Too few business owners recognize the vital role that SEO plays in the success of their business. Its significance extends much further than simply generating traffic to your company’s website. Good SEO will function to grow your consumer base by increasing the visibility and accessibility of your products and services. Here is some critical information you must know about the role of SEO in the viability of your small business.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the application of many different techniques to ultimately improve your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Why does this matter? Better ranking in SERPs will drastically improve your website’s – and, therefore, your business’s – visibility to those looking for services and products in your industry.
The Importance of SEO for Small Businesses
In recent years, local SEO has become one of the most important tools small businesses use to grow their consumer base and increase their revenue. (“Local” SEO is simply the application of SEO techniques for your local area, as opposed to the entire country or world.) When done right, it can significantly improve conversion rates on your business’s website. This means that you’ll not only improve the frequency with which people visit your website but how often those web visits turn into sales.
When it comes to web surfing behavior, the use of popular search engines – Google, being the prominent example – is largely driven by users’ need to identify locally available products and services. An astounding 97% of users first do their research online when looking for further information on local businesses. More than half of them – 54% - conduct these searches at least once monthly, and 78% of these searches will result in an offline purchase. This means that even those businesses that are not operated exclusively online will experience the benefits of high-quality SEO.
Apart from the clear marketing benefits SEO offers, it will also drastically improve your customer experience. A strong performance on popular search engines (Google, Bing, Baidu, and Yahoo) will serve to establish the authority of your business in the industry, thereby increasing rapport with your consumer base. This is accomplished by drawing in organic traffic and keeping visitors on your platform using elements such as:
· Backlinks (aka inbound links)
· Thoroughly researched, high-value keywords
· Optimized web content
· High-quality user experience
Integrating SEO into your small business’s website is a game-changer, and will undoubtedly increase your profitability. Surveys have shown that, after searching for their desired products and services online, 88% of consumers will interact with a local business within only 24 hours. The only way to take advantage of these stats is by partnering with SEO experts.
Our goal at Bird Dog Development is to help small businesses thrive. We understand just how critical it is to incorporate SEO tools and techniques into your company website, so we are committed to getting this job done right for you. When you partner with Bird Dog Development, we’ll develop an SEO strategy that is unique to your business and industry, ensuring the best possible results for your business’s profitability and customer relationships. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how SEO can benefit your small business.