I am going to assume that if you're reading this article then you know what SEO is. But like so many website owners, you may think it's not the most effective way to grab some traffic. However I want to tell you why that is not true and why SEO is the best type of traffic.

What is SEO?

SEO is getting a top three position in the search engines for a key phrase search. Notice I said top three and not page one. Page one actually means nothing and with Google Universal search, it really means nothing. Universal search is when Google shows pictures in the results or products or even a map.

These Universal results take up a lot of space and act as a mental barrier to the user going below them. If you want to get any clicks for a search phrase you HAVE to be top three. Obviously it's best to be number one, but top three will get you clicked.

Bottom line then, SEO is getting your website ranked top three in search engines results page (SERP).

Why Does SEO Matter?

SEO matters because when you rank for a search term that consistently brings you traffic, there is nothing better. For example, I have a website that ranks for about four terms pretty well and it grows my list by about 20 subscribers each day. Besides the work I did to get my site ranked there, I don't have to pay for those subscribers and it makes a huge difference.

Take this for example... if I were running a Content Network campaign on Adwords it would cost me. Let's guess what that cost would be. We'll assume a 25% opt in rate which is easy to get and I'd probably pay about 25 cents which is a pretty lose guess.

So to get 20 opt ins, I would need to get (20/.25) 80 visitors to my website. To get 80 clicks, I would probably have to pay about $20 a day which is ($20 * 30) $600 a month... and I get all of those subscribers for free... or essentially for free.

That is why SEO matters because when you rank well it gives you a baseline or success to build from. It's almost like a safe zone. Not to mention, the longer you stay there, the more you'll get labeled as an authority for that key phrase and Google will love your site.

Down the road the domain that the site sits on will make for a great PPC domain that can essentially be unflappable. But we will get to that later.

I have to end this article now or I will continue to ramble on about how kick ass being ranked really is.