Nowadays, having a business website is not just necessary. It is one of the best investments that you could do. That said, you need to make sure that it is visible online in order to attract more potential customers.

This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in.

But aside from making your website appear on relevant search engine results, SEO comes with a lot of benefits that we will discuss below:

1. To drive quality website traffic

As mentioned earlier, SEO allows your website to be visible on relevant search engine results.

For example, you own a bike repair shop in New York City. When someone types in “bike repair shop NYC,” your website should appear on the search results. And that is how you can attract Google users to visit your website.

So, why is website traffic important for your business?

A few decades back, many digital marketing professionals believe that No Website Traffic = No Business Revenue. However, having a lot of traffic does not necessarily mean an increase in revenue.

When implementing proper and well-thought SEO tactics, you are enabling your website to generate quality website traffic. And by “quality website traffic” we mean people who are more likely to make a transaction with you.

And these transactions can either be sales, downloading your exclusive content in exchange for their email, or sharing your content for brand awareness.

2. To build brand awareness

Using our “bike repair shop NYC” example earlier, it can be challenging to decipher the user intent behind this keyword without the help of analytics.

It is possible that the person is just looking for bike repair shops in his area. But it is also possible that he needs to get his bike fixed now.

Regardless, it is important to practice white hat SEO tactics in order to make sure that your website will be visible on the search results. Keep in mind that it takes 6 to 8 touchpoints before a business can close a sale. And one of those touchpoints could be seeing your website on search results.

So, whether or not someone intends to have their bikes fixed, he will see your website on the result with the help of SEO. And when the time comes that a potential customer is ready to make a transaction, your business will be one of his considerations.

3. To establish your authority

The goal of SEO is not just to make your website visible on the search results whenever someone types in your target keywords. Being visible online is just one part of establishing your business as an authority in your niche.

For instance, if your website keeps on appearing on search results when someone types in “bike repair shop NYC,” then users are more likely to associate your business as their go-to resource or service provider.

But other than SEO, digital marketing elements like content, social media, and website UX (just to name a few) also come into play. After all, these elements have a strong correlation with your search engine ranking.

Just keep in mind that establishing your business’ authority takes a while. So in order for you to build credibility, make sure that you provide the best user experience to your website visitors, provide relevant content, and connect with your audience and potential customers through social media.

4. To boost your sales

As mentioned earlier, you need to generate quality website traffic in order to drive sales for your business. But aside from that, SEO can help you boost your sales by optimizing on-page elements and web content.

On-page elements are any content or HTML source codes on your website. Some on-page elements that you can optimize are your title tags, meta description, and image ALT texts.

Here’s the thing: The title tags, meta description, and image ALT texts allow your content to appear on relevant search engine results.

So, one reason your website appears when someone types in “bike repair shop NYC” on Google is because you have “bike repair shop NYC” (or a variation of it) somewhere in your on-page elements.

How can that boost your sales, you may ask?

Your on-page elements allow search engine users to figure out what your website is all about. Not to mention that you can use these elements to encourage site visitors to take action (i.e. book a bike repair schedule).

Thus, the more relevant your on-page elements are, the more likely they are to become a paying customer.

5. To maximize your budget

FACT: It does not cause a dime for your website to rank on search engines such as Google.

Sure, you might need to hire an SEO consultant, SEO reseller services, or white label SEO services, but you do not need to pay Google in order to rank. Unless, of course, we are talking about pay-per-click marketing.

And since it does not cost money to rank on Google, you can use your marketing budget to other important things like running a contest or giveaway on social media. You can also opt to use your budget for PR ‒ whatever works for you.

6. To reap long-term benefits

When done right, SEO can help you reap long-term benefits regardless of search engine algorithm updates.

Again, SEO can help you build your authority and credibility online. And when your authority is established, along with providing the best service possible, your customers will keep on coming back to your website. They will keep sharing your content. They will keep following you on social media.

According to Andreea Sauciuc, it can take about 6 – 12 months before you reap the benefits of your SEO efforts. However, it is important to know that these benefits can last you for years.

It is important that you invest in SEO because it can help your business stay visible and relevant online. As a result, you will see an increase in leads and sales.