4 Things That Happen When You Don’t Use SEO Writers

If you are managing a company blog, you probably have heard all about the importance of SEO writers, fresh content, and why it’s crucial to keep your material optimized and current.

But is all this really necessary? What would happen if you didn’t follow this advice? What would the drawbacks be?

SEO Writers vs. Regular Bloggers

First, let’s draw an important distinction, namely the difference between average, run-of-the-mill “bloggers” and “SEO writers.”

Anyone who creates blogs is a blogger. That’s a huge umbrella term, and can include people who make blogs just for fun, for personal use, or just as a hobby.

A writer who creates SEO content is different. This is a specific type of blogger who is writing blog posts with a purpose: to gain the attention of search engines, and increase the site’s visibility.

If you just want to have a blog for the fun of it, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if your goal is to increase your site’s traffic, then it’s not enough to use just any blogger. Posting content without solid SEO can be a perfectly fine way of interacting with your current follower base, but it won’t necessarily bring you significantly more traffic beyond the people who already know about you.

So what happens if you spend hours blogging but ignore the SEO side of things? What are the risks of not having a good optimization strategy?

#1 – You Drop on the Rankings

The first thing you’ll probably notice is that without SEO, your Google rankings for relevant searches will be lower than they would be if you used it.

When a customer searches for “roof repair company near me,” it’s a good bet that many of the top answers they’ll see are going to be the roofing companies that have put the time into building a good website with an SEO plan. Those sites will get more traffic, and more business as a result.

The roofing companies that don’t do that are going to wind up with a smaller share of the customer base.

The Power of Keywords

All this has to do with the way that Google and other search engines archive web material. When Google sees that a site has a higher frequency of certain phrases or keywords, it uses that information to record the site within its search framework.

By hiring SEO writers to help generate material that Google will recognize, a company can increase its chances of being the one that shows up on a relevant search.

Which Keywords Are Best?

Unsurprisingly, choosing the best keywords really depends on what business you’re in, and what your geographic location is. But in any given industry, there are always opportunities to put yourself in a better ranking position.

Lately, that means a greater emphasis on more complicated or (“long-tail”) keywords.

One of the significant developments in the last few years is that there has been a large amount of material published online. There are around 4.2 billion web pages in existence, and 4 million new blog posts get published every single day.

All this has led to increasingly specialized searches, and an increased importance on niche keywords. People often type entire sentences into Google’s query box as a way of finding answers to their questions.

The ideal phrases to have on your site may change from one year to the next. But good SEO writers will identify and use the phrases that are currently the most likely to bring new traffic to your site.

#2 – You Miss Out on Traffic

Of course, there are practical drawbacks to ranking lower on Google, Yahoo!, or Bing. A lower search rank means that you won’t have as many visitors coming your way.

There’s a particularly steep drop-off after the first page of results. About 92% of Google searchers don’t look past page number one, which is usually the top ten individual sites.

That means that for any given search or keyword, a “top ten” ranking is a huge help to those businesses that get there.

Content vs. Paid Advertising

By far, the best way to attain a top position is through the use of written content, which will generate organic traffic.

The use of advertising can help, but the return on investment isn’t as good. About half of desktop computer and laptop searchers use adblocker software, cutting a huge segment of the market out of paid ads.

People also tend to trust the real search results more than pay-per-click ads, and are more interested in recent (or “fresh”) organic content.

Ranking Through Content

It is not possible for most businesses to rank in a “top ten” position in every relevant search that takes place, especially given the variety of searches that can take place on a daily basis.

But even though you can’t do everything, it is possible to experience major benefits. An SEO writer will find specific keywords and create content that will increase your visibility in some of them, and this will translate to increased traffic in your industry.

#3 – You Lose Out on Emerging Customers

Of all the risks of ignoring SEO, this may be the one that has the worst long-term implications.

First-time customers, many of whom are still learning about the products they want to buy, are far more likely to spend their money at one of the top-ranked sites.

Low-ranking sites will miss out on establishing a connection with customers that are new to the market.

Why is this?

New Consumers Often Research Products Online

Unlike experienced customers who already know what their preferences are, these emerging customers will be more likely to want more information.

Customers are becoming increasingly reliant on technology when it comes to doing initial research. More and more people go to the internet before making purchases, especially if they are buying something they haven’t bought before.

They’re not just looking for a product, but for information about their choices.

Companies that have done their SEO homework will find themselves with an opportunity to provide that information (and a product as well) in the form of a blog post. They can gain a sale, or even a lifelong customer.

Everyone else will wind up missing out.

#4 – Your Conversion Rates Drop

As we previously mentioned, SEO has become more specialized in the last few years, with long-tail keywords increasing in importance.

To understand why this is important to your business and your sales, we need to examine the concept of “user intent.”

The Power of Leveraging User Intent

Let’s imagine that you are in the business of selling bike helmets.

Someone who is searching for the word “helmet” might be looking for what you’re selling. Or they might be looking for a motorcycle helmet (or a football helmet, or a Viking helmet for a Halloween costume).

The word “helmet” all by itself is common, and vague, and doesn’t necessarily connect us to a customer who wants exactly what we’re selling.

A customer who searches “new bike helmet under $100” is almost certainly looking for your business.

Intent Leads to Better Conversion Rates

By finding exactly the customers who want to buy what you sell, you set yourself up for a better sales rate.

The challenge comes in finding the right long-tail keywords. Some phrases are overly competitive, and others are so specific that no one uses them.

Good SEO writers will be able to research and pinpoint the right balance for your site. When done properly, that can give close rates around 14.6% (a significant advantage over the 1.7% used in outbound marketing).

Why Is SEO So Effective?

The power of great SEO is that it is a responsive sales tactic. Rather than advertising, or attempting to push something on the customer, it allows the customer to come to you. They remain entirely in the driver’s seat while they do their research.

That’s an attractive quality in a consumer culture that is over-saturated with ads and sales jargon.

By thinking about SEO, you make sure that Google knows who you are and what you’re selling. By thinking about user intent, you make yourself visible to your ideal customer. And finally, by providing quality content, you make yourself valuable to the customer first, and establish a positive relationship from the start.

The value is astonishing, but none of it happens without SEO writers who know what they’re doing.

SEO Writers at SteadyContent

SteadyContent harnesses the power of an entire team to create the perfect optimized posts for today’s market.

Our SEO experts research trending keywords and find the best options for your unique business. Our writers create engaging posts that are specifically designed with your “ideal customer” in mind. And our editors make sure that each post meets high-quality standards before it gets sent to you.

With SteadyContent, you get more than just one writer or SEO expert: you get the resources of an entire business helping you. If you’re a new client, ask us about our trial package, so you can test our service at a low-risk price.

So give us a call, and see what we can do for you! There is incredible opportunity in today’s market: SEO is the key to bringing it to your doorstep.