Every day, millions of users perform web searches in various parts of the world. If you’ve ever wondered how Google decided which sites get more highly listed in their rankings, it’s all the end result of series of algorithms and equations that happen at lightning speed. These days, search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is one the leading tools for Internet marketing a business can invest in. SEO allows content to become more engaging for the user, therefore becoming more valuable to a company’s visibility in those rankings. But that’s not all SEO can do.

Your customers’ point of entry

Picture the Internet as a vast ocean and the average web user as a crew member who’s fallen overboard. The Google rankings, then, would be a series of ropes all thrown down to help him or her back aboard the boat. Chances are, the fallen passenger is going to grab whichever rope is closest — that means he or she will also click whichever link is at the top of the search rankings, too. SEO can help your business be the closest rope.

Going organic

Look, it’s 2014 now. If you haven’t realized that going organic is the next big thing, you’re significantly behind the times. No, that doesn’t mean you need to start shopping at Whole Foods (although that’s probably better for your health) — it means you need to embrace SEO and the way it can grab users’ attention through organic search results. That means natural links, not “sponsored” ads, showing up in the Google rankings. That’s important because nearly three-quarters of all Internet users only focus on these organic results in a given search.

Better leads, better close rates

Not only does SEO generate leads, but they tend to be of better quality as well. That means you can expect an average close rate of 14.6%, as SEO-generated leads have. Compare this to the 1.7% average close rate of outbound leads like print, TV and radio advertising (plus cold calling), and you can see which is the clear winner. SEO marketing is essential for sustaining business in multiple ways.

Blogging to build a better brand

Companies that have chosen to diversify their websites and engage their users more have, on average, 434% more indexed pages in the Google rankings than those that don’t. That means users are more likely to discover these pages, therefore discovering your brand and beginning to build a lasting partnership with it. That all starts with SEO — but don’t forget about social media outlets, either.