Search engine optimization is essential for anyone running a website. No matter what your goals are, appearing on the first page for relevant web search results is the best way to get qualified traffic to your site.
Entrepreneur published an article on the importance of SEO for startups. While the listicle is full of many great reasons, item number one caught my attention right away.
“1. SEO delivers customer behavior data to startups.”
For a new business, a strong web presence is critical. As your brand builds awareness, people will go online to research what you and your business are all about. While some might think that publishing a website and possibly claiming a Google My Business listing is enough, it isn’t.
Spending time to educate yourself on how related search trends, then using that information to build your website, gets you in front of the right people even faster. A good SEO strategy involves keyword research, explorations of real-life questions, and critical thinking about user intent. This information helps you determine site structure, but is useful elsewhere, as you try and assess your offline marketing plans.
Once people start visiting your website, unique data is available to you. By connecting your site to Google Analytics, you can see in real time where your customers are coming from and how they behave once they arrive.
The article points out some other key reasons why SEO is essential for a startup. A good content strategy will lead to more traffic, higher conversion, and can lead to a robust long-term customer base. Read more at Entrepreneur.com.