If you are running a small business without Search Engine Optimization (SEO), then you as far as the Internet is concerned you do not exist at all! The importance of SEO cannot be underestimated by a small business for several reasons mentioned below.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
SEO or search engine optimization is the process by which your business can improve its rankings on a search engine. The major search engines are of course Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Of all the marketing strategies that you might have employed for the success of your small business; this will prove to bet the most cost-effective for you in the long run. The results of SEO are astounding if done the right way.
Here are a few reasons among many more that will help you understand the importance of SEO for small business:
1. Hundreds of millions of searches are carried out on a daily basis!
People search the search engines with some major keywords. If you have ensured proper optimization using the right keywords; you are bound to appear on the search engines’ list. If you don’t appear on the list nobody is going to know you exist. It is a well-researched fact that people use search engines today to find a solution for a number of their needs. No one today has the time and patience to browse through a list of yellow pages.
2. Your business must get listed on the first page of the search result!
Yes, it is not enough for the search engine to recognize you and have you somewhere in the thousands of results they throw up. There are only 10 results shown on the first page of any search engine and another well-established fact is that people tend to click only amongst these. There are very few instances where people have taken the effort to even go to the next page. In fact, the most clicked ones are the first or the second ones. It is only through proper SEO that your business can be ranked high by the search engine.
3. There is a lot more to SEO than only rankings
Brand awareness and positioning are very important elements of effective marketing. If a web user heard about you through other channels and wanted to find more about you via search engines; you must be present. If the user is not able to find you then your reputation can take a hit since this may bring about certain skepticism about your genuineness. However, take a scenario where a user searches for your business and is confronted with myriad sources of information apart for your website such as a blog, press release, reviews, social media channels then the trust in your quality of products and services is bound to increase.
4. Proper SEO helps you to bring relevant traffic
If you have made a great online presence for yourself and managed to get hundreds of visitors daily with only a handful of relevant or potential customers then what is the point in the number of visitors? Effective SEO will ensure that only relevant traffic; that is visitors who may convert into customers are attracted to your website. This will mean utilizing all keywords for SEO purposes that are even remotely related to your line of business.
SOME HARD TRUTHS ABOUT SEO
1. SEO is not EASY
You can definitely not carry out an effective SEO campaign on your own. Hence if you have attracted by any online material that promises to help you design your SEO campaign in a few minutes; do not fall for it. Only a professional, experienced and the Best SEO Company will get you the maximum return on investments.
2. Learn from your competitors
You may not like the way your competitor does business and the fact hating spite of it he or she is doing quite well online. However, you must keep an open mind and pick up tips that will help you to understand what not to do and what to do.
3. You must learn Patience!
The most effective SEO strategies will also take time to show results. Hence you need to have patience and you will be grateful for having this virtue in the long run when the dollars start coming in.
Try this cost-effective marketing technique and see your small business getting bigger day by day and it does not matter whether you are running an online or offline business. It is beneficial to both.
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