As more consumers shifted from the traditional onsite to online, many businesses saw the need to digitalise their stores. Most want to ensure their internet presence and implement an effective digital marketing strategy.
For many entrepreneurs, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the most critical parts of building the internet. However, many new entrepreneurs and startup founders neglect to consider SEO as it does not provide quick results. They fail to recognise the benefits that SEO can give their company, such as organic traffic, ranking, and more.
So, is SEO worth the investment? This article will tackle six (6) reasons why a SEO for startup is a must invest.
What is Search Engine Optimisation?
SEO is the method of optimising your website or webpage to increase your ranking on the search engine result page (SERP). It affects the visibility of a website in a search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural,” “organic,” or “earned” results.
Why do I need to Invest in SEO as a Startup?
Regardless of the type of your business, SEO is a significant investment. It offers various benefits, such as increasing your SERP and improving your website’s user experience. Moreover, SEO can help you get more leads and sales.
There are many ways in which SEO can benefit your business and make it more successful. The most essential benefits that SEO provides are:
1. SEO builds trust and credibility
As a startup company, you need to build trust and credibility, especially on the internet. Establishing good credibility in business can invite more customers to buy your product, patronise your shop, and create long-term relationships. It can also help you invite other entrepreneurs to invest in your company and attain capital.
And one way to do it is by optimising your website. SEO for startups builds trust and credibility because Google has a ranking system that ranks websites on their relevance to a search query.
Since the goal of SEO is to improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages. The more visible the website on SERP, the more likely users will see it as credible and trustworthy. The higher a site ranks, the more believable it is considered to be.
Likewise, when you optimise your website, you create high-quality and informational content for your users. This can help establish your expertise in the product you are selling.
2. SEO increases engagement, traffic, and conversion
As a startup, you will need all the leads you need. You can’t close sales or revenue to your business without generating leads. SEO for startups can affect the visibility of a website in search engine results. More organic traffic will come to your website, leading to more conversions or customers.
The higher your website ranks on a search engine, the more visitors you will receive from people looking for your products and services. SEO increases engagement, traffic, and conversion rates.
3. SEO helps you understand your industry and the market
Whatever your industry is, the global market is an ever-changing landscape. Today’s markets are constantly in flux, especially with the rapid tech development and increasing demand. And it can feel overwhelming for new entrepreneurs, especially with their lack of experience and limited resources.
For startups, SEO is a great way to understand your business’s market and potential demand for your product. When optimising your website, you research various aspects of your business, such as user intent, niche, user behavior, and other consumer insights. These data are excellent for discovering new opportunities and potential expansion for your business.
Likewise, SEO helps you make informed decisions.
4. SEO enhances user experience
Today, user experience (UX) has become one of the priorities of many businesses. Most customers want to make the most out of their experience. However, suppose a user visited your website and met with a poor user experience. In that case, they will likely leave within a second. This can result in a high bounce rate and lower ranking.
Luckily, SEO and UX go hand-in-hand when optimising one’s websites. When you optimise your website, you also create an intuitive UX design and content. It can help visitors stay longer and engage with your website.
5. SEO is cheap
Many people think that SEO is cheap and can be done by anyone. However, this is not the case. SEO is a complex development with many moving parts, and many things can go wrong if it’s not done right. SEO costs depend on multiple factors such as your timeline, tools you want to use, level of competition, and industry.
Still, SEO for startups is more affordable than other digital marketing efforts. It costs an average of $2,000 to hire a professional SEO consultant for a year. This is much less than hiring a full-time employee or investing in online advertising.
And unlike online advertising, SEO is free. According to WebFx, PPC in 2022 will cost an average of $100 to $5000 per month, depending on the keywords and industry. SEO services are also more cost-effective because they provide long-term benefits that other digital marketing services cannot offer.
6. SEO impacts buying cycle
SEO’s impact on the buying cycle can affect how and when customers buy products. For example, suppose you are trying to sell something on Amason and want it to rank higher. In that case, you may need to optimise your product listing with keywords. This will make your product more visible when someone searches for keywords related to your product.
Conclusion
SEO is a process that is integral to the success of any website. It has been around for a long time and has evolved. And while SEO comes with many challenges, it is undeniable that it brings a lot of opportunities to a business.
As a startup, you should leverage these opportunities and fail-proof your business’s success. SEO might take a while to bear fruit and results, but in time, it can help your company build a web presence that no other can bit.
So, if you want to start your SEO for startup journey, we can help you with that! Contact Flexilabs today!