Let’s say your lawnmower broke. No problem, a quick fix is a google search away. Just type in “local appliance repair” in the search bar and you’re good to go. At the top of the page it reads, “About 102,000,000 results (0.65 seconds).” That’s reassuring. A quick browse through the first few links, and you have found a nearby repair shop with reasonable prices. But what about that new startup repair shop that’s even closer, has more competitive prices, offers better service, and appears on the second page of google search results? Never heard of it.
This example is a case study in the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is a broad term that encompasses a variety of practices that improve a website’s visibility to users of search engines and increase the quality and quantity of traffic to that website. SEO is generally classified into two types: off-page and on-page SEO. Off-page SEO is done independently of the website. Paid promotions, social media postings, and getting links in local service listings come under this form of SEO. The go-to online marketing strategies. On-page SEO is more behind the scenes. On-page SEO often requires modifications or additions to the website itself, all for the goal of ranking higher in search results and gaining relevant traffic. This can be done in many ways, including having an on-site blog and decreasing load speed. And this is the type of SEO that is the most often overlooked, yet offers the most potential for making a substantial difference in turnover.
Most marketing teams are no stranger to SEO. In fact, 61% of marketers indicate that improving SEO and search engine ranking is their top priority. On the surface, SEO may seem like a daunting expense, especially for a small business. An investment in SEO must come with the understanding that it is a long-term investment. Sure, it would be nice if your freshly founded business could move to the top of search result rankings and capture those valuable, valuable customers. Understandably, this doesn’t happen overnight. Overtime, as the credibility of a business and optimization of a website increases, it is bound to gain visibility in search results.
So how can a business improve it’s SEO? That’s a great question with a multitude of answers. The right answer depends on the situation of an individual business. A midsize to big business may have the means to afford large upfront costs to improve their SEO. That doesn’t mean small businesses can afford to ignore SEO. To the contrary, SEO is even more crucial to small businesses who need higher search ranking to gain new potential customers and improve their perceived trustworthiness. Let’s be honest: most people are inclined to trust the repair shop that appears at the top of the first page rather than the one at the bottom of the second (if they even go there!). At the same time, it is important to approach SEO in the right way. For instance, it would seem like providing various links and loosely-related content would be a great way to increase visibility. However, Google’s search algorithms account for this, and generally frowns upon such actions. For more information on how to approach SEO, be sure to check out our upcoming article that will address that topic.
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