Small business owners are often willing to try anything and everything to get their business off of the ground. But, they often underestimate the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. In fact, it’s estimated that half of small businesses with an online presence do not engage in SEO. This could be because small business owners aren’t willing to invest the time or money into implementing SEO strategies. It’s true that SEO is a financial commitment, but this investment will pay off if done correctly.
Still not convinced? Here are some of the many reasons why small businesses need to invest in SEO:
Increase Revenue
Your small business will not make any money online if no one visits your website, which is one reason why SEO is so important. SEO strategies increase revenue by driving traffic back to your website. The people that find your website in search results are those that are searching for specific keywords related to your business. This means they are already interested in what you have to offer and likely to convert. Although every user that lands on your website won’t become a customer, the more people that visit your site, the more conversions you will have.
Long-Term Investment
SEO is not a digital marketing fad—it’s here to stay. The way that search engines rank different websites may change, but the fact that you need to appear high in search results to attract customers will remain constant. Therefore, there’s no need to worry that the investment you make in SEO will go to waste. This is a long-term investment that will continue to help your business grow in the future.
Search Habits
Forbes estimates that 80-90% of customers look at online reviews before making a purchase. To find these online reviews, customers turn to search engines such as Google or Bing. This means if you are not investing in SEO, customers who are searching for your brand or your products may not be able to find the information they need to make a purchase decision. Instead, customers may find your competitors who are investing in SEO.
Small vs. Big Businesses
There’s no way for you to outspend a big business on TV or print advertising since big businesses have large budgets. But, SEO levels the playing field. This is one area where small businesses can finally beat big businesses just by implementing the right strategy. It’s possible that you can rank higher than household name brands in your industry just by choosing the right keywords, creating the right content, and optimizing your website.
Brand Awareness
The only way that small businesses can grow is by increasing brand awareness. Fortunately, SEO is one way small businesses can reach new customers and build their brand. Even if a user does not click through to your website, he will still see your name in the search results and associate your brand with whatever keyword he used to perform the search query.
As you can see, there are many reasons why small business owners should be investing in SEO. Small business owners should either hire someone who has a history of SEO success or takes the time to learn about different strategies on their own. Remember, if you are going to invest in SEO, it’s important to do it right.
Nick Rojas is a self-taught, serial entrepreneur who’s enjoyed success working with and consulting for start-ups. Using his journalism training, Nick writes for publications such as Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, and Yahoo. He concentrates on teaching small and medium-sized enterprises how best to manage their social media marketing and define their branding objectives.
