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Is SEO Important for Small Business?

Is SEO Optimization Important for a Small Business?

Search Engine Optimization, SEO, has become a way of life for businesses advertising on the Internet. Backlinking, pay-per-click advertising, and on-site content modifications are just some examples of SEO. These techniques can help increase your website’s page rank to obtain a first-page organic placement.

But why does SEO work and how will it drive more customers to your business?

Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing each have algorithms to determine whose websites appear on what page. The more links your website shares with other high-ranking websites, the higher your website appears in the search results. In other words, your website rank decides what page it will show up on. SEO optimization is the art and science of making a website friendly to both users and search engines.

Did you know that 95% of Google search users do not go past the first page of search results? SEO optimization helps to direct traffic to your website by helping improve your ranking. This improves your visibility and the likelihood that a potential customer will click on your link! The higher your business’s ranking in organic search increases your chances website traffic.

What about local businesses?

The Internet is an international tool. Competing with global entities can be extremely difficult for a small business. Local SEO helps to focus your resources on the people most likely to do business with you. Local directories and social media advertising like Facebook Pages and Google for Business all contribute to your business’s online presence. This is in relation to other local businesses and organizations in your area.

Digital media options are quickly replacing traditional local business advertising methods. Newspaper readership has seen a sharp decline for over a decade. Internet advertising is expected to overtake TV advertising as early as 2017. Even word-of-mouth recommendations are increasingly being shared through social media and other online media. Meanwhile, half of all small businesses do not have a website. Also, only about 20% of businesses worldwide have claimed their (free!) Google Business page. If your business is not on the web, now is the time to create a website.

Reviews in the age of Yelp

Many small business owners are wary of review sites like Yelp, and often for good reason. There are plenty of horror stories about damaged reputations and loss of business due to poor reviews and smear campaigns.

However, the power of good, authentic, and recent reviews cannot be understated for helping drive new customers to your business. More than 90% of consumers read online reviews for businesses they visit, and almost a third do so regularly. These review-reading customers often want to see at least 5 or 6 reviews.

If your business reviews are positive and authentic, 7 of 10 consumers will have greater trust in your company. More than half will be more likely to select your business over a competitor with fewer/lower-rated reviews. Even with the increase in pay-for-review schemes, users still trust other customers’ reviews.

Moving Forward

Technology trends are clear. Users are increasingly using mobiles in their day-to-day lives. Two-thirds of Americans are smartphone users, and almost 10% of Americans use a smartphone to access the Internet. Especially for this smartphone-bound population, mobile-optimized websites play a significant role in helping a consumer make business decisions. More than 60% of online consumers report that they are more likely to contact businesses with mobile-optimized websites.

Although most users are still using desktops, the convenience of smartphones and tablets are starting to overcome user’s initial aversions towards online shopping. Some businesses may even find that mobile accessibility increases their online sales.  Intangible products such as event tickets and downloadable games appear to perform better in the mobile market.

Getting Started

For most small business owners, creating and operating a website is time-consuming and challenging. Add in search engine optimization and maintenance of those optimizing strategies, and keeping up with your website can become overwhelming. Wouldn’t you prefer to keep your payroll low and your stress levels lower? NuStream Marketing can help you optimize your content.

NuStream Marketing leads in local SEO and website design for small-to-medium sized businesses. We offer a variety of services to meet your needs and to help grow your business. In conclusion, contact us with information about your website needs so we can start on your personalized solution today!

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