Understanding the Importance of SEO for Small Businesses
SEO is important for greater searchability and visibility, but it extends so much further than just that. Most small business owners don’t even realize the true importance of SEO for small businesses and how much of an impact it can have in growing their business.
12 Points That Show the Importance of SEO for Small Businesses
1. Organic Search is Most Often the Primary Source of Website Traffic
Organic website traffic plays a huge role in most businesses’ website performance, as well as makes up a critical component of the buyer funnel for users online. In fact, over 75% of all website traffic is made up of organic searches online.
2. SEO Builds Trust & Credibility With Your Customers
The goal of a website is to establish trust, credibility, and a strong connection with your customer. SEO offers first-time visitors to your website with an experience that is valuable and trustworthy.
3. Good SEO Also Means a Better User Experience
Search engines like Google have learned how users online interpret a favorable versus an unfavorable experience online. Quality SEO incorporates a positive user experience, making sure that it works in favor of the small business owner.
4. Local SEO Means Increased Engagement, Traffic, & Conversions
As mobile traffic and searches continue to rise it is important that small business owners take advantage of their Local SEO traffic. By optimizing for specific towns, cities, regions, and sometimes states, small business owners have a chance to connect with a large number of customers in their backyard.
5. SEO Impacts the Buying Cycle
Customers research online, it’s just a given. Using SEO tactics that place your business in the moments that matter most online, is a worthy way to build a connection with customers online.
6. SEO Best Practices Are Always Being Updated
The way searches evolve is ever-changing. Being proactive and monitoring your SEO strategy for major algorithm changes is always going to be beneficial.
7. Understanding SEO Helps You Understand the Environment of the Web
By staying on top of your SEO strategy and knowing the environment of the web you will help to grow your business online. Make sure to always monitor your competitors and see what they are doing well.
8. SEO Is Relatively Cheap
Sure it costs money, but all things that are valuable do right? But in the grand scheme of things SEO is relatively cheap and has the largest payoff in the end. SEO done right will last a long time, and will only get better with the more attention you give it.
9. SEO Is a Long-Term Strategy
SEO can and should have a noticeable impact within the 1st year of the campaign being implemented. The more time and effort you put into your SEO strategy the better and longer it will stand on its own.
10. SEO Is Quantifiable
While not as direct as something like Google Adwords, SEO does aim at making improvements online and it is quantifiable. Small business owners that know where they were, where they are now, and where they are going in terms of SEO have a much better chance of long-term success.
11. SEO Brings New Opportunities to Light
High-quality SEO will always find a way of discovering and leveraging new opportunities for small business owners. By showing up in search results, search engines will start to place your business in similar style searches which opens the door to connect with new customers.
12. If Your Not on Page 1, Your Not Winning Online
A recent study shows that the first 3 organic search rankings result in nearly 40% of all click-throughs, while close to 92% of all clicks are from the 1st page of search results. So if you are not on the 1st page of Google, you need to be.
Conclusion: The Importance of SEO for Small Businesses
Every small business owner needs to understand the importance of SEO for small businesses. By implementing strong, quality SEO on your website you will always see a benefit. SEO is critical for your success in today’s mobile-first world, and will only increase and grow over time. Make sure to take the time to invest in a small business SEO strategy that will generate results.