SEO: The Key to Your Target Audience

Every business, big or small, needs some kind of internet exposure in today’s world.  That’s because the internet is where the world is increasingly headed; if your business can’t keep up online, it is bound to be left behind. One simple way to start or enhance your digital marketing journey is with the help of SEO: Search Engine Optimization. 

Search Engine Optimization is the process of making changes to your website’s content and design to make it more attractive to search engines as they respond to users’ queries that are relevant to your site.

You’ve likely heard mention of SEO before, and maybe already know that it’s important when it comes to digital marketing strategies. However, in order to really reap the rewards of SEO techniques, you must have a deeper understanding of this complex and multifaceted tool.

How SEO Works: 

SEO works by demonstrating to search engines that your site’s content is the best result for the query or topic at hand, which has been submitted by an internet user. Keywords are at the heart of SEO because these are what search engines dig for in their attempt to churn up the best results for a particular search. In order to increase your site’s SEO, you need to understand how your audience will search for your products or services online - What questions or phrases might they search? What keywords are most relevant to or best summarize your content? What problem is your target audience trying to solve?

So, Why is SEO the Key to Your Target Audience? 

• It makes your business more visible -  By improving your SEO, you can work to expand your visibility to search engines, allowing your site to rank higher in users’ search results. This means more traffic to your site, helping you reach and engage more potential customers, and providing increased opportunities to convert prospects into clients.
• SEO increases your business’s authority - Authority is synonymous with credibility; having a site with high authority means the content of your website has been deemed trustworthy, high-quality, relevant, and beneficial. Not only does having a more authoritative website increase your visibility to search engines, but it also makes your site more likely to be promoted and revisited by existing users.
• It helps you build better relationships with your audience - Remember that building a meaningful relationship with your audience is an essential component of any content marketing strategy; as you build trust with your clients, you simultaneously build authority (as mentioned above). Being trustworthy and credible are key in forging connections that will lead to long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. 
• SEO gives you an edge over the competition - The keywords you include in your content are at the heart of giving your site an edge - doing some simple keyword research will help you determine which words are most relevant to your product or service and should be included in the content you produce. You’ll also discover a lot of information about what’s making your competitors successful online. This kind of research is entirely ethical and not to be considered ‘spying’. Leading a successful business means having as much knowledge as possible about your competitors, what draws their customers in, and what you can do differently to set yourself apart. 
• It helps your business grow - By creating and publishing relevant content on a regular basis that focuses on topics related to your business, you are increasing your chances of reaching your target audience via search engines. If your content is worth it, search engines like Google will not hesitate to rank you higher, which helps you generate targeted traffic to your site at no extra cost.

Keep in mind that SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time thing. All major search engines are constantly refining and upgrading the way they sort through and rank websites, which means you need to keep up with regular updates of your own. Only then can you ensure that SEO will help you generate more business in the long run. Taking the time to understand how your target audience uses search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) as well as how search engines operate and determine how to rank sites for any given search will allow you to make the most of SEO techniques. 

Mastering SEO may truly be the secret weapon for propelling business success!