If you are managing a relatively new business, by now there’s a good chance that you’ve heard about SEO (search engine optimization), whether through cold emails and inbound calls, or from your colleagues and/or fellow business owners. So, is it really that important? Should you seriously consider hiring an SEO expert or can it wait? Is SEO worth all the hype? Read on and we’ll give you the low down…

The benefits of hiring an SEO expert

1. Make the most out of your website and grow your online awareness

The primary purpose of SEO is to get more from your website, grow your online awareness, and ultimately make more money online. By hiring an SEO expert, you can fine-tune your website and expand your online presence with a clear and consistent brand voice designed to convert those clicks into customers.

2. Save precious time

It’s impossible to manage a business successfully while simultaneously being your own personal SEO expert. Proper SEO is far too time and resource intensive, so rather than spread yourself too thin by taking on even more responsibility, you can leverage the expertise of a third-party SEO agency and have them handle the grunt work instead.

3. Invest in the future of your business

Investing in SEO is investing in the future of your business. As each month passes your SEO agency will be creating and sharing more and more high-quality content that spreads your brand even further. More eyes, more trust, more customers!

The fact is, if you don’t bother with digital marketing and sit back while your competitors dominate online…well, word of mouth will only take your business so far.

Working with a professional digital marketing expert is not so dissimilar to working with a business coach. It’s all about growth!

4. Collect and leverage big data

SEO experts thrive on collecting and leveraging delicious data! They will be tracking every single website visitor, studying where they came from, how long they spent on the site, and whether they converted into paying customers. There are so many valuable variables that can be recorded, analysed, and then used to make purposeful changes to your website and SEO strategy in order to keep those website visitors around for longer – and ultimately have the greatest chance of converting into loyal customers who return to you time and time again.

5. You can make a whole lot of money

SEO is an investment that can take several months (and often longer) before seeing a sustainable return. However, for those who invest in the right SEO agencies, have realistic expectations about budget and time-frames, and are prepared to go the extra mile; there’s a lot of money to be made.

According to a number of reputable resources, the average return on investment in SEO is 275% ($2.75 for every dollar spent) – assuming of course, that you are investing your money in an SEO agency that knows what they are doing.

6. Mutually beneficial partnerships

While there are SEO scammers who will happily take your money and leave you in the lurch, there are thousands and thousands of reputable, capable, and well-intentioned SEO experts out there who will be in it for the long haul.

The fact is, any SEO agency worth their salt will be invested in your success. The better the results they achieve for you, the more money you will make, the longer you will invest in them. Everybody wins.

The best part? You don’t even need to be in the same state or country to succeed. Of course, if you are a Dallas based business, hiring an SEO expert in Dallas would have its benefits (e.g., being able to meet face to face), however, don’t get too wrapped up in location and focus on reputation instead.

Is SEO worth all the hype?

In the right hands – absolutely. You see, SEO can be very underwhelming if you make the mistake of rushing into business with the first agency you come across. In this industry, you should steer away from the attractively low deals and veer towards reputable agencies who have a proven track record of success. If you are willing to invest your time and money into the experts who know what they are doing, before long you will almost certainly understand what all the fuss is about!