Search engine optimization (SEO) has been a popular digital marketing strategy for decades now, but its popularity seems to only be increasing. More business owners and individuals are tapping into the power of this strategy – and 56 percent of current practitioners are increasing their SEO budgets this year.

Why are more business owners investing in this strategy more heavily?

There are several competing explanations, and all of them may play a role.

Increasing Availability of Support

As a newcomer, practicing search engine optimization is intimidating. Google’s algorithm is notoriously complex, with more than 200 ranking factors to consider as part of your strategy. But these days, no matter how much direct experience you have in SEO, there’s an abundance of options available to support you in your search optimization endeavor.

For example:

  •       Affordable SEO firms. Long Island SEO firms and agencies around the country are growing to be more authoritative, more effective, and best of all – more affordable. What was once a luxury only for the most powerful, highest-spending brands in the world is now available to even small- and mid-sized business owners. If you have a few thousand dollars per month to spend on a marketing campaign, you can enlist the help of a talented, experienced agency to net you a positive return on investment (ROI).
  •       Educational guides and resources. If you prefer going it alone, there’s no shortage of educational guides and resources to find online. Whether you want to read books, browse articles, listen to podcasts, or watch videos, you can find plenty of educational materials to help you understand the basics.
  •       Free software and tools. On top of that, there are dozens, if not hundreds of free software and tools that can help you conduct SEO audits, research new keywords, plan your campaigns, and even measure your results. Even if you’re operating as a solo practitioner with no budget, you can tap into the same powerful pieces of software that your top competitors are using.
  •       Freelancers. If an SEO agency isn’t in your budget, but you need some extra help, there are plenty of freelancers who can help you. From planning a campaign from scratch to executing work like technical optimization and content writing, there are freelancers of all skill levels who can help you, regardless of your budget.
  •       Plugins and templates. Most free website builders and template websites now come with at least some SEO features built in, as well as optional plugins and add-ons that make SEO easier. Even as a novice, you’ll have more insights and transparency into the SEO value of your web management decisions.

Recognition of Value

It also helps that more people are recognizing just how valuable SEO is. Every business has at least some online presence, and nearly every individual uses search engines on a regular basis. Even if you’re not familiar with the latest ROI statistics, you can intuitively acknowledge how powerful it is to reach an organic ranking of one for a valuable target keyword.

Increasing Value

Even better, the value of SEO is increasing over time, and for several reasons, including:

  •       Wider global reach. Every year, more people gain access to the internet, and people with existing access typically get access to faster speeds and a wider range of devices capable of connecting to the web. The number of internet users is always increasing, as is the average amount of time spent on the web. This directly increases the value of any search optimization strategy.
  •       Online audiences. Audiences are also increasingly spending time online. From shopping for groceries to finding entertainment, consumers can get almost everything they need with a Google search. That means SEO has a wider potential reach than ever before.
  •       New niches. Thanks to this, as well as other factors, entirely new niches have opened up, increasing the number of clients who are potentially interested in SEO.

Cost Effectiveness

It’s debatable whether or not we’re currently in an economic recession. But however you define our current economic conditions, it’s clear that business owners are scrutinizing their marketing spending more closely than ever. Rather than cutting their budgets or abandoning marketing altogether, most decision makers are looking for more effective ways to spend their money; and there are a few digital marketing strategies more cost effective than SEO – at least in the long term.

SEO isn’t a perfect strategy. There’s a lot to learn and it takes a long time to get going. But if you can get over the initial hurdles of planning an SEO strategy, you can reap the impressive benefits – and it’s easier than ever to get started. 

If you’ve ever thought about using SEO as a tool to increase your brand visibility and organic traffic, now could be the perfect time to launch your campaign.