A solid SEO (search engine optimization) campaign is the foundation of a strong marketing plan. It’s easy to think of SEO as necessary for large companies, both the online and the actual storefront varieties. But it’s equally important, if not more so, for small businesses. That’s because a small firm has fewer dollars to go around when it comes to investing in a marketing campaign. A system, such as SEO, can build momentum, and therefore further a company’s ROI (return on investment).
SEO originated as simply to mean capitalizing on the results of a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo. But today, SEO encompasses so much more, including:
- Website essentials
- Content
- Blogging
- On-page optimization
- Titles and meta descriptions
- Industry best practices
- Authority and credibility
- Reviews and testimonials
It’s important to realize that SEO is not a static event. You can’t simply set up your parameters and wait patiently for results. It requires tweaking often, especially in fast-moving industries. While you know your industry best, it might make the most sense to hire a professional SEO services firm to handle positioning your business. And there’s no shame in that. You aren’t expected to know everything about your industry AND also know everything about marketing it.
Small business owners are pulled in a million directions, and half of them are keeping you from making a profit. Even with a strong grasp of SEO, there are always ways to improve it. Click here for some suggestions.
Brand recognition is the main goal of a successful SEO operation. When potential customers recognize your business without having done business with you yet, that’s a win. It means they have developed a certain level of trust in seeing your name, logo, tagline, blogs, Q&A’s, reviews, and local involvement. And when you turn up in their search results, that tug of familiarity means they will choose you.
Speaking of search results, the Search Engine Journal has reported that Google is expected to bring in 80 percent of net search ad revenue in the U.S. this year. That statistic should be motivator enough to ensure that your SEO dollars are pointing your customers to you. Instead of letting it intimidate you as a small business owner, think of it as a tool to leverage against the much larger competition. On the web, every company starts with a single page and a single click, no matter the size of the investment behind them.
Recent Comments