The internet is littered with websites. This can make it difficult for business owners to get views on their pages, especially considering how the ever-increasing number of websites being added daily intensifies competition. But, any business looking to be sustainable in the 4IR economy must engage customers online.
As the internet has grown, search engines have adopted various algorithms to help consumers find relevant content. As a result, in order to ensure views, it’s necessary for a business to appear on at least the first page of results – current stats indicate that only around 4% of consumers bother visiting even just the second page.
This is where search engine optimisation (SEO) comes in. By applying various strategies, including targeted key word searches, highly relevant content, specific heading use, and a number of other approaches, it is possible for businesses to improve their search rankings and, thereby, become more visible to consumers.
However, this approach is not a ‘magic bullet’. If SEO is not done well and consistently, businesses are unlikely to reap much benefit from this marketing tool. SEO takes time, and should, thus, be seen as a long-term investment. SEO companies that promise immediate results or guaranteed higher turnovers straight away should be avoided. Rather, in the same way that it’s beneficial for clients to shop around for an investment broker who understands their needs and will make their money work for them, businesses looking to improve their page rankings would do well to do some homework before signing up with an SEO company.
Even in the highly competitive environment of search engine rankings, it is possible for SEO to work wonders for businesses. However, such SEO success is highly dependent on good, clear, and consistent strategies that build over time and adapt to the changing landscape of consumer online search behaviour.
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