Does SEO Matter for Your Local Business’s Website?
By Hibu |
Owning and operating a small business is no small feat. There are a lot of key decisions you must make every day to ensure your business can stand out from the competition and develop a reliable customer base.
One decision that can have a significant impact on your business’s ability to evolve is whether to implement SEO marketing strategies for your business’s website. These strategies include creating backlinks on sites that will help redirect online traffic to your website and including keywords on your website that will help people find your information. These are not easy things to do, and because of that, many small businesses are losing out on the business-building power of SEO.
According to a survey conducted by The Manifest, an online resource dedicated to business-related content, only 49% of small businesses in the United States have invested in SEO, which means utilizing these strategies for your business can give it a competitive edge.
If your local business has a website or utilizes an online sales platform, SEO is an essential part of increasing your sales and catching consumer attention. Let’s take a closer look at why SEO matters for your business’s website and why it’s important to adopt these strategies.
The Importance of Online Sales and Searches
Today, having the ability to draw consumers to your website is essential, no matter what industry you’re in. Understanding where this process begins can help you understand the benefits of utilizing SEO strategies for your business.
For many of these consumers looking to make purchases online, the process begins with a search engine, like Google Bing, or Yahoo! According to LinkedIn, nearly 93% of all online experiences start with a search engine. Appearing in search engine results may allow your website to gain traffic and lead to improved brand awareness.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
When you develop SEO strategies for your website, your business will be better able to gain traction in organic search results. With simple and precise changes, your site may be able to appear in a variety of searches and to a wider audience. This growth in your online presence can quickly put your business at the forefront of conversations and leave a lasting impression.
Many small businesses that have hired partners to implement these strategies have seen success with these kinds of changes. According to a 2023 Gitnux report, around 82% of business owners who’ve implemented SEO strategies have reported that their SEO efforts were nearly six times more effective than paid search advertising strategies.
Your Products’ Online Presence
Sales are not the only part of your business that online searches may impact. Consumers’ perceptions of your products and brand can also significantly impact your ability to grow.
According to NerdWallet, approximately 60% of consumers will research a product using an online search engine. What’s more, 45% of consumers looking to make purchases at a business’s brick-and-mortar location will read online reviews before deciding whether to go through with the purchase.
When consumers are unable to find your product or your brand, it can have a detrimental effect on sales. Additionally, if your online reviews are scant, the customer may choose to take their business elsewhere.
After developing effective SEO strategies with a digital marketing solutions partner, highlighting the positive consumer perceptions of your products can help push people to make the purchase. Consumers will be able to find your site and learn more about the product with ease. This will leave them with a positive impression of your business which may even lead them to leave a positive review of their own and become a returning customer. This helps to facilitate a positive change for your business that it would fail to obtain with the traditional marketing and word-of-mouth strategies of the past.
If you want to improve organic web traffic for your site, and if you’re like most small business owners, you’ll want to find a dependable digital marketing partner. Since you may not be up to date on all the latest SEO developments, or have the time to implement them, attempting to handle the work yourself or in-house could lead to some serious and potentially expensive missteps and hinder your business’s ability to grow online.
Partnering with a company that focuses on these new strategies will enable you to exceed your goals and highlight what makes your brand unquestionably different from the competition.
When working with Hibu, or any digital marketing partner, be sure to communicate the specific goals you have for your business’s website so our experts can tailor their work to meet them. This will provide your business with the greatest opportunity for success.
Work With SEO Experts at Hibu
If you own a small local business, SEO can help you grow. Your business will be able to gain a positive reputation and build a much larger consumer base than it would have if you focused your efforts solely on your physical location or your local community. For the best results, you'll want to work with a partner like Hibu, who strives to stay on top of the ever-changing landscape of SEO and puts in the effort to fulfill your desires for your business. To learn more, contact us today at (877) 237-6120 or request your no-obligation consultation.
