Inbound Marketing without SEO Equals McDonalds without Burgers

What would inbound marketing be without SEO.

It would be like McDonald’s without burgers – it just doesn’t make sense.

If you aim to be at the top of the search results, it’s probably because you want to increase sales, generate more demand for your services, and ultimately, make more money. SEO and accurate SEO tracking are crucial, but they’re not the only pieces of the successful inbound marketing puzzle.

You must also effectively convert your website visitors, especially those actively seeking what you offer.

And guess what?

Strong SEO is the key to reaching this audience because they’re actively searching for your products and services. You want them to find you.

Now, before we move on, let’s first define what inbound marketing is.

What is inbound marketing?

Inbound marketing is a way to attract customers by creating helpful content that they need.

By doing this, instead of pushing ads on them, you pull them toward you. It’s like opening a friendly door to your business, so people willing come to you. This way, you build trust and lasting relationships.

For those who’ve seen the positive impact of SEO, this is not news to you—it’s been around since the first search engine. What’s surprising is the rise of marketers claiming to be inbound marketing experts without emphasizing SEO.

Sure, they might mention SEO among other tactics they offer, but they often overlook the importance of organic search. It’s a vital way to attract visitors and customers. So, why the silence on SEO?

Honestly, it seems like they might not know enough about it. They’re promoting themselves as experts, yet their own online visibility, and possibly their customers, is often low or even non-existent on Google.

They’re invisible where people search for what they offer on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and many other search engines. Inbound marketing goes beyond just SEO, but it’s like McDonald’s without its burgers – the foundation of success that keeps people coming back worldwide.

What are the benefits of inbound marketing?

The benefits of inbound marketing are clear. It brings more visitors to your business, helps you connect with them, and turns them into loyal customers. Plus, it’s cost-effective and measurable, so you know what’s working and what’s not. Inbound marketing is like a smart and friendly magnet for your business success.

And, now that you know the benefits, let’s touch on some winning inbound marketing strategies.

What are the key inbound marketing strategies?

Inbound marketing strategies can be broken down into stages.

The first phase is attraction. You attract your audience by creating useful content, like blogs and videos, to attract people. At this stage, SEO is one of your most valuable tools to attract a targeted audience. The reason is SEO helps your content show up literally when they’re looking for it.

Once you’ve attracted your audience, you must focus on engagement. You can easily engage with your audience on social media and email, answering their questions and being helpful.

Once you have a relationship with your audience they are more likely to become paid customers. What’s more, if you treat them well, they might become loyal customers for years to come.

Once you are winning clients and customers the next step is to analyze your data and keep improving your strategy. At this stage, your data is your greatest asset that will help you make decisions to grow your revenue and skyrocket your business.

Inbound marketing: Building relationships with your prospects

One of the keys to winning online is a well-designed inbound marketing strategy. Because if you are able to provide something of value or to solve a problem, your audience will love you.

And when they do, they turn from cold prospects to warm leads and happy customers.

What’s more, whatever your long-term strategy is, it’s important to focus on SEO. SEO will bring your business targeted prospects while you sleep. And if you target the right search queries, your SEO audience is likely to be your best audience.

by Darrell Mordecai

Darrell creates SEO content for Similarweb, drawing on his deep understanding of SEO and Google patents.