Why should you do search engine optimization?

There are many advantages to search engine optimization, one being that you reach potential customers at the exact moment they are interested in your product. Another aspect that makes SEO so attractive is how measurable it is. How many other marketing efforts can you name that can be tracked and evaluated in real numbers, updated daily?

Use the right analytics tools

By using a reliable analytics tool, such as Google Analytics, you can access data that shows exactly how profitable your SEO efforts are. Unfortunately, Google has stopped releasing detailed data on which search terms visitors used, instead displaying (not provided) for the majority of search traffic. This makes it a bit harder to know which keywords generate the most sales or are the most profitable. There are, however, some ways around this—for instance, you can analyze which page the visitor landed on and draw some conclusions from that.

Those with experience from before Google restricted keyword data have a certain advantage. For search terms that lead to the same landing page, it’s harder to determine which one performs best. Which keyword is more profitable—“online games” or “games online”?

That said, SEO still allows for highly accurate measurement. Compare it with a TV campaign—do you know exactly how many visitors, leads, or sales it generated? With SEO, you always do.

SEO as a sales channel

Search engine optimization is also a channel that actively drives sales, not just brand awareness. Many businesses have realized this, and it’s no surprise that marketing in search engines—both paid ads and SEO—is growing rapidly. I often prefer to see SEO as a sales channel rather than a marketing channel, even though I know not everyone agrees. It’s a channel that can clearly handle both functions at once.

With strong visibility in search engines, you are present at the very bottom of the conversion funnel—right when the person has already decided to buy. Of course, many people search for information earlier in the process as well, and the same SEO work that brings in customers later also helps establish your visibility during the research phase.

It’s also not too late to join the gold rush. Competition in search results is often lower than it should be. Since many large brands and resource-rich companies still haven’t fully embraced SEO, there’s an opportunity to secure strong positions before they catch up. This might mean that you currently face little or no serious competition in your niche. Because SEO is a zero-sum game—if you take a position, someone else loses it—the timing right now is ideal, before competition increases.

The result is that in many segments, you can achieve an incredible return on every dollar invested. I’ve seen cases where businesses have earned 100 or even 1,000 times their investment.