To be able to expand a business’ reach and attract prospect partners and customers, it is important to take advantage of the available online platforms. In today’s digital trend where most people spend a big chunk of their time on the internet, businesses are strongly encouraged to set up a professional website and create social media accounts to establish their online presence. These platforms should be able to clearly present a brand’s expertise and offers.
However, this effort would not be able to achieve satisfactory results if potential customers and business partners find it troublesome to navigate through the internet in order to find businesses. A company should, therefore, achieve a prominent position in the search engine results when people search for businesses catering to their needs. A website’s searchability can be improved through search engine optimization (SEO) marketing – the process of acquiring traffic from search results of search engines. Optimizing websites for search engines are done primarily through adding keywords, H1 tags, title and meta descriptions, and image alt tags that are relevant to the business. Consequently, site traffic would rise since search results would readily reflect the most relevant business related to the searchers’ inquiry. In addition, average online searchers would less likely click on other links beyond the first page, therefore it is necessary for a company’s website to appear at the top finds for search engines. Being the top result for searches also increases a company’s credibility. People generally trust the first few links presented to them by search engine websites. As previously mentioned, these websites show search results which they consider as most relevant to the people’s search queries. With this in mind, a potential customer would perceive these businesses as authentic and dependable. A good public perception gives a business a higher competitive ground in the industry it belongs to. There is a very large number of people utilizing search engines every day. With Search Engine Marketing, a generally consistent influx of new leads and customers is guaranteed. Since these prospect clients’ first interaction with businesses would through their websites, the overall website design should be functional and professional enough so as to encourage visitors to explore and learn more about the business. By presenting easily understandable information with carefully targeted offers, customers are conveniently assisted in their buying journey. If searchers are interested in the website’s design and the types of products and services offered, then there is an increased possibility of engaging customers that would turn out to be potential business partners. The main goal of SEO is to generate leads for businesses. In the long run, this effort aims to expand customer base and establish new key business relationships. Through SEO marketing, businesses are more than likely to positively impact their bottom line and generate abundant returns.
