SEO Companies – Do We Really Need Them?

S – E – O – Search Engine Optimization – What is it?

If you've used the internet, and most of us have, then you are familiar with search engines. But for those who may not know, search engines are web-based tools that enable users to locate information on the world-wide-web.

These days, we use search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and DuckDuckGo to locate content on the internet. In fact, almost 93% of internet traffic occurs on search engines.

Additionally, worldwide, there are literally millions if not billions of websites with some sort of content on the world-wide-web.

You probably knew that Google is the most popular U.S. search engine, with Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo following far behind.  

So, if a company/website wants to be found, they need to be indexed and ranked highly on the search engines mentioned above. In other words, they need to make someone's web search perfect or optimized for them.

For this reason, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques are designed to optimize a website for traffic and are proven ways to increase visibility and attract web surfers.

In a perfect world, a company could set up a website and wait for traffic to stream in, but with so many other websites focused on similar themes and topics, search engines determine which websites to list and their position on the results page.

This is where SEO services are valuable investments for companies hoping to attract large amounts of traffic to their sites. Tools used to move a website to the top of a search results page have yielded significant returns on that investment.  

When did SEO techniques begin and do, we really need them today?

Many believe that SEO techniques originated in the early 1990s along with the first search engines. It is hard to fathom that these techniques have been around for more than 30 years, but as they say, time flies.

Some say that the strategic technique for taking a web document to the top of a search engine's result page is no longer needed. Others say, wait a minute, not so fast.

Let's review the USA's 2021 SEO services statistics, proving that SEO techniques are still very much alive and well.

SEO Stats for 2021

• 68% of online experiences started with a search engine.
• More than 92% of all searches were conducted on Google
• 61% of Business to Business (B2B) marketers said that SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other marketing resource.
• 80% of significant purchases began with online research. Even if the purchase happened in the store.
• 47% of consumers viewed three to five pieces of content created by a company before talking to a salesperson from that company
• 70% of online marketers said that SEO is better than Pay Per Click (PPC) for generating sales.
• 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search engines.
• 85% of people perform some type of online research before making a purchase online.
• The average first-page result on Google consists of 1,447 words.
• Leads from search engines have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads like cold-calling and direct mail have a 1.7% close rate.
• 70 – 80% of people ignore paid search results, choosing only to click on organic results.
• Nearly one-third of consumers in the U.S. use the internet to search for local businesses every day.
• 76% of people who search for a business nearby, visit within 24 hours.

We could go on, but we think we've made our point.

So why are SEO services so important?

Reports state that more than 55% of businesses invest in USA SEO services to help their companies succeed in steering traffic towards their websites. Here are some other facts you may not be aware of:

• Google processes over 5.8 billion searches per day
• Google processes over 2 trillion searches every year
• The average click-rate of position 1 in search results is 19.3% and 10.6% for position 2
• Each year, somewhere between 16 – 20% of all searches are brand new, meaning they have never been searched for before.
• 60% of Google searches are performed using mobile devices
• Google retains 95% of the mobile search engine market in the U.S.
• Approximately 33% of mobile Google searches are location-related.
• 50% of "near me" queries result in a store visit
• 7 out of 10 Google searches for food occur on mobile devices
• 46% of product searches begin on Google

Many companies understand these facts and the importance of utilizing SEO services. SEO services exist to help match users with the most relevant content to their search as possible.

Content is critical, and search engines use complex algorithms, so a searcher's query is relevant. Content is the fundamental building block driving search traffic to your site.

For example, if you have a widget website and want to sell widgets of different shapes and sizes, then you'll want to make sure that the content on your website is clearly about widgets.

Many attempt to do their own Search Engine Optimization thinking they can forgo using an SEO service. However, it is challenging to outdo competitors without expert knowledge, experience, and skillsets necessary to be atop the search result page.

Did you know that search engines change their closely guarded search algorithms periodically? So, what might be important today may be not so important tomorrow.

Here is some helpful information regarding SEO services in the USA.

SEO services strive to improve your website's traffic from search engines via on-site and off-site optimizations.

They can charge hourly for freelancers and agencies and monthly for professional SEO companies, but charges depend on the services you need.

SEO services are necessary if your business relies on driving new visitors to your website. Hiring an SEO service with knowledge and expertise will save time and money, allowing you to focus on your core business.

The bottom line is that as long as people use search engines to hone in on content that is relevant to them, SEO services will always be needed.