In today’s business climate, search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for startups and small businesses. Startups need to leverage the online world in order to get their business noticed and small business need SEO in order to compete with larger companies and to gain local clients’ attention.
Brand new websites, and websites that have never been optimized, don’t stand a chance with their competitors online. Each of these types of websites are practically non-existent to search engines, and the glue that holds it all together: searchers.
So, I’ll say it again: SEO is Crucial for Startups and Small Businesses.
If you don’t actively compete, or rise above your competitors in search, you are losing out on business.
Think about it for a second, how many times have you gone onto the 5th page of Google to find what you were looking for? I’m guessing never. Chances are, you went with something on the first page, and even more likely that it was within one of the top five organic (non-paid) search results. It’s only natural. Us humans have short attention spans and Google knows it. We want what we want, and we want it now, why would we go on the 5th page of Google to get it? That’s why Google does its absolute best to provide the most relevant content to it’s searchers and constantly works to improve as time goes on.
Evidence of my convictions are highlighted in this informational post containing research done by Econsultancy. This post contains stats you might not know about user search behavior, and you may be surprised at how we use search as internet users. The study highlighted that 83% of people use search engines to find specific products or brands.The conclusions of the study show that people tend to trust (and click) on the natural, non-paid search results more than paid search results when conducting their searches.
So, what are some questions to ask yourself as you to begin your SEO journey? Start by analyzing your website and your competitors websites.
- What keywords should I target?
- How competitive/relevant are these keywords?
- What keywords are my competitors targeting?
- Have I submitted my business to any local directories?
- Do I have enough good content on my site in order for search engines to find it relevant?
- How many links does my website have and how can I gain more?
- How can I use social media to drive traffic to my website?
It always helps to have a local SEO Consultant to help you with your search strategies rather than taking a shot in the dark and hoping it works. Actually, if you follow they key points I highlighted above, then you’re at a good starting point, but website conent and links aren’t everything. There are plenty of technical things that can hinder your website’s ability to rank high in the search engines, such as “404 – page not found” errors, or usability issues, which is why it is good to have an experienced SEO professional work with you on your search marketing strategies.
What I want you to take most of out of this post is that today’s consumers are changing. The way we use the internet is constantly changing, and internet, mobile, and technology in general, are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and more frequently used than ever before. That is why it is so crucial that you understand the great value search marketing can bring to your business. Search marketing is especially crucial for start ups and small businesses who don’t have a big name and large empire like Coke or Pepsi, that have giant sums of promotional dollars, to rely on brand recognition as a marketing tool.
Questions? Comments? Please leave one below!