There are a lot of advantages with search engine optimization, one is that you reach the potential customer at the same moment he or she is interested in the product. Another aspect which makes search engine optimization very attractive is the fact that it is so measurable. How many other marketing activities do you know of that can be counted in real numbers, presented daily?
By using a good tool for analysis, preferably Google Analytics, you can extract data telling you exactly how profitable your search engine optimization is. Unfortunately, Google no longer releases the data telling you which keyword your visitor came from, instead showing (not provided) for the bulk of the search engine traffic. That makes it a bit harder to know which keywords generate the most sales, or which ones that are the most profitable. There are some ways to get around it. For example, you could look at which page the visitor landed on and draw some conclusions from that.
This means that someone who has some experience from the time before Google quit providing the search data, has a slight advantage. When multiple search terms land on the same page, it will be quite difficult to draw any conclusions from the data that is available today. Which one of the phrases ‘games online’ or ‘online games’ is the more profitable one?
That being said, you can measure SEO with great accuracy compared to a TV campaign. How do you know how many visitors, how many leads and how many sales that campaign has generated? With search engine optimization, you will always know.
Search engine optimization is also a channel that actively drives sales – it’s not only about building your brand. Many people have understood that concept and it is no wonder that search engine marketing, both advertising and search engine optimization, is increasing rapidly. I usually choose to look at search engine optimization more as a sales channel than as a marketing channel, even if I am aware that not everyone agrees. It is a channel that can easily perform both tasks at once. By being active and visible in the search engines, you will be right at the bottom of the conversion funnel. When the person has made the decision to buy, you are there. People will of course search for information even before they decide to buy, and the same work that makes the customer buy from you, will also put you on the map during information searches.
It is not too late to get on the train and get a share of the profits, competition in the search results is often not as tough as it should be. Due to the fact that many large brands and prosperous companies still don’t use search engine optimization, it is possible to take a good position before they do. This might mean that you don’t have any competitors within your segment who do any real work, or maybe just a few. Since search engine optimization is a zero-sum game, to be able to get a position, someone else has to lose it. This is the time to start, before the competition increases.
This means that in quite a few segments, it is possible to get amazing returns on every invested cent. I have seen cases with both 100 and 1000 times the money in return.