Future Proof Your Marketing for Long Term ROI with SEO

Throughout the past decade, the evolution of SEO has been marked by a shift from keyword-centric strategies to a focus on user intent, content quality, and user experience. As search engines continue to develop more sophisticated algorithms and prioritize user satisfaction, it’s crucial for businesses to adapt their SEO strategies accordingly.

While at the same time, the cost of doing business has increased, your paid media dollars don’t go nearly as far as they once did, and you’re likely seeing lower sales in a troubled economy. It seems bleak, I know, but we’ll get through. Planning is key!

What if, five years ago, you had anticipated that your advertising budget would shrink or remain stagnant through this time? What if you had then invested in a long-term ROI-positive method of growing your business without any media costs?

Actual BCM client data.  Organic Search traffic from Google Analytics. BCM’s SEO engagement with client began late 2020.

Well, your website traffic, brand, and product visibility would be moving up and to the right like it does for clients that we’ve retained for years.

While not even Chat GPT can turn back time yet, we can protect your future with SEO.

The long-term benefits of a solid SEO program are priceless and, over time, on average, provide a much higher return than paid strategies. SEO just takes time. So while you must see some results TODAY, you should also be protecting your future with long-term strategies. This is not really a secret. Many in your shoes are doing this exact same thing.

According to the survey performed by Neil Patel’s agency, NP Digital, 68% of companies surveyed said they are increasing their SEO budget.

Need more?

Organic Search is the big brother of Paid Search, where you’re probably spending your money now, and you likely should be investing some of your budgets there. But consider that SEO consistently delivers a higher return on investment compared to traditional advertising channels. According to a BrightEdge study, organic search drives 53.3% of all website traffic, making it the largest traffic source for most businesses (source: BrightEdge, Channel Performance). By investing in SEO, businesses can benefit from long-term, cost-effective growth.

SEO should become a higher priority in your marketing budget in 2023

There are several reasons why you should be considering a robust SEO program for your business, starting now to protect your future. This particularly applies to small and medium-sized businesses. Here’s why:

The economy.

Your online marketing budget is shrinking or not able to produce what it once did. Do you think that will get better over the next few years?  Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. etc. are all raising their media fees. You already know this.  When was the last time your fees for SEO media increased?  They don’t.  There are none.

Your brand.

With increased online competition, your brand and its products will get lost if you’re not competing in Organic Search. Organic Search traffic is the overwhelming winner against all other sources of traffic. How can you be ignoring the fact that 53% of all website traffic is generated by Organic Search? You must be here because if you’re not, your competitors will be.

Why SEO is even more important for SMB’s

All of this becomes even more important for you SMB’s. You don’t always have the budget to finance a winning paid media strategy. Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit from prioritizing SEO as it levels the playing field against larger competitors. A well-executed SEO strategy can help smaller businesses gain visibility, attract more customers, and grow without the need for a massive marketing budget.

For example, say you’re in the restaurant business. Your pub in Chicago has been around for a long time, but so has Applebees. Can you compete against their budget? No. Can you rank higher than the local Applebees in Google Organic Search and get more eyes on your business when someone searches for “local pubs near me?” Absolutely, with the right SEO strategy.

And when you rank higher, the clicks will come:

Sources: backlinkio.com & wordstream.com

This data shows us that ranking anywhere in the top ten results of Google for a particular keyword will get you more clicks than paid search.

You need more?

While increased leads or sales is your highest priority, there are several other benefits to SEO that other media strategies can’t compare to.

Benefits of SEO

1. SEO provides invaluable insight

   Understand what your customers search for to find your brand, product, and services. Once you understand how your customer researches, you can use this data to inform your other marketing efforts, and they will grow in efficiency. (Ask us for a case study on this.)

2. SEO offers incredible scalability

   No matter if your website has hundreds or thousands of pages, SEO is a cost-effective strategy that delivers exponential results. For instance, well-optimized URL structures benefit from both existing and future content without extra effort.

3. SEO works around the clock

   The main distinction between SEO and PPC marketing is that organic search rankings promote your business 24/7. There’s no need to increase ad spend or adjust dayparting. Your organic search engine results serve as a continuous advertisement for your brand. Your optimized SEO efforts don’t ever end based on a budget. As long as your site is up, optimized content continues to work for your business.

4. SEO delivers long-lasting rewards

   When your SEO efforts result in strong organic search visibility, your brand reaps the benefits not only today but also in the long run. Sustained organic search visibility over months and years dramatically enhances the ROI of your SEO endeavors.

5. SEO boosts your brand reputation

   Dominating Google search results can establish you as a key player in your industry. In fact, simply appearing on the first page of Google is a trust signal to your audience.

6. SEO claims more real estate in the SERPs

   Properly optimized content can potentially occupy multiple spots in Google’s SERP. For example, ranking in the featured snippet grants your URL two positions. Additionally, optimizing for the “People also ask” section could potentially secure a third spot on the first page.

7. SEO targets customer touchpoints throughout the funnel

   To influence customer touchpoints early in their journey, optimize for research-related topics and long-tail keywords. Optimizing for middle-of-funnel (MoFu) terms ensures your brand appears as your target audience narrows its options. Finally, bottom-of-the-funnel SEO helps guide the buyer’s final decision (think ROI calculators).

Should You Manage SEO In-House or Hire an Agency?

There is a lot involved in managing an efficient, hard-working SEO campaign. The above is really just scratching the surface. There is no doubt that SEO can be handled in-house, but that’s going to take time and knowledgeable resources. There are great advantages to partnering with an SEO agency:

1. 1. Expertise

      SEO agencies have experienced professionals who are up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques in the industry.

   2. Cross-Functional Teams

      Most agencies, including BCM, will manage both Paid Search and SEO. Some will also manage Social and Display/Programmatic media. Having a single agency provides ease of cross-team data and learnings sharing as well as input on all of your media channels from different teams who all have your business as a priority.

   3. Time and resource savings

      Outsourcing your SEO needs to an agency allows your business to focus on core competencies while the agency handles the complex, time-consuming aspects of SEO.

   4. Better results

      Agencies have access to advanced tools and resources that can help them develop and implement more effective strategies, leading to better results and higher search rankings.

   5. Scalability

      As your business grows, an agency can adjust your SEO strategy accordingly, ensuring consistent growth and online visibility.

If you need more information on the SEO services that BCM provides, see our SEO services page with a free download on how to choose the right agency for your business, then contact us. Let’s get on a call and talk about how we can help with your long-term ROI that will outperform your other marketing efforts and outperform your competition!

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