When working with small businesses, we’ve come across so many companies that have amazing products and services. They typically have a dedicated customer base that absolutely loves their customer service and dedicated to quality products. The primary struggle that many small business owners have is figuring out a way to get the word about about their amazing business. They may think, “Maybe if I do more advertising?”, or, “I should do a TV commercial.” As many marketing options that there are out there, our team wanted to help make things a bit more clear. This blog features key aspects for defining local SEO and why it’s important for small business; as well as other influential considerations.
Defining SEO And Why It’s Important for Small Business
The term “SEO” represents a marketing practice called “search engine optimization”. The art of search engine optimization is utilizing content to align with the search requests of users on search engines. Just as in any business, understanding your customer is essential in securing your success. In the same way, optimizing your online content to reflect what your current and potential customers are searching for is essential to your company’s growth.
There are two primary types of SEO:
- On-Page SEO – Individual web pages that are utilized to enhance your site’s ranking. This includes keywords, site format, URLs, navigation, site speed, on-site blogging, and also responsive design.
- Off-Page SEO – This can include any activity taken off of your website to help boost awareness about your company. Optimizing business profiles, link building, and social media are just a few examples.
Link building and social media are very relevant with regards to SEO. Link building, when done properly, helps to show your online authority. Guest blogging, being a part of online directories, and creating content that others want to share are essential to successful link-building.
Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can also help your link-building and SEO. Making sure that your posts are relevant and linked to your content will also help to expand your reach. Our social media experts have provided some amazing content to help you with your social media strategies and have written some valuable information about social media management. Working with a social media team of experts will also help to educate you about your potential digital marketing reach.
Understanding the Importance of Local SEO
Another SEO term for small businesses to consider is “local SEO”. When referring to local SEO, it’s essential to consider how your local customers are influenced by their local surroundings. Having relevant content and marketing efforts that add value to local searches is essential in narrowing down your community member’s needs, and optimizing your business reach. As an example, if a woman is searching for “affordable makeup in orlando, florida”, it would be essential for a cosmetic company or provider to consider providing information pertaining to that search query on their website or within a media type of some kind.
Many companies believe that they need to have their brand blasted across the country in order to receive the best reach. In actuality, optimizing your local customer reach first, will yield the best return and provide you with an opportunity to build a better relationship with your customers.
Why SEO Is Important and It Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
Small businesses tend to believe that SEO isn’t something that they should be spending their marketing dollars on. They may think that an ad in a local newspaper or phone book is more beneficial and will yield more results for them. In actuality, with nearly 70% of consumers utilizing online and digital efforts, the most effective marketing channels in today’s small business world are actually digital. Yes, direct print and mailing are important for some businesses, however, not for most.
When considering SEO, it’s important to have a strategic method. Make sure that you have a strategy for what you’d like to accomplish and ask yourself:
- Who do I want to reach?
- Why do I want to reach this audience?
- What am I offering to them? (Services, knowledge, products, etc…)
If you’re unable to answer these questions and obtain a clear strategy, you may want to reconsider your approach. The more strategic you are, the higher level of results you’ll achieve.
If a company isn’t utilizing SEO, it’s missing out on customers that are looking for a quality service provider. For a small business, SEO can boost revenue by up to 30% within a six-month period when utilized properly. So why wait to start making money?
Do you want to make the most of your online and digital marketing presence? Contact a company that excels at helping small businesses thrive with SEO. Fill out the form below and we will get back to you quickly.
Elevare has helped dozens of companies across the United States optimize their data and digital marketing sphere to cash in on excellent results with SEO. Learn more about small businesses and the importance of SEO by checking out this informational article, or by contacting us today.
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