Why SEO matters
I believe that SEO metrics are a more objective measure of the success of a website than branding.
We live in a world where search is king. The value of search is that it shows intent. When someone searches for “screen printing near me” or “custom shirts near me”, it’s an indication of a transactional search that is seeking information on where to order custom screen printed apparel in the area they live.
Regardless of how you define your sales funnel, if someone is actively searching for a screen printer, they are a warm audience. They are taking a nonlinear path down the funnel from intent to awareness to (hopefully) purchase. This search alone makes them a potential customer – but only if you show up in their search results!
The data behind search is stunning. Reading through these search statistics from Ahrefs shows the importance of search:
- 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine. (BrightEdge)
- 0.78% of Google searchers click on results from the 2nd page. (Backlinko)
- 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search. (BrightEdge)
- 92.96% of global traffic comes from Google search, Google Images, and Google Maps. (Sparktoro)
- SEO drives 1000%+ more traffic than organic social media. (BrightEdge)
- 90.63% of pages get no organic search traffic from Google. (Ahrefs)
- The top-ranking page gets the most search traffic only 49% of the time.
- Generally speaking, the more backlinks a page has, the more organic traffic it gets from Google. (Ahrefs)
- 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day. (Think With Google)
My argument that searchability is more closely correlated with success is based in my belief that SEO provides more value than branding. The importance of brand has been diminished by the utility and prominence of online search.
