The innovation of modern technology has made our lives more convenient. The notion is seemingly true for those who utilize it as a helping-hand rather than a mode for climbing the social ladder. While many large businesses are taking advantage from benefits offered by SEO, entrepreneurs have also come to realize how it can help expand their business and stay competitive at the same time. But exactly how search engine optimization can add value to small scale businesses?
An Organized Website through Content Generation
In 2012, Google’s revenue coming from ads amounted to $50.2 billion. Search engines like Google will no longer accept manipulating information like fake reviews and forged profiles. The big ‘G’ will never compromise on the trust which it has gained from millions of people around the world. Therefore, it evaluates business on the basis of their originality of content, relevance of information, and quality of offers. Only those who meet these standards are worthy of being a part of their search results. This is where the experts play their role in keeping your business on top.
Connoisseurs suggest that SEO is never about pushing the keywords; it has more to do with the right placement of keywords according to the complex system of search engine ranks. The search engine listing is greatly influenced by the quality of content and relevance of information to the product. Today’s customer likes to learn more about the features, benefits, and uses of the product before purchasing it. Search Engine Optimization experts can help in keeping your website updated with pertinent information to grab customer attention. This also lets small businesses communicate a clear cut point of different or point of parity, thus positioning the product perfectly.
Advertise on the Competitor’s Platform
SEO allows small businesses to advertise on the same platform as their competitor’s, thus targeting the same audience. According to a representative from Google, ‘97% of customers search online for the local products and offers. If they can’t find on the first page, they’ll probably go to your competition.’ This suggests how critical it is to be present at the same place as your competitor’s. The size of your business does not matter anymore, if you are there with a great offer, the customer is yours!
Increase Web Traffic through more Targeted Marketing
Through customized SEO reports, experts can help you increase website traffic and direct more specific targeted groups to the site. Small businesses together makeup a large part of country’s total production. SEO experts can help these companies to be more visible on search engines and target the customers at the right place and right time. When you’re producing a product for a particular market segment, it is necessary to target the real audience.
To put this into contrast, let’s have a look at the statistics. According to E-Strategy Trends, 95% of small business owners consider social media marketing as the most effective marketing strategy, right after email marketing (another form of online marketing).
This can be explained due to the higher customer engagement as a result of these blogs as customers can provide feedback to the companies that they follow.
Save Money with Online Marketing
SEO can significantly reduce the heavy amounts which are spent on marketing and advertising. Instead of placing advertisements on television or a newspaper, businesses can spread the word with the help of Internet. When it comes to maximizing profits, even a minute reduction in cost can make a big difference. When a small business is competing with a large one, there is an obvious need to spend more on advertising. But with Search Engine Optimization, businesses can advertise even with a limited cash flow.
There’s also the fact that email marketing has become the dominant form of advertising in today’s age, surpassing previous mainstream medium such as direct mail and billboard ads. This is mainly due to mailing services offering online marketing service and clientele lists for a minimal budget.
Tip: The most effective marketing technique is to segment your target market according to location and interests, as it can significantly boost the email open rate along with reducing your advertising expense.
Branding through Citations
A citation refers to your company’s name and address that might be published on any website. It can have a dramatic impact on your search rankings because it verifies the legitimacy of your website and business. Not paying enough attention to NAP (Name, Address, and Place) can have a negative impact on your search rankings. If it is not consistent over a range of links, it suggests that your physical location is forged.
Search engines require your business’s contact information to be legitimate and valid because all location based searches are dependent on the address provided. Remember that you might lose a valuable customer if your contact information in not provided or wrongly provided in a link. Consider this - Google is the world’s leading search engine, with approximately 67% of total market share. In 2013, the number of Google searches exceeded 1.2 trillion. Right NAP can get you exposure to such a large audience.
Social Media Marketing
The key to the success of SEO is to incorporate social media in your overall strategy. Many people believe that social networking websites are just meant to socially stay active. However, it’s much more than that! With billions of users, these forums provide an opportunity for business to gain loyal followers and fans.
Search engines place social content on top. Positive reviews on your profile can convince new customers to purchase your product. The media content on these websites can help you tap new markets and target a diversified range of customers. Design promotional activities to encourage people to write ‘positive’ reviews about your business processes, products, and practices. If you fail to do that, negative comments will scare off potential customers which can cause you immense losses. The key is to be there before your competitor!
Due to the evolving social media settings, it often requires a professional to help plan tactics and strategies to make the most out of social media benefits.
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