SEO: "Search Engine Optimization"
SEO is another common way to boost traffic. What this does is put your webpage at the top of search engines when they receive a query.First page placement in search engine results can be as simple as investing a few dollars into paid search advertising. Within minutes your advertisement can be listed at the top of the pack among other PPC listings. When it is this easy to push your site to the top you may be wondering why anyone would bother with traditional SEO at all.
Paid advertising may be a quick and easy way to get your site to the top, but for many industries it can also be extremely expensive over time. This is particularly true when you are marketing and are making your money through commissions. After you factor in the click costs, it is still possible to make a decent profit however if the visitors were to find you in the organic listings, the profit would be much higher.
The search engine optimization industry as a whole is still very young which makes it more valuable than traditional submissions techniques and it is also more modern. With this method, you can almost pick and choose your placement in the search engines by how much you are willing to pay for it.
New firms are springing up all over the place, and many design houses seem to think they have the skills and knowledge it takes to provide these services on your behalf. While some are good at what they do, they are no substitute for the real thing. It is important to work with a company that specializes in SEO and is already established and well recognized in their industry. You can easily find reviews online if you search for them.
At first, having a professional optimize your site may seem like it will be a very expensive thing to do, but when you compare it to the continuous expense of (pay per Click) PPC, SEO it is much more affordable in the long run. Generally, SEO campaigns start off with a one time only fee, and may lead to monthly maintenance charges in order for you to keep your site ranking in the top 20.
When you keep your site properly optimized and achieving top rankings on their own, it will almost always outperform in terms of conversions when compared to those competing sites placed with AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing (formerly Overture), or other PPC services. Typically 80% of searchers will click on the organic listings before they opt for the paid ones that are to the right of the result listings. However, do not rule out pay per click all together because they all have their benefits and pitfalls.
Although it is best to hire a professional SEO, you want to be sure that in order to achieve top rankings for the do-it-yourself webmaster, chances are that if you try to get into the head of a professional SEO through a consulting service it can give you the edge they need to compete while at the same time reducing your own costs.
The fact of the matter is that there is no substitute to a properly optimized website when it comes to performance and overall conversions. Websites that are ranking in the .natural. listings have a tendency to convert at a higher rate and draw higher numbers of targeted traffic than any other method of gathering traffic. As the years go by, it will only become more and more difficult for one specific website to be found and singles out by search engines, which places more weight on optimization.
The fact of the matter is that there is no substitute to a properly optimized website when it comes to performance and overall conversions. Websites that are ranking in the .natural. listings have a tendency to convert at a higher rate and draw higher numbers of targeted traffic than any other method of gathering traffic. As the years go by, it will only become more and more difficult for one specific website to be found and singles out by search engines, which places more weight on optimization.