Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a huge industry: according to HubSpot, about 69% of marketers actively invest in SEO. However, if your business just needs a little boost in sales or exposure online, is a full SEO budget really worth it?

The answer is almost always a resounding yes!

The fact of the matter is, if you have potential customers who are searching for what you sell or do online, or if people are searching for solutions to problems your business is designed to solve, you need SEO. SEO helps your website rank on search engine result pages, bringing you quality traffic, leads, and ultimately sales.

To find out more about why SEO can be a good investment for your business, this article lays out the basics of what SEO is, why it costs what it does, and why it's a good investment to hire a dedicated SEO company.

What is SEO?

SEO - search engine optimization - is the process of optimizing a web site's content, design, and interface to maximize a user's experience while on the site, which in turn helps it rank more highly on search engine results like Google's. If you run a local business, your Google search ranking can have a huge impact on your business, because according to them:

• 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to find local information
• 76% of people who search for a nearby business on their smartphone visit it within a day
• 28% of searches for local products result in a purchase

To put it plainly: you're missing out on hundreds if not thousands of dollars in potential business by not investing in your website's SEO. Increasingly, business is happening online - and you don't want to be left behind in a rapidly changing market.

Is SEO Expensive?

SEO can seem expensive, and it can be confusing to know for sure whether the cost is worth it. As long as you're working with a reputable SEO firm, you could actually receive a higher return on your SEO investment than on your paid search marketing or social media budget.

If you have further questions about what makes SEO so expensive, we understand! Check out our blog post about why SEO is so expensive: breaking down the cost of dedicated SEO.

Are SEO Companies Worth It?

In a word, yes. Unless your website is non-commercial or in a really niche industry, you'll benefit from a contract with a dedicated SEO agency. The initial outlay can be a little high, but it will level out over time as your site moves from optimization to maintenance mode.

An SEO's work is never done - Internet search is a constantly-shifting sea of search terms, trends, new algorithms, and more - but your SEO agency will probably start with the following:

1. A full site audit to ensure your links all point to the right places, your pages load quickly and are easy to use, and your customer journey works the way you want it to
2. Technical fixes to the sitemap, user experience, and other areas of the site to improve your search engine rankings
3. Content generation adhering to best SEO practices, which will help your business become known as an authority in your industry so that Google and other search engines will take notice

Your agency will continue monitoring your site to keep it high in search results, leaving you to worry about running your business.