When was the last time you checked your website’s visits stats? How many of them came as a result of an organic search on Google?
You can use that information to determine how useful your current SEO digital strategy is for you. But don’t jump to conclusions, because organic search has undergone plenty of changes lately, and you may need to adjust.
Providers of internet marketing services will tell you that today, an omnichannel approach to marketing is desirable. Search engine optimization alone can contribute to your success, but it will work best complemented by other types of marketing. Let’s have a closer look at how organic search impacts your digital strategy:
Google vs. Other Search Engines
When we talk about organic search, we mostly talk about Google. Other search engines have a long way to go, considering that Google’s share of total US organic search visits in Q1 2019 was 93%. On mobile, it was 96% of all organic search visits for Google. DuckDuckGo is the only other search engine that’s showing some growth, especially on mobile devices.
According to the same report by Merkle, organic search was responsible for 26% of all Q1 2019 website visits, and 24% of mobile website visits. That’s a significant share of online traffic, and one you can tap into with a good digital strategy. However, some internet marketing experts are saying that the days of organic search importance are numbered. But is that true, and would it be a mistake to hire a digital ad agency overdoing SEO?
Google Changes to Organic Search
Those who are in favour of abandoning SEO use Google’s changes to organic search as an argument. They are right to an extent – Google is experimenting with moving the organic search results further down in the SERPs than ever before.
Now the top spaces on the search results page are dedicated to rich snippets and ads. All these changes make it more challenging to get organic clicks – you’ll have to work hard for them.
Organic Search Is Still Important
That doesn’t mean that organic search and SEO aren’t crucial for business anymore. Rich snippets are useful, but many users still scroll past the ads to organic results. By keeping up with the changes Google constantly is rolling out, you can ensure that your SEO does its job. However, it’s good to have an omnichannel approach and complement your SEO with other types of digital marketing.
Google is still the king of search engines, and its changes to organic search take adjustment. While SEO is still valid, it will need more effort to keep your website at the top of Google search.
It can take months before you see tangible results with SEO. If you wish to start enjoying good results for your website faster, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d love to discuss your marketing strategy and help in any way I can.
Rob Dunford is a Marketing Consultant in the Great Toronto Area with over 20 years of experience in implementing marketing plans for small businesses.