Small businesses should be focused on implementing marketing strategies that will increase brand awareness and revenue. But, many small businesses make the mistake of thinking they won’t be able to do much marketing because of their limited budgets. Fortunately, businesses of all sizes can benefit from SEO, which just so happens to be the most cost-effective type of marketing. Here are some of the reasons why your small business should be investing in SEO:
- Stay Competitive
Chances are your competitors are already implementing effective SEO strategies. What does this mean for you? When your potential customers search for keywords that are relevant to your business, they will find your competitors, not you. If you choose not to work on SEO, you’re practically waving the white flag to your competitors and allowing them to take a large share of the market that is still up for grabs. - Reach the Right Customers
You never know what customers you will reach when you pay for a billboard or an ad on TV. But, there’s no guessing when it comes to SEO. The people that perform search queries using the words that you are targeting are obviously very interested in finding a business like yours. For example, someone who types “voice lessons in Chicago” into Google is clearly looking for a voice instructor. If you are a voice instructor, you can create a SEO strategy around these keywords to reach users that are very likely to become customers - Long-Lasting Effects
The effects of an email marketing or TV advertising campaign may be short-lived. You may stop getting new traffic to your website and sales may slow down the moment that the campaign is over. It may take some time for SEO to be effective, but the results will last much longer. The effort that you make to create content and optimize your website will continue to pay off and help you reach new customers and generate sales. - Brand Awareness
Even if you show up on the top of someone’s search results, there’s no guarantee that he will click through to your website. But, your brand’s presence alone may be enough to increase brand awareness. A customer who glances at your link will associate your brand name with the search that he just made. You may not always be able to convert the customers that are searching for keywords relevant to your business, but you can still make them aware of who you are. If they’re not happy with one of your competitors, they may remember seeing your name and give your business a try.Now that you know the benefits, you may be wondering which SEO tactic to try first. The key to an effective SEO strategy is creating valuable content for your website. Begin to consistently create informative content using relevant keywords. Get in the habit of writing 1-2 blogs a week and sharing them with your audience on social media. This isn’t the only SEO tactic that you should try, but this is a great place to start if you want to improve your ranking.
