Is SEO Dead

Why do people say SEO Is Dead?

If you are a Digital Marketing Consultant and have been following Google’s update, you should know that, even though if you are ranking on the first position organically, you might not be getting the click volume that you want or expect compare to a few years ago. You might be thinking it is the keyword that you selected or somehow there was an error in programs such as SEMRush or Moz. Before you run off to setting up a code-red meeting with the marketing team, you have to understand that, other than organic traffic, there are other sources that Google provides on SERP (Search Engine Result Page).

What are those “Sources”?

As I’ve mentioned, there are many sources other than organic traffic on SERP. Let’s talk more about it in greater detail.

Google Ads

Google Ads is what I love and do everyday as a Search Engine Marketing Specialist. Google Ads is a platform developed by Google for people to display ads through various methods and formats. Again, I won’t be talking too much about what formats are there and what are they good for. I often will host classes to talk more about Basic Google Ads. Right now we will focus on Search Ads only.

What are Search Ads?

Try Googling something like “Carpet Cleaner _____” and replace the ____ with your location. What do you see? You should be seeing the first three or four results having the ADS label on it right? 

I have clients who will keep asking me why aren’t their site showing at the top even though my report does say they are ranking first organically. The reason is that, there are certain ways that Google layout its search results. The order goes something like this:

• Google Ads
• Local Listings
• Organic Result

As you can see, even though you are ranking first on the organic result, there are still a list of sites listed before yours. Well, even though you aren’t displaying on the top of the page, it is still beneficial to have good SEO and have a Digital Marketing Specialist to have a look into optimizing your site. There are a few reasons.

Having good SEO means your site is easier for Google to crawl and understand your site. In addition, your site being ranked at the very top of the organic result doesn’t happen instantly or randomly. Google takes into account your credibility and your reputation within the industry. This is very important and the key to why you still need good SEO. If Google thinks your site is reputable and reliable, then it will help you with your Google Ads, as well as, Local Listings. Google always would want to show the best result for users. If you pages provide great resource for users, then your Quality Score for your Google Ads will be higher, which will lead to a lower CPC (Cost Per Click). The better reviews you have on Google My Business, will lead you to having higher ranking on the Local Listings as well.

So….Having Good SEO Will Benefit Everything?

Correct! Having great SEO can be beneficial for everything else. In the past, yes, we care mostly about our organic traffic when it comes to SEO. However, as time progress, there are other sources on SERP that we cannot ignore and have to take into account in order to grow your business. If you own Google Ads, have a Google My Business account and a site, then you need SEO. Your Search Engine Optimization Specialist should tell you that it isn’t just about doing the onsite and offsite SEO anymore. It has evolved to such a larger scale.

There are other sources on SERP that I want to discuss but I think it’ll be way too long and the topics will be a little bit more advance, such as VR (Virtual Reality), Position 0, No Click Search and the list goes on and on. I will be continuing this discussion on other blogs later on. Hope this can give you some insight and comfort to why we should not abandon SEO just yet! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or please feel free to subscribe to my newsletter for the latest blog updates. Thanks!