Why Small Businesses Need Professional SEO Services

Search engine optimization is a must for businesses today — whether you're a solopreneur, an SMB looking to hack a growth strategy, or a corporate enterprise, professional SEO services can help you connect your brand, company, or products with the right searchers.

Yet, many small businesses aren't investing in SEO strategies now and don't have plans to do so in the future. Find out why small businesses of all types need SEO below and learn how many SMBs are investing in SEO.

How many small businesses have an SEO strategy?

A poll conducted by UpCity asked businesses about their SEO strategy. It found that only around 44 percent of businesses were currently implementing search engine optimization strategies. Another third of those polled said they had plans to implement SEO efforts at some point during 2022, but around one in five businesses said they didn't have an SEO strategy and didn't have any intention of creating one.

Benefits of SEO for SMBs

Search engine optimization is a cost-effective strategy that can provide many benefits for small and mid-sized businesses. Some important benefits of SEO are summarized below.

Helps Potential Customers and Clients Find You

Almost 60 percent of consumers say they purchase at least one thing online every week, and Google notes that more than 55 percent of in-store shoppers turn to their mobile devices to compare prices and shop online even when they're in stores.

The takeaway here is that whether they're researching services or looking to buy products immediately, consumers often start their purchasing journeys online. Even those that consider other resources are highly likely to consult Google or other search engines before they make a final decision. If your business isn't showing up in search results for relevant queries, you're missing out on an opportunity to connect with these potential customers and clients and make a sale.

Builds Trust and Authority

Most online searchers are at least somewhat aware of how Google works. They may not know the ins and outs of core web vitals, but they realize that Google tries hard to find the most relevant, valuable links in response to a search query. To that end, when your site shows up on the first page of Google search results, it can create an automatic signal to the searcher that the link is trustworthy and potentially valuable. Search engine optimization efforts that help you perform well in the search engine page results can help you, your company, or your brand be perceived as trustworthy and an authority in your niche.

Creates Brand Awareness

If your page shows up regularly for relevant searches, people are more likely to remember your site and business. That creates brand awareness, ensuring consumers think about your products or services if a need arises later. Then, if they return to the search engine before making a purchase, they may search for your business or product names instead of a general keyword related to their needs. Brand awareness that leads consumers back to your website in this manner helps you increase the chance of conversion in the long term.

Why don't some small businesses invest in SEO?

With such benefits, why would more than 20 percent of SMBs say they don't intend to invest in SEO? Most of the time, it comes down to a myth or misunderstanding.

SEO Isn't Necessary for My Business

Some small business owners think SEO only matters if you're selling goods or services online. However, there are huge SEO benefits for local service companies and others that aren't in eCommerce. For example, when someone wants to hire a plumber or lawyer, find a new dentist or doctor, or locate an art studio near them, they often begin their search online. From daycares to funeral homes, local businesses of all types should invest in SEO so they can be found by the consumers that need them.

SEO Is Too Competitive for It to Work for My Business

In many cases, SMBs don't invest in SEO because they think the search engines are saturated and efforts to improve their rankings won't actually make any difference. While you may not be able to take top Google spots away from large competitors, it is possible to rank well for niche and local keywords. And since Google is always crawling the web, taking in new data, and making changes to rankings, it's never too late to enter the SEO game.

My Business Can't Afford SEO

SEO is actually one of the most cost-effective and flexible digital marketing channels you can invest in. You can start working on SEO with a small budget and build from there, and you can also focus your efforts on what works well for your business when you discover it. This type of data-backed, focused approach can let you achieve strong results without a huge digital marketing budget.

It Takes Too Much Expertise to Engage in SEO

While it's true that SEO is a technical concept that does require some knowledge and skill, you don't have to become an SEO guru before you can engage in search engine optimization for your business. Learning just a little about keywords and content marketing can help you create blog posts and landing pages that perform better, for example. Since SEO is a long-term strategy, you also have time to add to your skills and knowledge as you go. Consider working to incorporate one type of SEO tool or skill each month or quarter as you work up to a comprehensive SEO strategy.

If you don't have time to work on SEO skills internally or you want an approach that scales up faster, you can also work with an SEO marketing agency. Outsourcing some of the search engine optimization processes helps you leverage the expertise of others while keeping your marketing budget under control.

What types of SEO efforts are popular with small businesses?

If you plan to take a slow approach to investing in SEO next year, it's important to understand what strategies are working for competitors. Here's a look at some of the most critical SEO efforts for small businesses:

• Keyword research

More than 40 percent of businesses in the UpCity survey said keyword research was the most important SEO tactic for success. Taking time to understand the search intent of your audience and what keywords you can and should rank for creates a solid foundation for future SEO performance. It's also important to realize that keyword trends change, so small businesses should conduct such research regularly and make changes as needed to content.

• Technical SEO

Technical SEO refers to web development and technical tasks that can boost page performance in search engines. Around 40 percent of respondents in the UpCity survey cited technical SEO as a top priority. Including keywords in alt image tags, coding content with schema to help point search engine bots in the right direction, and ensuring fast page load times are just some technical SEO elements. Google considers the entire experience that a user might have on your page when ranking it, which means you need to consider that experience too. It's also critical to ensure pages are optimized for mobile, as Google won't rank new pages that aren't.

• Local SEO

It can be difficult to compete with major sites for high-level national or global keywords. A small floral business based in Youngsville, Louisiana, may find it impossible to rank for "flower arrangements." Instead, they may target keywords such as "flower deliveries in Youngsville" instead. Local SEO provides a way to narrow down your digital marketing approach to target the people most likely to become your customers with a higher level of success. Just over 35 percent of businesses in the UpCity survey said that local SEO was a priority for them. Whether or not local SEO should be a priority for your business obviously depends on what goods and services you provide and who you provide them to.

Other priorities noted by businesses that planned to engage in SEO in recent years included social media marketing, data analytics, and a variety of content creation efforts.

Get Started with SEO for Your Small Business Today

Whether you're already working on SEO strategies for your small business or don't know where to start, consulting with Alpharetta SEO experts can help. Contact ClickReady today to find out how our team can help with SEO, social media marketing, and other digital marketing strategies for years to come.

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