10 proven ways how SEO helps your business attract more clients

“How SEO helps your business?” It’s a common – and understandable question for business owners. Afterall, it’s hard to dispel SEO fact from fiction, and with so many digital marketers telling you that your business will fail without it, getting a clear picture of SEO’s practical benefits becomes hazy.

First off, let’s clear up what SEO is not. SEO is not a magic bullet for businesses to get their websites to the top of Google. There’s no code to crack or algorithm to beat, but by investing time and effort into SEO best practices, virtually any business, from local house painters to law firms, and e-commerce companies can attract more clients.

What is SEO and how it works?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving and increasing web traffic to your website or web page from search engines. Essentially, SEO is about understanding what your customers are searching for and the content they find engaging. Knowing the answers or at least working to get them lets you connect more, convert more, and expose your brand further.

10 ways how SEO helps your business with client acquisition

These are all proven ways how SEO helps your business to attract new clients and retain the old ones.

SEO makes your business more visible

The main reason for any business to implement an SEO strategy is to rise in search rankings. Ever hear the phrase, “it’s good to be on top?” Well when you consider that the first five organic search results get over 67% of all the clicks, you can see that it’s true.

When it comes to SEO, you want to be where your customers are. Businesses that don’t consider the keywords and phrases their customers are searching will continue to lose out to competitors, even if they offer an inferior service or product.

It allows you to get to know your customers

A lot of SEO centers around research. Business owners already think about their customers’ needs. This just takes it further.

For example, the owner of a convenience store probably gets a lot of the same questions, such as “where can I find the milk” or “do you carry this brand of soft drink?” After a while, it makes sense to put up a display that answers these questions.

Keyword research is the same idea. This lets you research and analyze popular search terms that users enter into search engines. There are any number of tools to help with this, but by anticipating your potential customers’ needs, you can direct them to your site with the best answer or the clearest path to one.

And it also allows them to get to know you better

You may have the best product or service on the market, but if you’re buried on page two or worse…three, users may have a hard time trusting you. Brand credibility and authority is a big advantage in the marketplace, and those that rise to the top are the leaders.

These are the brands potential clients look to for answers. So when your website shows up higher in the search results, it builds credibility. From there, you can earn your clientele’s trust and establish clout with keyword-focused content.

SEO reveals new opportunities

Some search optimization tactics can feel like replicating what others are already doing. This can feel stale and contributes to a lot of white noise. But with SEO, a big thing to consider is what’s lacking– what needs are not being fulfilled?

If the same convenience store owner kept hearing about a new snack that’s hard to find, it makes sense to get it in stock. Essentially, he’d be the one place you could find this elusive treat, and even if it only accounted for a fraction of his sales, those would be sales the store up the street wouldn’t get.

The same is true for your SEO efforts. Keyword research could reveal new and emerging trends in what potential clients are asking for, giving you an inside track.

SEO is trackable and adjustable

As mentioned earlier, SEO gives you a lot of information about your customers. Now what do you do with it?

One of SEO’s main benefits is noticing what works and what doesn’t. While it can take time for search engines to crawl a site, you can determine what moves the needle.

If a new landing page with persuasive copy and clear CTAs yielded higher conversions and you saw a jump in rankings, this may be something to repeat. On the other hand, if you implemented a dubious link building campaign in the past, you’ll see little to no impact. Fortunately, you can always switch gears and gain link equity from more reliable sources.

Local relevance equals convenience

You’ll hear a lot about locally relevant content in the SEO world. This refers to developing content and using SEO tactics to answer local customers’ queries and direct them to your website when they are looking for what you offer.

Put simply, if someone searches for “the best cupcakes in Columbus, Ohio” you want your cupcake shop to rank and showcase what makes your treats better. There are various SEO practices that can help, but doing it correctly shows customers what they want, where they can find you, and goes a long way to increasing revenue.

It makes websites better and easier to use

Search engines like Google are constantly updating their algorithms with the user or better yet, your potential customers’ experience in mind. They want to deliver the best website to meet their needs with the best UX. That’s why it is important to revisit and fine-tune your approach.

With more searches than ever happening on phones, tablets, and voice search platforms, is your site still suited for someone using a desktop? Large walls of text, out-of-frame images, and obsolete website architecture all contribute to a less than optimal experience and diminished rankings.

Think of it this way, if your site looks dated, is hard to navigate, and feels stagnant, how do you expect to engage a potential client?

An SEO investment is for long-term gains

Remember when we said SEO isn’t a magic bullet? It still isn’t. While there are paid search alternatives like ads, their results are usually fleeting. Investing in SEO; however, is a slow burn because it takes time to put SEO measures into practice, for link equity to build, and for search engines to assess your authority.

While every situation is different and you should be wary of anyone who promises results overnight , it can take up to a year to see visible SEO progress. Some of the factors involved in gaining SEO ground are your competition, market size, web design, and link building capabilities.

So keep the faith, your patience, and ensure you have a quality team managing your SEO.

It brings your whole marketing plan together

SEO is a great way to build brand awareness and should be the driving force behind your marketing efforts. All of your campaigns, whether they focus on e-mail, social media, e-commerce, or more traditional avenues like print should all borrow from and support one another.

This ensures your business has a unified brand voice, but it also adds authority. When your social media posts integrate with your blog and landing pages, your goals are aligned, your followers and engagement increase, and you’re better placed for organic growth.

SEO is cost-effective with a high ROI

It’s true that a lot of companies invest heavily in SEO, but that’s because the value of a first-page ranking is incredible. You basically get a lot for your money when compared to other types of marketing and paid search.

When done well, SEO has tremendous financial upside. A placement on page one is prime real estate so you need fewer ads. The compelling content with your user in mind does a lot of selling for you so you need fewer salespeople. And finally, the authority from link building gives your brand credibility in the marketplace.

Some final thoughts on getting more clients with SEO

Devoting resources to SEO is an undertaking for most businesses, and it definitely takes time and expertise. Some may be hesitant, favoring more immediate ways to increase web traffic and revenue. But this is often shortsighted.

In the end, SEO is worth it because you better believe that your competition takes SEO seriously. The companies on page one are looking to make their sites faster, more user friendly, and engaging for their customers.

There is nothing stopping your business from doing the same. SEO is how new and innovative enterprises level the playing field, and prove to the consumer why they deserve their business and the top spot in search.