Is search engine optimization (SEO) important for small businesses? Yes, it is!
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Dana Newell

President and CEO, BentonNewell Communication

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is Important

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for small businesses is becoming vital to surviving in today’s internet market. More small businesses rely on the internet to promote their products and services. So it’s no surprise that some of them wonder, “How much should I invest in search engine optimization?” While everyone wants to rank at the top of Google searches because they think this guarantees more leads or sales, it’s not the case all the time. The key is to work more imaginatively, not more complexly, knowing what you’re doing and having a plan B (and a plan C).

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SEO is about finding you!

SEO is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via “natural” (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results for targeted keywords. Typically, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, the higher it “ranks,” and the more searchers will visit it. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for as an Internet marketing strategy. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML coding to increase its relevance to specific keywords and remove barriers to search engines’ indexing activities.

Small businesses frequently struggle with their Internet marketing strategies because they don’t have sufficient budgets for paid advertising like Google AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing. This leaves website owners with only one option — try to get better rankings using natural (free) listings at Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. This can be not easy if you don’t have the SEO knowledge required. SEO is essential for small businesses because over 90% of all searches are done through Google. Organic results are the ones that appear naturally in response to a search term and are not paid for, like paid advertising.

SEO helps your business get traffic from search engines by appearing high up in search results for terms related to your business. For small businesses, this is important as you are competing against much larger companies with substantial marketing budgets just to be seen on the first page of Google!

You may think that your business is too small or doesn’t need SEO. Still, almost every business can benefit from SEO – it’s not just about getting more web traffic, but about relevant and targeted web traffic that will convert! SEO is vital for small businesses.

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Here are our six reasons for all small businesses to consider. They include:

1. The majority of searchers only click on the top 3 results

2. Local SEO is essential for small businesses

3. Blogging allows you to optimize your website for key terms

4. Most people still use search engines to find answers to their questions

5. Google owns YouTube, the second largest search engine in the world

6. Small businesses have an advantage over large sites thanks to structured data and schema markup

Need more reasons:

  1. Update your content consistently- this means either writing evergreen content or pulling out that year-old blog and refreshing it with new information.
  2. What is your audience searching for on your site? Make it easy for them to find what they are searching for on your site.
  3. Review your keywords and put in new ones to drive more traffic to your site
  4. Don’t forget; to track your performance. Look to see where your audience is coming from, what devices they are using, and what pages are most popular.
  5. Although not easy, Google looks for EAT (expertise, authority, and trust). Like this post, make sure it’s well-written, timely, and informative for your audience.

Are You Ready to Get Your SEO ON?

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In conclusion, optimizing your website with the right SEO principles will only help your small business grow. As search engine algorithms evolve and their role in today’s digital world becomes more important, small businesses need to be aware of best practices for searching and spend time developing a targeted website. SEO is not a one-way ticket to traffic heaven and instant success. Successful search engine optimization combines art, labor, and science. You need to understand the nuances, details, and techniques to build an effective SEO strategy to get your target audience to your website. Therefore, that might take the right expert to get you there.

#SEO, #SEO Ranking, #SEO Checklist, #SEO Consultant, #Search Engine Optimization (SEO), #Google Algorithm Update, #Small Business SEO Tips for Local Businesses

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