Importance of SEO for Small Business Owners
Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is a quintessential marketing expense which ensures the visibility of the brand and its ability to get found on search engines. Merely the presence of the company on a digital platform cannot drive traffic and sales. It needs a little push given by SEO to get launched into the cluttered space and find a secure position in the market.
It is imperative in today’s digital age to own responsive websites which are capable of arresting the attention of Smartphone users across the world. If you are not up there in the rankings of search results pages of Google, Yahoo and Bing, then you do not exist for the buyers. From creating awareness to building a reputation and gathering momentum, SEO consistently works towards achieving the long-term goals of a company.
Its power is indisputable as it is the lifeline of small businesses which cannot afford to pay for costly ad campaigns that require bidding. Our SEO consultants at Netvision have collated a list of benefits of using this digital marketing technique for small businesses. Let us take a look at it to understand the significance of the process.
1. Generates Traffic
Driving traffic organically to your website and converting it into loyal customers is the most prominent advantage of SEO. Small businesses experience stiff competition in the commercial arena. Firstly, they need to compete with other small businesses in the market. Secondly, they need to fare well when compared with the big fish in the pool which have enormous resources to penetrate the deeper pockets.
Thirdly, they have to beat the growing population of e-commerce portals which are enticing consumers with slashed prices and huge discounts. Moving past all these and gaining the attention of the consumer is dependent on the support of SEO. Additionally, the traffic brought through organic search is actively looking for your products and services and is highly likely to get converted.
Since Google is the primary search engine across the world, with a 75% hold on the market, it is essential to get ranked highly by the search giant. According to Google, there was 80% growth in the ‘best’ mobile searches in the past two years. With so much dependence on search, the websites ranked higher automatically gain trust and credibility among the buyers.
2. Generates Higher ROI
Similar to search engine marketing, SEO also helps in making higher conversions because your brand shows up when the customer is searching for the products and services you provide. It is considered more trustworthy by the audience as these results are not paid and have been ranked higher by Google.
Once they land on your website, the on-page optimisation helps in securing their trust as they find relevant information on the page. Also, you get detailed reports about your digital performance from your digital marketing agency to know how you have fared after implementing the technique. The additional benefit of SEO is that it is long-term and not limited to a campaign. You can reap the rewards of the SEO investment for years.
3. Analysing Consumer Behaviour
SEO helps in tracking consumers through their purchase life cycle and assess their behaviour with the help of tools like Google Analytics. You can track significant information about the target consumers such as which browser they are using, what key phrases they are typing, where they are located, at what time of the day they are most active on the internet, the amount of time they spend on each of the pages and much more.
It helps you to understand the preferences of your audience and design your messages and content accordingly. You can make informed decisions on the basis of this analysis and identify strategies that are working in your company’s favour and those which are not.
4. Local Engagement
The excessive use of Smartphone for searching local businesses has propelled many small businesses to success. Local SEO is a boon for these companies as people can now find them quickly and effortlessly. It has become possible for brands to target the local community at city level, town level, suburb level, and state level. It is accomplished by introducing local citations and backlinks to the website by the digital marketing expert.
Additionally, local listings in a defined geographical territory allow the advantage of being found when the customer needs something immediately. Being present on Google My Business and social media platforms along with a bunch of positive reviews on Google and other sites like Yelp prove helpful in further strengthening the position of a local business.
According to Google, the “near me” searches have increased by 150% in the past two years without using the phrase as Smartphones automatically show local results for a search. Thus a small business can grab a significant share of the local audience by using SEO smartly.
5. Superlative User Experience
SEO optimises a website to become faster, intuitive, responsive and compatible with all the devices like tablets, mobile phones and desktops. If the user is unhappy with the interface or struggles to find relevant information, he/she will not return. Contrastingly, if they are intrigued by the quality of the website and find valuable content, then they will be highly satisfied.
Google also understands the response of the user to a website and ranks those higher which have generated a favourable reaction from the audience. The search engine itself keeps updating its guidelines to emphasise on improving the quality of content being uploaded on the websites and their relevance.
Also, SEO proves more cost-effective than SEM as the business owner has to spend only on content creation. It allows marketers to catch the buyers at an opportune moment in their purchase making process. The dilemma of SEO Vs SEM is not new, and it depends on the owner to decide what is best of his/her business depending on their goals and budget.
6. Staying Updated
The digital medium is dynamic, and new advancements and changes keep happening now and then. The search engine world is filled with puzzling updates which need a specialised person to keep track of the alterations and optimise the website accordingly.
It ensures that you stay among the top five searches. The SEO experts keep monitoring the web for recent developments and Google algorithm changes to stay ahead of the competition and get highly ranked on the results page.
7. Expanding Reach
SEO helps to enter into new markets and attract more customers using location-specific keywords. It is an excellent tool for creating brand awareness with the help of better rankings in unknown territories. Also, Google is the most widely used search engine, so your brand’s presence on SERP gets you far-fetched popularity and visibility.
If you are shipping your products to farther regions, it can work wonders for your small business by assisting in the expansion. Additionally, RSS feeds and newsletters help in building a loyal customer base.
Conclusion
Search Engine Optimisation is the fundamental requirement for all businesses to improve visibility, traffic, credibility, conversions, and reach. It is critical for small businesses as most of the consumers depend on local searches and customised information. Thus to survive in the ruthless market, SEO is the only tool to shine bright and stay on the top.
