The Benefits of Search Engine Optimization
The benefits to be derived from using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to improve search engine rankings and website performance are considerable. Of all the weapons in the Internet Marketing armoury, Search Engine Optimization scores highest in terms of the quality, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of the results it achieves, provided that the Search Engine Optimization techniques are implemented by a competent SEO practitioner. The only major drawback to using Search Engine Optimization is the length of time required to see the benefits.
SEO Produces Quality Results
The aim of Search Engine Optimization is to achieve high search engine rankings for selected search terms. Provided that SEO targets search terms which are relevant to the website/product and carry high volumes of search traffic, attaining high search engine ranking will produce large volumes of high quality traffic for the website. The rankings must be in the top 30 places in the relevant regional results of one or more of the major search engines - Google, Yahoo or MSN - for the high rankings to result in significant increases in traffic. The closer the page comes to reaching the coveted No. 1 ranking for the search term, the greater will be the increase in additional traffic generated. The traffic derived from a top ranking may be between 100 and 1,000 times that of occupying 30th place in the rankings.
Cost-Effective and Sustainable
Many of the alternatives to Search Engine Optimization require that money is spent 'buying' website traffic. Pay-per-click advertising, banner advertising, email marketing all require expenditure to obtain and maintain website traffic. Search Engine Optimization can appear an expensive option in comparison with other forms of Internet Marketing, since the entry costs can be high and the majority of the money is spent before the benefits of increased traffic are apparent. You can start a Google AdWords campaign for the cost of a meal, whereas many high profile Search Engine Optimization companies won't speak to you unless your SEO budget is in the thousands. The essential difference is that a pay-per-click campaign costs your business each and every day that it needs to generate website traffic, whilst the additional traffic derived from a Search Engine Optimization campaign will continue for months and years after the expenditure ceases. The benefits from Search Engine Optimization are sustainable; the traffic from all other forms of Internet Marketing is ephemeral.
SEO Limitations
The major limitation to Search Engine Optimization is that it takes a considerable time to generate high search engine rankings. Search Engine Optimization cannot be used as an instant fix for website traffic problems, since even an aggressive SEO campaign will take some months to produce significant volumes of additional website traffic and may take a year or more to achieve optimal search engine rankings. Businesses which need traffic instantly should use pay-per-click as a quick fix, whilst simultaneously implementing a Search Engine Optimization campaign as a long term solution to the problem of obtaining quality website traffic.
