You have a lot going on as you’re running your business each and every day. Concerning yourself with internet marketing in the form of search engine optimization, more commonly referred to as SEO, is just one more thing you know you need to contend with, but who has the time? It turns out SEO is completely worth it, and when implemented properly, SEO can do amazing things for your business. Finding a good partner in an SEO company or SEO agency can elevate your internet marketing without taking up any of your time. Here are five reasons why SEO is important for your small business.
Value of Internet Marketing
As a small business owner with your hands already full, you may wonder if SEO and internet marketing can really deliver results. SEO marketing can deliver results. As a small business owner, you should be concerned with internet marketing if:
- You want to provide excellent customer service and good user experience to people who visit your site.
- You want search engines to review your site and place it high up in their returns page to position your business in front of new customers.
- You want to stay competitive with similar companies in your industry.
Understanding SEO Marketing
SEO is the practice of crafting website content to appeal to search engines, like Google and Bing. Essentially, when a user types into the bar of a search engine, the search engine delivers relevant results. The search engines find these relevant results by checking out the quality of the content. By crafting quality content, search engines will deem your site useful and helpful and add it to their results. The closer to the top of the return page, the better the site and potentially the more useful the content.
Reasons to Invest in SEO Marketing
Internet marketing can have a major impact on your overall business. Here are just five reasons why you should implement internet marketing into your small business strategy.
1. Set the Right Tone
The primary goal of SEO is to help ideal customers find your site. This benefits the customer because they are finding what they are looking for and what they want. This also benefits your small business because customers are able to find you. A lot of the improvements and practices that give your site excellent SEO also improve the user experience.
Once customers are aware of your business and find value in your information and experience, you can get to work moving them through your sales funnel.
Everyone is Happy
Search engines also like to see quality SEO because they are a business delivering a service, too. Search engines are motivated to ensure you are a good fit for their users. Users have a lot of options when it comes to search engines and when they find one that continues to deliver quality results, that user is likely to come back.
2. Improved Reach
People trust search engines, particularly the big ones, like Google. This makes sense because a lot of work goes into creating and implementing a complete SEO plan. For a search engine to recognize a site as worthy of making the returns page, it means that the site has something to offer.
Landing on the returns page, in general, is important, but your placement on the list is significant. Many users perceive a spot close to the top of the list as an endorsement or an indication of quality. Users may only look at the first couple results and either select one of those or start over with a new search if they aren’t seeing what they want.
For example, let’s say a user has a craving for doughnuts, so they turn to their favorite search engine to find a doughnut shop. That user is going to focus most of their attention on the top five or so results. This is great news if you are one of those businesses because you’ve got a customer coming your way all because the search engine recommended you. The doughnut shop that ranks in the tenth spot on the returns page may actually serve the most delicious doughnuts, but because their SEO failed to deliver, they did not rank as high, and they’re now missing out.
3. Increased Odds for Conversion
Traditional forms of marketing, like placing ads in magazines, during specific TV programming or on industry websites requires some luck. You need to hope that the right people see your advertisement and then decide to look you up online or visit your location.
Internet marketing utilizing SEO is a game changer. People who specifically want the products or services you provide are looking for you. You don’t have to explain what your product does or sell the user on how your services will help them. They already know. They just want to find someone, like you, who can sell them what they want.
Set Yourself Apart
SEO marketing can direct a steady flow of customers to your site, but again, it’s important to be towards the top of the returns page. There are other businesses out there selling the same or very similar products and services. You need to be clear and upfront about who you are and what you are about. This will ensure you are getting the most ideal users who are completely aligned with your demographic.
4. Build Brand Awareness
A major benefit of internet marketing is that you are always there when a user is looking. A lot of people shop around. They may come across you during a search, but not go any further. As they continue to conduct more searches, they will find other small businesses and start to get a better handle on the variety of services and products available.
The right SEO strategy will ensure that your small business continues to show up in all relevant searches. Users will continue to see your brand, and this continued exposure will increase your brand’s awareness. If users see enough of your brand, that may be all it takes to get them to pay you a visit to learn more.
5. Learn More About Your Customers
A properly optimized website will increase your visibility with search engines and users while also giving your small business credibility. You can’t close sales without customers, and internet marketing helps deliver customers to your site. Another benefit of increased traffic to your site is the opportunity to learn more about these visitors.
Work the Data
Google Analytics is a free service offered by Google that tracks information about the users who visit your site. You can find out things like which pages get the most traffic, how long people stay on a page, when users visited your site, where they are located, what browser they are using and more. This info can be a lot to get through, but it helps you understand more about your visitors. The more you know and understand about your demographic, the more you can adjust your product offerings to best serve your customer’s needs. Also, the more you know about your demographic, the more you can tailor your future marketing efforts to reach your audience.
Using Internet Marketing
SEO is part of a larger marketing strategy. Each component, from SEO to content creation, branding, analytics and more, work together to educate customers, close sales and help you to learn more about these customers.
SEO marketing is important to your small business because it can direct more organic traffic to your site and improve the user experience. Once you have that traffic, you can analyze the metrics in order to determine how to best serve your customers going forward. Businesses of all sizes need to practice SEO marketing to establish and grow their brands. This practice is a great way for newer and smaller companies to quickly build their brands and start bringing in customers.
Let’s Do This
Landing on Google’s first page of returns takes a lot of planning and work, but it is possible. At Business Marketing Engine, our team of skilled SEO professionals can help your site rank, so your small business can gain the benefits that come with a coveted top ranking. Get a hold of us to learn more, get started and find out about our free SEO analysis!
