offering no benefit to the dentist.
Local SEO incorporates area names into keywords to ensure they appear when someone searches for goods and services in that location. A listing on Google’s business directory with a detailed address will also bolster a business’s chances of gaining the attention of nearby users.
Credibility
Companies that only get a place in search rankings due to paid ads have less credibility than those that generate organic traffic. While the organization might appear at the top of the SERPs (search engine results page), the word ‘ad’ appearing next to it might cause users to question its authenticity. Many people do not trust ads, believing that they are scams. Alternatively, they wonder why that company needs paid advertising to generate search results when others do not.
Indeed, research suggests that many people skip over results listed as ads and click on the first organic outcome they find. It presents a more legitimate face to the business and makes a good impression on potential customers.
A fuller website
Generating organic traffic takes more effort than purchasing ads, but it offers many long-term advantages. Companies that create ads do not always have full web pages that include meaningful content, relying on ads to generate clicks. This is only a short-term strategy as it stops working once the paid ad cycle ends.
Posts where SEO is utilized will keep appearing in search results long after an ad cycle terminates. Additionally, businesses can repurpose their content many times across digital and social media platforms, meaning that it keeps working for them.
Return on investment (ROI)
The increased costs of using paid ads weighed against their relevant short-term benefits do not yield a substantial ROI. However, organic traffic is cheaper to generate and lasts longer.
Using SEO to develop organic traffic costs less, works better, and has a longer lifespan. Therefore, its ROI is better, giving companies better value for money, a priority for most business owners.
Lower costs
Using SEO to build a website and online presence costs less than generating ad campaigns and paying for them to appear in search results. Even those organizations that hire SEO agencies for guidance spend less on getting more people onto their websites.
Many organizations determined to keep using SEO have found that training employees on the subject and how to utilize it means they do not need to hire marketing professionals to determine SEO keywords for them. This is another cost-saver that makes generating organic traffic even more attractive.