It’s called SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. Basically, employing SEO for your website makes it easier for people to stumble across your business while on the internet. Simply put, websites with high SEO are more likely to show up on the first page of a Google search, and that means it is more likely to be noticed by potential customers.
This is achieved by using tools and words that are very commonly searched, such as popular keywords that are often searched by users. That’s just a basic example, but the detailed use of SEO is another topic for another time. Right now, we’re going to talk about how SEO services can benefit your local business, and thus, why you should seriously consider it.
SEO Increases Online Presence
We mentioned this above already, so we’ll keep this one brief. In short, employing SEO services makes it more likely for your local business website to show up on the first page of online searches. According to studies, more than 90% of all clicks from online searches are on the first page of search results.
In other words, if your local business isn’t on the first page of an online search, very, very few potential customers are even going to learn that you exist. This alone is the number one reason to employ SEO services.
SEO Services Increase the Quality of Your Website
SEO isn’t just about filling your website with keywords. It’s also about creating a website that is easy to navigate and use for visitors. Using a service like Google Analytics, you can see a number of useful statistics regarding your site, such as how many visitors it gets, how long they spend on each page, and how many visitors leave immediately.
SEO services take these stats into account and use them to determine where a site needs improvement, as well as to determine what aspects of it are already working. This allows for the implementation of a better website for your local business.
Naturally, a better website means greater visitor retention, which means a higher chance of converting those visitors into customers.
SEO Optimization Gives Your Business a Competitive Edge
Imagine that there are two businesses for the same service in a town. One of those businesses has plenty of advertisements: billboards, commercials, you name it. The other one has no advertisement at all. Naturally, the first business gets a lot more customers and a lot more profit.
With most people learning about a place of business via the internet these days, this situation is kind of what it’s like when you have a local business that is SEO optimized, versus one that isn’t. There’s only so many customers to go around, and there are many businesses competing for their attention. SEO optimization ensures you have a higher chance of securing customers compared to businesses without it.
SEO Optimization Allows Specific Customer Targeting
Most people ignore commercials. That’s because those commercials tend to come on when they aren’t interested in the product being sold. If someone wasn’t in need of toilet paper in the first place, a toilet paper commercial isn’t going to make them buy some.
SEO isn’t like that, though, because it’s an advertisement for something a customer is specifically looking for. If you are a Thai restaurant with good SEO, then your business appears on web searches specifically when people are looking for Thai restaurants. This means your advertising is much more effective because it’s targeting people that are already interested in your product or services.
Ultimately, this means SEO is not only more effective but much cheaper than traditional advertising. And on that note…
SEO is an Affordable and Effective Long Term Advertisement Tool
Paying for a commercial slot or a billboard is expensive, not particularly effective, and doesn’t advertise for your business for very long. SEO, on the other hand, is affordable, and more importantly, a consistent draw for your local business.
A good and ergonomic website will always be a good website for your visitors. Keywords about your business and service will always be relevant and frequently searched. And a strong internet presence will last a lot longer than any attention derived from a commercial or a billboard.
That, as well as all the other reasons we mentioned, is why SEO services can greatly benefit a local business.
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