Have you heard that SEO, or search engine optimization, is a must-use strategy for small businesses, but don’t know where to start? You’re not alone. Only 36% of small businesses utilize SEO, but we think that many more should. This is why SEO strategy is baked into our website design packages.
It may seem like a complex digital marketing strategy, however, any business can implement it. If you start small with the basics of SEO, and hire a trusted digital marketing team, then you’ll be set up for success!
Why should you use SEO for your small business?
SEO will help you attract more audience members and customers. It’s a more direct strategy than social media, as it’s highly targeted based on what your customers are searching for on Google.
Utilizing search engine optimization attracts more customers to your business by positioning you as an authority in your niche, increasing your website traffic and catching your customers when they are problem-aware.
Let’s run an experiment. Search your business’s function and location on Google. Example: Orthodontist in West Chicago”. See who pops up (Google ads excluded). That could be you with a great SEO strategy!
You could be the first search result for your future clients when they’re searching for your type of services. You’re catching them when they’re in the “problem-aware” stage of their buying decision, meaning that they know they have a need and are looking for a solution. Bringing them to “solution-aware”, and helping them make the decision to buy from you could be as easy as your business coming up on Google, with them clicking through to your site and liking what they see.
SEO is organic, meaning you don’t have to invest money in Google or social media ads. Organic results are more trustworthy to buyers. According to Search Engine Journal, more than half of all website traffic comes straight from organic (unpaid) search results.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an organic digital marketing strategy that builds your website traffic and customer base by improving your search engine ranking, making you more discoverable.
SEO improves your search engine ranking if you have content on your website that includes keywords that are relevant to your customer’s needs. The keywords aren’t as obvious as you’d think, though. Think about what your ideal clients are searching for.
For example, if you offer wealth management services, creating website content with keywords like “wealth management services” or “trust and estate services” isn’t enough. The more specific the better. Try considering your location and what questions your customer would have. Try something like:
- “Wealth managers in (your town/city).”
- “How to set up a trust fund”
How can you use SEO to market your business?
An SEO strategy is tied into your website and/or content strategy inherently, as keywords are found in the content. When creating content, consider SEO.
If you already have a website start with these steps:
- Research what keywords your competitors are using and what their strategy is – especially your higher-ranking competitors.
- Research your own keywords using free tools like Wordstream
- Audit your website’s SEO. You can manually look for keywords, and use a WordPress plugin that checks other factors for SEO like user experience and site speed.
When we create a strategy for a client, we start here. After the audit and research, implement any changes to your website. You may want to rewrite some of your copy to include keywords, improve the user experience of your website, or increase the speed of your site. If you work with us, we will implement these changes for you.
After you’ve fixed up your website, make sure that any public listings you have, like Google my Business, are updated too. They will all add to your SEO digital footprint.
Your next step would be your content strategy! You could start writing monthly blogs built around specific keywords to add to your site every month. To make sure that our clients rank high for specific search inquiries, we include this in our services!
By investing in us for your digital marketing needs, you will be using SEO and will be more organically visible! If you want to start implementing this effective strategy for your business, schedule a consultation.
Sources:
https://business.yelp.com/grow/why-is-seo-important/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeswigunski/2021/07/06/small-business-seo-ranking-your-business-on-top-of-google/
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/only-36-of-small-businesses-have-an-seo-strategy-in-2019-even-as-people-use-search-engines-to-research-and-purchase-online-1028030689
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-101/seo-statistics/
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