What is it, and How Can it Help Your Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMB)?
Starting any business is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of attention to the seemingly small details along with a lot of heart to grow your business properly. However, your physical ability to grow your SMB is only part of the process. A keen understanding of your online business identity's ins and outs is essential in our modern, digital world. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a term thrown around a lot these days, but few actually understand what it means. We will delve into the world of SEO to give you a better understanding of what it is and how it can help your SMB thrive.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
SEO or search engine optimization is a systematic way to drive traffic to your business’s site. Where standard marketing practices still have their place in our mostly digital world, search engine optimization seems to make the largest impact. SEO gives your website validity on the internet and allows it to stand tall in a sea of endless websites. When properly employed, SEO can drive high-quality, organic traffic to your site, vital to your overall success. SEO can do so much more for your business, and here are just a few attributes you can expect from your investment into Search Engine Optimization.
First 3 Pages of Searches
Web traffic is a substantial part of any modern business these days. Even if a business is primarily based in a brick-and-mortar type of environment, at least a portion of their sales and interest in coming to their store will be derived from their online entity. Organic searches on the internet can help grow your business, and with proper Search Engine Optimization, your website will show up within the first 3 pages of searches.
That might not seem like a significant deal, and some business owners make the mistake of believing that as long as they show up eventually, they are ok. However, in this instance, you must put yourself in the same shoes as your customers. If you search for something, do you ever venture past the first few pages before changing up the phrase or looking for something else entirely? The answer is likely no. On average, anyone searching the internet does not venture past the 3rd page and therefore, showing up on those first three pages of a search is vital.
Increased Customer Leads
No business starts with a large client base, and word of mouth can only take you so far. New customers must be led to your site for the business to grow continually. SEO is the key ingredient in generating customer leads essential for business growth. Again, put yourself in a searcher’s shoes. Those not looking for a particular company but a general idea can easily lead to a new company. Additionally, providing quality content with specific keywords to boost your business on search engines can help lead customers to your site and allow your business to be known as an authority figure in your chosen field. (High-Quality Content = High-Quality Leads)
Local SEO is Important Too
When thinking of SEO, you might be under the impression that it is primarily searching for online shopping and essential items from home. However, most searches are accomplished while customers are out and about using their mobile devices to find what they need at that moment. Say you own a restaurant. New customers can find you easily if you invest and keep up your information in local SEO avenues. This includes but is not merely limited to your phone number, address, and reviews about your business. Customers regularly use their GPS-enabled devices to find their needs and those reviews carry heavyweight in their decisions. This is not only with restaurants but virtually any type of business imaginable. Currently, it is estimated that up to 97% of all customers look online for localized goods and services.
Long-Lasting Results
Some marketing strategies are based on instant gratification and can have a very evident end date. However, Search Engine Optimization is virtually forever. Investing in SEO and keeping up with quality content and algorithms for search engines continually pays you back with increased traffic and new customers. What discourages some business owners from investing in this essential part of the business is the mere fact that it can take a while for SEO to work to bring in customers. Anyone investing in Search Engine Optimization should keep in mind, results are not immediate but are substantial and long-lasting.
Search Engine Optimization might seem like a tiny thing, but it is a concept that can make or break an SME in a virtual world. When you are ready to grow and thrive, SEO is the key ingredient you may be missing, and it goes hand in hand with Search Engine Marketing SEM.
