What is SEO and why do I need it?

SEO or in other words, optimizing websites in order to achieve a better ranking in Google search results.

Let's start with a general premise:

There isn't a single person who owns a website and doesn't want their website to appear on the first page of Google results.

With the total number of active websites around the globe approaching 2 billion, it is obvious that the competition is fierce.

Now let's continue with a second general premise:

Although the websites with related content that compete with each other are fewer than the total, they obviously don't all fit on the first page of Google's results.

So the conclusion is that there is a lot of competition for a few spots. Most websites will be left out.

Why do we care about Google rankings?

All of us who own websites are constantly faced with a problem: how to attract visitors to our website.

Especially in cases where websites are a source of revenue, the need to attract visitors is considered imperative.

So we are all in a constant search for channels to use to drive users to our website.

One such channel is Google search.

It's extremely efficient, considering that our website appears in the results after a user searches for something related to our content. So there is a good chance the search user will be our next customer!

But as we said before, competition is fierce and spots in the search results are only a few.

If we factor the statistics that say:

Users usually click on the first three results and rarely go to the second results page. If none of the results on the first page satisfy them, they will most likely enter new keywords into the search bar.

So it is in our best interest to have our website appear at the top.

And this is where SEO comes in...

What is SEO?

SEO - Search Engine Optimization, is defined as the methods used to improve websites for search engines.

It is our main tool (the other one is paid ads) to appear high in Google results.

It has to do with improving the quality of our website structurally/technically but also with actions we can do outside our website to build our brand awareness.

If we manage to achieve our SEO goals we will be rewarded with highly efficient results of an almost permanent nature.

We will have steady traffic to our site and will outperform our competition.

Why is SEO so important?

A significant proportion of users worldwide use search engines to search for products and services from the comfort of their homes.

The first search engine in popularity and usage by far is that of Google.

This is the reason why the statistic mentioned that users choose one of the first three results is valid. This is clearly due to the trust that users have in Google.

So when users see our website high up in the search results, they automatically get a good impression of us, since we are suggested by Google that they trust.

If our website is our store, this means the possibility of increasing our sales without high marketing costs.

Can I do my own SEO?

SEO techniques are not some king of secret.

All the necessary information is available on the Internet.

Beyond books, by searching for relevant articles and videos one can find everything about SEO.

If I can find everything on my own then why are there professionals and companies that deal with SEO?

There are several reasons for a website owner to prefer to outsource SEO to professionals. Let's break down 5 main reasons.

1. Most likely, someone who has a website will not be able to devote the necessary time to develop and implement an SEO strategy as they will be involved in other areas.

2. Although, as we said, the information is freely available, part of the steps of SEO is technical and requires specialized knowledge that someone who is not professionally involved in the field of web development does not have.

3. The rules of SEO are constantly changing. Google itself informs us that in one year it makes up to 500(!) changes to its ranking algorithm. Therefore, constant keeping up to date on the subject is required.

4. SEO has measurable data that is analyzed with specialized software tools that professionals are familiar with and are not available for free.

5. An SEO expert will take the time to study the competition as well. Part of the SEO process is to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the competition and act accordingly.

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The SEO industry is growing rapidly and will reach $80 billion in the next few years.

I will hire an agency for SEO. What should I expect?

Each case is different. There is no one-size-fits-all package.

SEO is a strategy. It is designing a plan and implementing that plan. It is setting goals and trying to achieve those goals.

We need to understand our position in the market. Study the competition. See where it makes sense to penetrate and where it doesn't.

All of the above will be decided jointly with the agency that has undertaken the SEO.

With the passage of time it will become clear whether we have achieved our goals and the success of the SEO agency will be judged by this.

In how long can I expect results?

Here we must mention a fact that indicates the nature of SEO's work:

SEO takes time. The results will show after six months of work. Sometimes it can take a whole year.

So if we have paid, three months have passed and we are not seeing the desired results, we should not be disappointed and give up.

What not to expect from SEO?

As we said above, we need to understand our position in the market and not make unreasonable demands.

We all want to show up at the top, but unfortunately we can't all fit.

Some will never make it to the top because of competition.

It is obvious that a small start-up cannot beat a multinational company that is well established in the market.

But that doesn't mean the game is lost. Therein lies the ingenuity of the expert we have trusted with the local SEO techniques and keywords they will use.

Moreover, let's not forget that SEO is one of the methods of digital marketing and not the only one. Ideally, we should promote our website using other marketing methods as well.

But some experts promise me 1st place. What's going on?

At best, they exaggerate in the context of promoting their services.

No one can guarantee the first place in Google results.

Even if we manage to appear first for a particular set of keywords, there are many other keywords that are relevant to us for which we probably don't appear first.

Besides, with the constant changes in both market/competition and SEO criteria from Google, no one can guarantee permanence of 1st position.

The very promise of 1st place is abstract and arbitrary.

How much does SEO cost?

Each case is unique and there is no specific pricing that covers everyone.

We may wish to pay a certain amount or have a subscription service.

In any case, we must keep in mind that:

SEO costs. It is a time-consuming process and requires a combination of web development and marketing knowledge.

As an indication, we can say that SEO services start from 350 euros per month.

This amount may seem high to some but these are market prices.

The SEO strategy is drawn at various levels and its implementation requires specialized knowledge with several man-hours over several months.

As with most products and services, you get what you pay for!

~ Conclusions

1

The transition to the digital age is a fact and the whole planet is following this trend.

2

A website alone does not guarantee that we will have visitors and sales. It's like having a physical store away from the city centre and not having passers-by to discover us.

3

Part of the marketing that we will need to do is SEO. We take advantage of the search engines, specifically Google, which holds the lion's share of the market, to get exposure.

4

SEO part can pay off over time and bring concrete results more efficiently than social media promotion.

5

SEO is time-consuming and costly, but the results are almost permanent and our efforts are rewarded.

If you want to learn more about SEO, you can read our next article here: 10 Truths about SEO.

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