The short answer is, yes.
Furthermore, the truth is that it is now more valuable than ever.
The more the internet search engines evolve, the more they understand human search patterns and results needs. The more they understand those things, the more important it is for websites to be able to communicate the relevance of their information in relation to desired search results.
There was a time when SEO was a buzz word that every website had to have “done” and nearly anybody could learn to do it quickly and see results of some kind. Or you could hire someone to do it to your website for a couple hundred bucks and all of the sudden you would see your website marching through the search result ranks right up to page 1.
That was a time when SEO was considerably more simple and the competition less fierce.
That was also a time when not all businesses actually needed a website for their success and if they did have one it was usually an “extra” or something for big companies or bloggers.
As the technological age has progressed, it has become almost mandatory that a company has a website. Many companies aren’t even really considered legitimate until they have a quality functional website as their front door and “open” sign in the digital realm.
It has even come to the point that some companies are launching online before they even open physical locations.
Yes… the internet HAS become that important to companies, society, and the world we live in.
Just one really crazy real life example you may not realize…
You can get on a plane and take a flight to a third world country. Once you begin to tour the country you will find hovels built of sticks and pieces of plastic or tarps. There will be a family of 6 living inside. They will own one or maybe two pots to cook over an open fire pit. Perhaps 2 blankets to sleep on and under, and maybe one change of clothes folded and stacked next to the plastic bucket they use to carry water from the sewage-filled stream 2 miles from their house.
You will see all of those things, and right in the middle of it, you will see two or three of the family members with mobile phones that access the internet.No, I’m not kidding. I knew several families just like this when I lived in Honduras.
They will work for $5 a day hand chopping grass or cleaning houses so that they can afford the refill cards to keep their little phones connected to the world.
They will spend a few hours at a local business that has an electrical outlet outside and pay for access for the purpose of charging their phones or ask their employers if they can plug in while they work.
They do all of this and then spend a couple hours picking food scraps from the dump or new plastic bits for the roof of their “house” and all in the name of being able to “connect” to the world.
So while we sit in our houses, apartments, or even a room that we rent… the bottom line is that in many ways, the internet, and the websites it contains rule the world.
If it is THAT important to the world around us, then it is even more important, as business owners and managers, we understand the statistics of search results and the importance of getting our company website right smack in the middle of the biggest flows of traffic we possibly can.
It now takes something equivalent to a Master’s Degree or higher to understand the full breadth of what is now called Technical SEO and how to use it as a tool to strategically place websites in the best flow of traffic.
Unfortunately, it is not something that is taught in colleges and furthermore requires massive ongoing education and dedication to following the trends, rules, and regulations that govern what it takes to get a website where it needs to be.
Let’s face it, Google changes on an almost daily basis and if Google doesn’t know your website exists, neither will your potential new customers. It’s just that simple.
Back to the question, is SEO still valuable?
With very few exceptions, SEO is not only valuable it is essential to online success.
Statistics show that 97% of online searches result in searchers clicking on first page results and never going past the first page. Of the remaining 3% that makes it past page 1, only about 1% make it past page 3.
What does that mean? It means that if 1000 people search for the term “running shoes,” about 970 of them will click on websites listed on the first page of results. Only about 30 people will look past the first page.
So if your website is about running shoes and it is sitting somewhere on page 3 or later you are basically not getting any of the available traffic for that search term.
One joke that is popular with Technical SEO Experts is that the best place to hide a dead body is on page 3 of Google because NOTHING gets found there.
One of the biggest benefits of have Technical SEO performed on your website is that it puts your site right smack in the middle, not only of the highest traffic flows but of HIGHLY TARGETED traffic flows.
This means that the traffic coming to your site will be the kind of people that are looking for the information, service, or product that you are making available.
If you are selling running shoes, you don’t want your website in front of people who are looking for ballet toes shoes, but in front of runners. Technical SEO does just that. It puts your website in front of the right potential customers and clients.
Search Engine Land recently published an article stating that the importance of technical SEO will continue to grow enough over the next decade (at least) that it will literally be a large and essential part of EVERY company’s budget, and their success.
While this may sound really daunting and perhaps somewhat discouraging, rest assured that there ARE high-quality Technical SEO experts and consultants that know how to get the job done for you.
It is easy to understand that you might be confused or frustrated with how to choose quality Technical SEO expert. It’s ok. You can go to our homepage to find out more about how to select a quality expert that will work well with you, your company and your niche to get the job done.
If you have further questions, you can always contact us and we will be happy to help you any way we can.
So go out there and take the next big and wonderful step to getting your company on the success track it needs to be on by accessing the high amounts of targeted traffic out there just waiting to find out about what you have to offer!
