Search Engine Optimization: Is it still worth the time and money?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) came on the scene in 1997 when a man by the name of Danny Sullivan launched Search Engine Watch, a website which was dedicated to providing tips and tricks on how to get websites ranked higher and industry practices. With more and
 more websites being added each day, paying money for SEO rankings was essential to make your website top-of-page and visible for the intended target market.

So, that was close to 30 years ago. The question remains: Is SEO still worth the time and money investment these days in the 2020s? Should companies really dedicate a portion of their marketing budget to online search strategies?

The answer is: DEFINITELY! 
While SEO ranking methods have changed, gotten way more sophisticated and its focus has changed (no longer is keyword stuffing appropriate or effective, but rather the focus has changed to user intent), in no way is SEO going away. 
Industry experts are saying that in the next few years, SEO rankings will be more competitive, with the primary focus on delivering high-quality content which actually is useful for customers and internet users. Where twenty years ago, an SEO strategy consisted of stuffing a website with links (remember all those backlinks?) and keywords and content galore, this will no longer be effective today.

In Forbes’ May 2002 issue, the top 5 most powerful SEO trends for the coming years included:

Core Web Vitals: these are ranking vitals that Google uses to determine the overall customer user experience on a website

EAT: Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness - does your website’s content deliver on all three of these principles? If not, Google recognizes it and will penalize your site.

Video: with video now a generally-used marketing tool across most websites, it’s crucial that your website includes one or two videos for SEO strategy.

Schema Markup: this is where your website development company or SEO company’s expertise really comes into play. Your company will place behind-the-scenes code on each of your web pages to maximize the searchability of each page via Google.

Refresh Existing Content: Simply put, if your website is outdated and looking and sounding “old” then it won’t be as attractive to the search engines. It is so overlooked and often one of the easiest tools to complete. All companies and website owners should continually assess their content, update their images, and provide fresh content.

If you don’t have an SEO strategy in play and are finding you are not getting quality leads through your site, please contact Red Cherry to assist you in achieving online success! We have many clients who continually tell us that a dedicated monthly budget for SEO is one of the best decisions they have made for their website.