The world of digital marketing can be complicated and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. Online marketing coaches speak about search engine optimization endlessly, but you might be wondering just how necessary it is. In fact, you might be asking yourself if industries need SEO at all. Well, the answer to that question is yes.
But what industries need SEO the most? It’s a valid question! In this article, we will go over who is most likely to benefit from search engine optimization and how to do so in order to boost your online visibility.
What is SEO?
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of using optimized keywords to tell search engines what your content is all about. Doing this will allow your website or social media posts to gain more traffic from viewers online. Search engines use algorithms in order to decide which pieces of content are relevant to searchable keywords.
By placing these searchable keywords intentionally into your content, you can skip the guessing game of the algorithm and tell search engines what your content is all about. Telling the search engines where to rank you is the best way to increase your online visibility and market yourself digitally.
Think of it this way, if your business is geared toward mowing lawns and you don’t mention that you offer this service on your website in a way that people would type into Google, you are less likely to appear in Google search results.
How Can SEO Help Businesses?
The primary benefit of search engine optimization is to promote online visibility in a way that is organic. That means that you are not paying for online advertisements or relying on backlinks in order to get people to access your online content. Instead, using SEO will just simply allow people to find you better.
This is done through search engine ranking systems. Optimizing your web pages will allow you to “rise up the ranks” and appear higher up when your keywords are searched. People that are making Google searches are far less likely to travel past the first page on Google.
Optimizing your content with SEO will increase your likelihood of ending up on the first page for your keyword which will increase your website traffic.
Does Everyone Need SEO?
No matter what industry your business is in, you should know that SEO is important for online visibility. It is in the very nature of SEO to help your business be successful with search engine results which is what you will want if you are trying to increase web traffic.
Not everyone necessarily needs SEO in order to get website hits, however, if you are trying to grow your business SEO is absolutely critical for your success on the internet.
What Industries Need SEO the Most?
As we discussed above, everyone can benefit from the use of SEO on their website, but which industries absolutely need SEO?
In General: Highly-competitive industries
Those with a lot of competition are going to need the extra boost that adding SEO to their websites and social media posts will offer. SEO can help a business to rise in the ranks for search engines. With a lot of competitors, these businesses can benefit from beating the competition by using more specific keywords as well to boost their search engine page rankings.
Let’s take a peek at some specific industries that need SEO more than others.
- Small and Local Businesses
Small businesses, especially those that cater to specific areas, absolutely need to optimize their websites for search engines. This is because they will rely on Google knowing what services they offer and where they are located in order to be competitive.
If you are a photographer in Toronto, Canada, you do not want your services showing up for people in Quebec. Instead, you need to optimize your content so that Google knows where you are and what you offer. This will help you to secure pageviews and customers that are specific to your location and services.
- Online Businesses
Online shops and e-commerce websites need SEO more than other businesses because they lack an in-person shopfront that can help to drive customers to them. When your business only exists online, you will need to focus on your online visibility in order to secure customers.
As well, you have a lot of competition online when you are in this industry. Unlike other industries where you might not have competitors that have websites, all of your competitors have websites because you are all selling online products. Using SEO is an absolute must for e-commerce!
- Professional Services
This industry is currently booming with web traffic as more professional service providers make the switch to advertising online. Remain competitive online with professional services by optimizing your website for SEO. You will reach more customers by doing so.
As well, many professional services providers also suffer from a lack of SEO pertaining to location just like other small businesses. If location is important to your business, make sure to optimize your content accordingly!
- Real Estate
Real estate is a tricky place to be online with the existence of giant websites in the real estate industry. Local real estate agents will be battling with sites such as Zillow, Apartments.com, Trulia, and other large corporations for space online. Fighting this battle without the help of SEO is likely to have you suffering in the search engine results for your area.
This makes real estate an essential industry to use SEO in. Make sure that you are using keywords that are specific to the type of real estate you specialize in and your location in order to climb the ranks!
Conclusion and Takeaway
In summary, everyone needs the help of search engine optimization to increase their online visibility. However, there are some industries that will suffer from not using SEO to help them maintain their spots on search engine result pages. Skipping SEO can be fatal to your website, so be sure to use SEO to guide visitors to your site and increase your web traffic!