Search engine optimization has long been the cornerstone of any small business online marketing strategy. During these turbulent times, your SEO strategy may be more important than ever before. Creating an advantage over the competition has never been more critical and SEO is, most assuredly, the way to create those advantages. In some recently released marketing research from Junto Digital, it becomes even more clear how SEO is the key to your future success. The following is taken directly from that recently released research:
- 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
- 57% of B2B marketers stated that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiative.
- 81% of people perform some type of online research before making a large purchase.
- 47% of consumers view 3-5 pieces of content created by a company before talking to a salesman from that company.
- 72% of online marketers describe content marketing as their most effective SEO tactic.
- 61% of internet users do research on a product online before making a purchase.
- Leads from search engines have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (ex. cold-calling, direct mail, etc.) have a 1.7% close rate.
- 70-80% of people ignore paid search results, choosing to only click on organic search results.
- Bounce rates increase by 50% if your website takes 2 seconds extra to load.
- Conversion rates fall by 12% for every extra second that it takes your website to load.
- 72% of consumers who perform a local search visit a store within 5 miles of their current location.
- 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site.
- 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.
- 40% of mobile website visitors will leave your site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer