Top 5 Advantages of SEO Over Traditional Advertising

Marketing can be expensive. It requires time, money and effort to market a business effectively. But not all business owners have those kinds of resources at their disposal. That's where search engine optimization / SEO can help!
I've never been one to profess that SEO is an all-powerful approach to marketing. With that being said, search engine visibility can certainly wonders for any type of business. It also has several distinct advantages over traditional "in your face" marketing tactics.

The Trouble with "Push" Marketing

Let's look at a hypothetical (but very realistic) example, using the fictitious company of ABC Widget Solutions. Let's say that ABC Widgets has a website that does not come up in search engines for their key phrases. In other words, their target audience is unable to find them online by researching the kinds of products and services that ABC provides.
With poor search engine visibility, ABC will have to do a lot of outbound or "push" marketing. There is very little chance that people will stumble across their website online, because their search engine visibility is severely lacking.
Thus, they will have to pour their time and money into such things as:

* Direct mail marketing
* Newspaper or magazine ads
* TV and radio ads

What do all of these things have in common? Several things, actually. First of all, the marketing channels listed above can be expensive. The costs for a direct mail campaign, for example, can really add up over time. And a single TV ad can blow a small business owner's marketing budget for the entire year.
The "Pull" of Search Engine Optimization

By contrast, let's consider the effects of an SEO campaign. When you focus some of your marketing time and energy on increasing your search engine visibility, the benefits are significant. Unlike direct marketing and advertising, an SEO campaign can be very affordable even for the small business owner. Search engine optimization is also a long-lasting approach that outlives the effort you put into it.
So let's sum up the advantages of SEO we have talked about:

* Search engine optimization is a long-lasting approach to marketing.
* It's also forward-thinking because it embraces an evolving medium (Internet).
* It is typically more affordable than traditional advertising techniques.
* It seeks to connect with people who are already looking for what you offer.
* It allows you to "pull" qualified prospects toward your products / services.

I am not saying that search engine visibility is the best marketing strategy for all businesses all of the time. On the contrary, other marketing techniques certainly have their place in the grand scheme of things. But what I am saying (and what I've clearly outlined above) is that SEO has distinct advantages for the small business owner, and thus it is certainly worth your consideration and pursuit.