Did you know that about 100 billion searches are preformed each and every month? Or that the vast majority of internet users’ online experiences begin with a visit to a search engine? Search engines are an important tool in today’s world, as evidenced by their overwhelming use. And consumers, increasingly, are turning to search engines to find the products and services that they need online. Mobile device is accelerating this trend; around half of mobile device users say that they look up product reviews, or seek out promotions, using that device. Overall, Over 88 percent of US internet users, ages 14 and up, browsed or researched products online in 2012. And over half (58 percent ) of consumers start researching a product or service by using a search engine, much higher than the 24 percent who visit company websites (24 percent ) or the 18 percent who choose to inquire via social media platforms.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is therefore particularly important aspect of online marketing. In fact, 57 percent of B2B marketers say that SEO has the largest influence on their lead generation. Studies show that when consumers utilize an internet search engine they typically click on the first link that meets their criteria and are unlikely to scroll through pages and pages of results: 42 percent of Internet search users click on the top ranking organic result. Therefore, the higher a website appears in search engine results pages, such as Google rankings, the more likely a consumer is to visit that website. SEO, which raises a website’s ranking in search engine results, such as Google rankings, is thus a crucial part of effective online marketing. And keep in mind that in regards to SEO Google rankings are especially important. Google is perhaps the most commonly used search engine and therefore Google controls a considerable potion of the search engine market. Overall, SEO to make websites visible in Google rankings and various other search engine rankings, is essential.