New year, time to start a new business? If this is you then firstly, you will need a website and secondly, you should consider digital marketing. You may have heard of SEO and questioned what it is. Here at Freedom Search, we are here to let you if SEO is worth it in 2022.
Understanding SEO
Firstly, you must understand what SEO actually is. SEO stands for search engine optimization and it is the process of optimizing websites for google to read them effectively and rank them on the first page. To put it simpler, SEO is taking a web page and optimizing it for a keyword in order for it to rank on google’s page 1 so potential customers can find it. An example of a keyword a local digital marketing agency may go for would be ‘web design Preston‘.
Unlike PPC (pay per click), SEO gets you a position on the natural listings. The traffic gained from a natural listing is known as organic traffic as your website is in an organic position. Whereas PPC is known as paid traffic as you are in a paid result. There are many different ways to do SEO and each SEO agency will create a different strategy plan for your businesses website.
Who Can SEO Benefit?
SEO can benefit just about anyone. An important thing to know is that SEO is not a short process and can take up to 12 months just to see a few page 1 results. If you have a business and a website to display your business, SEO can benefit you.
Having your website on page 1 even for just a few keywords will ensure more potential customers find you online, therefore, making you more money and creating more customer relationships.
How Much Is SEO?
The price of SEO can vary greatly depending on several factors. One factor that can affect the price of SEO is the type of business you own. If you are a local business and offer a few services in a few local areas, then your SEO will cost less than someone who is selling products online on an e-commerce website.
If you are spending less than £350-£400 a month on your SEO, then chances are your company is not doing an awful lot with your website. This is because there are several different factors involved in SEO from strategy planning to backlink profiles. Each different aspect takes a lot of time to complete as well as planning and adding content. At Freedomsearch, we start our SEO packages at £350 a month but encourage you to spend at least around £500 a month. This is because we can do more with this budget as we spend more time on your website. More competitive areas like London will cost you more as more people are competing for a spot.
For e-commerce sites, we recommend you start off at £750-£1000 a month. This can give your SEO agency the foundation to start building and developing their strategy plan and backlink profile. After around 4-8 months when you start seeing a few rankings and making more sales, we recommend upping your spending to generate even more sales.
Is SEO Dead?
No, SEO is not dying. In fact, it is becoming even more important as Google changes its algorithms to provide its users with the best experience possible. With over 90% of internet users using Google to find what they are looking for, it is important that your website is ranking on the first page for your target keywords.
Think about it, if you are searching for something online, wouldn’t you rather see a website that is ranking for your search term over one which isn’t?
Not All SEO Is Equal
SEO is a complete minefield and you should definitely hire professionals. However, not all companies do the same SEO. You should be aware when hiring an agency, especially the ones that guarantee you a page 1 ranking. Even Google themselves have publically stated that nobody can guarantee a page 1 ranking. this is because the algorithm is always changing and different metrics may come into place when ranking websites.
Another reason SEO is not equal is because of the competitiveness of each sector and the location of business. For example, a window cleaning company in a small village may see results quicker than a window cleaning company in London, whilst spending less each month. This is because more companies will be competing for the London position and more time will need to be spent on it.
Is SEO Worth it? The Summary
Overall, we believe the short answer is yes and that SEO is valuable for any business. SEO can help your business go from 4 figures to 5 figures each month. The most important thing to note is that it does not happen overnight and can take up to 12 months to see any results, even for smaller cities.
When looking for an SEO agency, make sure you trust them to do the work. One reason you can trust us at Freedom Search is that we have so many SEO case studies on our website. if you are thinking of SEO, contact us today for more information. No matter what niche your business is in, we can help.
