Why Is SEO such an important element in 21st Century marketing ?

At a logical level, SEO, that is, getting websites to the top of search, works for the obvious reasons. It presents your business:

• ahead of others
• to lots of people
• gives you a competitive advertising advantage
• should allow for a seamless interface, from interest to purchase
• and is characterised by being highly targeted; i.e. someone looking for “3mm platinum drill bits” can be matched very quickly, if not instantly, to the person supplying the aforesaid part

The Power Of Seo

These reasons are commonly understood and appreciated, which is why Seo services and skills have a high market value.

There is also an underlying benefit of SEO which is not as obvious though. The process of search in the marketplace, that is, of using a search engine to find out information about companies, products and services, is the critical node of the inbound marketing infrastructure. (By outbound and inbound marketing, we understand the difference between seeking out customers, and having customers seek you out).* Having customers seek you out has always been the hallmark of a successful business, however, until the advent of the internet, that relationship was usually formed through word of mouth or media approval – a decent write up in a business journal, a good review in the newspaper, or a simple verbal referral were normally the means by which customers came to you without you making any effort to solicit their business. The internet, and more specifically the search engines, (and in particular Google and Bing, where Bing is the union of Yahoo and Bing), has created an entirely new medium of search, and that in itself has entirely altered the dynamics of reputation, brand and marketing. Where previously generating new business often would require active solicitation of potential customers, (i.e. outbound marketing techniques), the medium of search now allows for Companies to generate new business without active solicitation.

Now, inbound marketing in itself is nothing new; clever marketers have known for a long time that getting people to come to you without you chasing and harrying them is by far the best method of marketing; however the ubiquity of search now presents companies with a very powerful tool that can be leveraged for inbound marketing purposes, a tool that is that they never previously possessed.

So what is the real value and power of this tool?

Well, besides the advantages which we have alluded to, the hidden value of this tool resides in its branding power. When a company solicits your custom, it automatically tells you something: that they need your custom. In terms of branding, this really is not a very good approach, because it can suggest anything from a lack of market presence to outright desperation. In general, when we are approached by companies the prevailing impression is often one of their irritant value. Even if they are offering a decent product or service, the chances are that it is not relevant to us, and therefore their attempt to connect with us has interrupted our day at some level, (be it a nuisance call or an unwelcome knock at the door), and we are left with feelings of negativity about their brand. This of course is not a constructive way to develop a brand; good branding entails evoking positive connotations and emotions at some level.

The simple beauty of being on the front page of the SERPs, (search engine ranking positions), is that it creates purely inbound marketing traffic. You don’t interrupt or annoy anyone with your brand, quite the converse, people find your brand as an answer to their query, and hopefully an answer to their problem. In branding terms this is absolutely vital; if you can combine a well-designed, properly constructed and easily comprehensible website with being high in the Serps, you have created a strong positive first impression on a future potential client. It is a simple concept, but not one to be derided.

There are other accrued benefits to SEO, for instance not having to waste money say on time consuming and labour intensive cold-calling campaigns, not having a demoralised workforce implementing such campaigns, and not having ongoing maintenance costs once you have a properly optimised website, to name but a few. In effect, SEO can provide you with well qualified leads, and simultaneously allow you to to brand yourself powerfully. Certainly things worth taking into account, no?

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*A forthcoming article on inbound marketing will explain this at greater length