The Internet has changed the way we live and conduct our businesses in so many ways.
Everything that we need to search for is literally at our fingertips. Information, products, services, references- they’re all just a Google search, Facebook search and just a few finger swipes or clicks away.
The convenience of the Internet has made it imperative for businesses to create an online presence.
But with the increasing number of other small business owners proliferating in the Internet, it is no longer enough to just have an online presence.
You have to enhance it in order to stand out from the rest.
Introducing Search Engine Optimization or SEO; a series of methodologies, techniques and tactics used to increase the number of visitors to a website by improving it’s ranking in the Search Engine Results Page or SERP. Search engine optimization is a big topic that can easily trip you up, but not to worry. Projects Made Simple, LLC is here to help!
Put simply, if you want to be found, you absolutely have to optimize your business (website and online presence)!
Here are five reasons why you need to incorporate SEO into your business plan.
5 REASONS WHY YOUR SMALL BUSINESS NEEDS SEO
Businesses Are Now Positioned Online
93% of people who are looking for products and services do so using a search engine, such as Google. If your business is not online, you are missing out on a huge opportunity of being found by the three billion users who search the Internet every day.
Building a website is just one component of your overall strategy. Your website needs to be found in order for it to generate business and in the virtual world, it is all about the search rankings. Businesses are investing in strategies to get them to climb the search rankings higher for the coveted number one spot.
With close to one billion websites operating on the Internet, competition for search rankings has gotten tighter. While becoming the number one listing in search results might be a big challenge, it is important to be noticed right away, as 75% of Internet searchers do not go beyond the first page of the search results.
SEO plays a pivotal role in having your website found and in conjunction with other online marketing strategies, such as social media and blogging, it becomes a powerful tool in improving your search rankings.
SEO Is A Cost-Effective Strategy
About 75% of marketers rate SEO as excellent in terms of Return-on-Investment. This is because SEO is one of the most affordable tools for online marketing and yields consistent and effective results.
SEO is not just affordable; it is cost-effective because it is customizable to your business needs and budget.
Keyword analysis, link-building and other SEO techniques are not implemented on a one-size-fits-all approach. Research will need to be done for your specific target audience to know how the SEO strategy should be designed and implemented.
You can look at SEO an investment that pays off in the long-run. It does so by firmly targeting your marketing efforts to meet the needs and interests of your intended audience.
In a way, SEO becomes a measure of your productivity. Every dollar spent on a SEO can be evaluated on the returns it generates.
SEO Generates Traffic With A High Rate Of Conversion
As we stated before, SEO involves research. It is a highly-targeted process right down to the last details.
Through keyword analysis, SEO can determine the size of a market and the population of consumers that are searching for that exact keyword.
By successfully identifying intent, addressing the needs, concerns and issues pre-occupying your target audience, you will be able to build trust and establish a reputable image that your business is the most qualified.
This translates to a higher rate of visitor-to-sales conversion for your website.
SEO Takes Advantage Of Weak Competition
With SEO growing so popular over the last few years, it’s hard to find a business that has not integrated it into its marketing and promotional strategy. But not all companies use SEO, and those that do may not be utilizing it correctly.
Some companies are still using traditional marketing systems, which have become outdated simply because they’re too broad in scope. Their messages become greatly dispersed and filtered in a market which may not even show interest in their product or service.
Business-owners need to understand that SEO is a specialization that needs to be tweaked in order to work for your own business specifically. This is not something that can be learned over-night and applied successfully. Using the same analogy that you would when building a website, having your SEO integrated by a professional will yield better results.
In a study conducted by Ipsos OTX, it revealed that 71% of 5,000 smart phone users searched for an item simply because they saw an advertisement online. A properly designed SEO strategy can position your business to bring in traffic from these search results.
SEO Continually Evolves For Greater Opportunity
The best aspect about SEO is that it is a dynamic process; it evolves just as markets evolve.
While the techniques and methodologies may hardly undergo change, it’s application will evolve to conform to the demands and the will of the market.
What makes SEO work is that it respects the market and acknowledges it’s uncertainty and unpredictability.
Markets are composed of human beings who are prone to emotion and subject to factors that give off different levels of influence. Tastes, preferences and demand patterns will always be subject to change.
In the same context, your website and online marketing mix must also remain dynamic. These can never remain the same within the ever-changing, ever-evolving virtual world of the Internet. SEO, which is highly measurable, can be assessed, evaluated and revised to reflect shifts in the market.
As the world continues to increase the possibilities and capabilities of the Internet, the value and significance of SEO will also continue to increase.
We understand that running a business can be extremely time consuming on it’s own. So how do you successfully grow your business and keep up with the ever-changing demands of the internet at the same time?
Here at Projects Made Simple, we have a group of knowledgeable experts who are ready to take your SEO head-on and integrate solutions that will not only bring your services up higher in search results, but to a targeted audience that is genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
If you’re ready for more customers to discover your business within the vast world of the internet, contact us today!
