You’ve built a beautiful website! Now what?
Now that your website is finally up and running, you may be asking yourself why people aren’t showing up? The simple analogy is it’s kind of like building a new brick and mortar store in the woods. Would you ask the same question?
Are they finding you or your competition?
People search the internet when they want information and are possibly ready to buy. If people see your competition under different search queries, more often than not that’s where they’re going to go. Businesses need clients and customers to survive. An old adage that holds true today. They’re not looking in phonebooks anymore, the newspaper, magazines, etc. They’re searching for you!
“Push” vs. “Pull” Marketing
“Push” marketing is how we attracted customers for years. TV and Radio ads are the best example of this… Some call it interruption marketing. I’ve had TiVo for the last ten years and I tend to run right through the commercials. (Yes, 10 years… I’m a gadget geek!) Pull marketing is how the majority of people now find you. It’s on their terms, and you’d better be there to be found. Social Media, blogs, Podcasts, You Tube are great examples of this. SEO, is the culmination of all of these things put together.
Organic search results are viewed as more credible
Just a quick definition, Organic search results are what you will find on the left side of a Google search. Paid search results are what you see at the top and right side of the page. I’m certainly not knocking paid search, but in the long run it’s a lot more expensive. We use it for our clients to give them a jump start while their organic search climbs the ladder to page one. A recent study tells us that approximately 75% of people click on organic search results whereas approximately 25% click on a paid ad. Here is a screen shot since a picture is worth 1000 words!
Lower Cost
Yes, most companies that are serious about being found will pay a professional to optimize their site, however once it’s done it just has to be maintained to keep up with Google’s constantly changing algorithms. Paid Search (Pay-Per-Click) is on going and can get very expensive especially if you have a higher volume key phrase. Once you pull the Pay-Per-Click ad, it’s done. The more traffic you get to your site from proper Search Engine Optimization will make you a relevant source of information and will be there for the long haul.
Measurable Results
Whether you’re using Google Analytics or some other form of tracking service, you’ll be able to determine which keywords and phrases were searched on. A fantastic way to see what’s working and what’s not.
To your success… 
