Advantages and Disadvantages of SEO in Online Marketing

Business owners and managers have found themselves in a very competitive market. If you are a business owner or manager, then you most likely are considering how to further boost your online marketing because of how competitive the market keeps getting. 

You might be internally deliberating on which tool to use for your digital marketing. There are different website traffic sources; hence, deciding on the source that would not just suit your business but give you the result you desire may be hard. You can read this to learn more about the various website traffic sources. 

However, the average business owner does not have the same advertising and marketing might that big multinational businesses have. Due to this, they have no choice but to opt for the least costly choice. 

This is why most small/medium size businesses often choose SEO to generate web traffic. However, SEO has its price too, and knowing whether it will be worth it in the end should be considered before you decide on it. 

One way to come to a proper conclusion is to weigh both the advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will be looking at the pros and cons of SEO in online marketing for any business. We believe at the end of this article; you would be able to make an informed decision that would suit your business. 

Advantages of SEO

1. Offers a Steady Flow of Targeted Traffic

Can you guess how many queries are made on Google daily, monthly, and yearly? Searches made on Google in the year 2013 were estimated to be at about 2.2 trillion. This would put the daily searches at about 5,922,000,000. 

With SEO, you can conveniently leverage this massive source of targeted traffic for your business website. The traffic will not just be targeted, but it would be free as you will not be paying for the generated traffic. You would find out that your digital advertising cost will reduce significantly when every SEO activity such as content creating, and link building is done properly. 

You simply need to choose a reliable search engine optimization firm that will help you realize this dream. You can visit Searchific to learn more about getting a reliable SEO firm. 

2. Helps the Growth of Your Business

When you think about how big the internet, you may get overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. So, if you want your business to survive in the online world, you must work to ensure your online presence is not just fair but great. 

One way to get a commendable online presence is SEO, as this can significantly increase your visibility to potential customers. If you do not have an online visibility, you will not be found by your targeted customers. When your site is properly optimized, this will not happen as you would be offered enough visibility that will help boost your business growth. 

3. Your Business Gets Exposed to Those Who Need Your Service or Goods

One reason people use search engines is so they can get an answer or solution to a problem, concern, or issue they are currently facing. When looking for answers to their questions, internet users will typically click on the links they see. 

Seventy percent of these links are often organic results from the search engine. When the search results (SERPs) are returned to the user, about 40 percent will select the first link on the result page, whereas 70-80 percent will overlook paid listings altogether. This greater percent would rather click on the organic links.

4. You Have a Fair Converting Chance

According to a journal, SEO-generated leads can have a close rate of about 14.6 percent. This is far preferable to the close rate that can be generated from print advertising and email marketing which is estimated to be 1.7 percent. You can visit https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ to learn more about this. 

Disadvantages of SEO

1. It Takes Time

Perhaps the most obvious disadvantage of employing SEO for your business’ online marketing strategy is that it takes a while before you would start seeing tangible results. To generate results with search engine optimization, your website has to get a good presence. The procedure involved in doing this can take anything from hours to days and sometimes weeks. 

So, if you need quick results from the marketing campaign, you may need to consider another approach rather than optimization. 

Furthermore, since it would take a while before you get tangible results, it also means you won’t get the return of your investment (ROI) quickly too. For a small business, this can be quite a drawback.

2. There is No Results Guarantee

Getting on the 1st SERP (search engine result page) is among the most vital goals for any SEO campaign. This is because getting on the first page is what really matters because internet users most likely do not scroll beyond the first page. The remaining pages are usually disregarded as users will find what they need on the first page. 

With SEO, you are not guaranteed that your page would end up on the first page after the optimization is complete. 

3. You Do Not Have Full Control

When it comes to Google search algorithms, no one knows for sure the entirety of it. You can check here to get an understanding of how Google search algorithm works. You may employ all the strategies that even gurus have recommended and still not get the expected result. Only Google has the full details of its algorithms, so they are the only ones with full control. 

There is no way you or the SEO team you employ would be able to control the amount of traffic that will be generated from the efforts put in. Unlike paid marketing, you would be sure of the result you get since it will match with the payment. 

Conclusion

Whether or not SEO is the right online marketing strategy for your business is your choice to make. While the benefits are there, this marketing tool also has its negatives. Considering both sides will ensure you make a choice that is right for you.