Did you know that there are 30.2 million small businesses in the U.S. alone?
This number is only likely to increase in the coming years.
As a small business owner, you may struggle to get the word out about your company in such a competitive field. What’s more, you may simply lack the financial resources needed to launch massive advertising campaigns.
Luckily, there are plenty of tools at your disposal for boosting your organic visibility. Small business SEO services, in particular, can get you noticed without breaking the bank!
Keep reading to learn more about SEO services and how they can help your business today. Whether you want to learn and implement on your own, or invest in small business SEO packages, this article will get you started in the right direction.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Google processes over 40,000 searches every single second. This equates to over 3.5 billion queries a day!
Businesses everywhere can take advantage of this incredible search traffic with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is a digital marketing strategy that can improve a business’s visibility.
Think about a basic Google search. A user types a keyword into Google that best approximates what they’re looking for.
Examples include “effective remedies for sunburn” or “best restaurants in London.”
Google then ranks websites based off of which ones best match these searches. The better the match, the higher the ranking.
For this reason, most users will stick to the first page of Google results when searching. They will most likely click on one of the top ten listings.
What does this mean? If your web content is appearing in the second or third page of search results, you’re missing out on potential traffic. What’s more, you could be missing out on brand visibility–period.
Enter SEO. This digital marketing tool is available to anyone with a website! And it is ultimately designed to boost your organic visibility by optimizing your content for keywords your customers are likely to enter into Google.
What is Organic Visibility?
Organic visibility refers to how “visible” you are as a brand.
In general, the more visible you are, the better. More customers will notice your brand and–hopefully!–walk through your doors or engage your website to make a purchase.
In fact, that’s what marketing is all about. Most advertising campaigns are designed to get the word out about your brand.
Organic visibility, however, is the best kind of visibility. “Organic” in the marketing world refers to something that happens naturally. Organic searches refer to Google searches that lead a visitor to your site.
This has a lot to do with inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is all about letting the customer come to you (rather than the other way around). It can be far more powerful than outbound marketing, and far less taxing!
SEO is all about helping you achieve that organic visibility. When your content is optimized for the right keywords, it will surface at the top of search results, and your organic “click-through rate” (how many people click on your link as they scroll through search results) will rise.
The higher your click-through rate, the greater your visibility. This can only lead to more conversions, sales, and long-term customers.
What Are SEO Services?
It’s possible to implement SEO on your own or with the help of professionals. In fact, you can optimize your content for search terms without spending a penny.
If you are interested in tackling SEO yourself, we recommend beginning with Google’s SEO Starter Guide.
Even if you eventually invest in SEO services, it’s important to know the rules of the game. SEO involves so much more than cramming some great keywords into your content!
SEO services research, implement, and track SEO campaigns for small businesses. Instead of you having to do all of that work, the experts handle it for you. Many businesses have discovered the value of organic SEO, so while you can get started on your own if you lack the budget, over time the SEO grind gets taxing and it makes sense to bring in the pros.
Every SEO package varies, but small business SEO services focus specifically on finding lucrative keyword opportunities that are attainable with your website and your budget.
Marketing professionals will help you get there through content marketing, monthly reporting, keyword optimization, and effective link-building.
The Financial Benefit of SEO Services
What are the benefits of SEO services as opposed to DIY SEO campaigns? More importantly, how can agency SEO services help budget-conscious small businesses?
As a small business owner, you may be wary of outsourcing anything beyond the essentials. This is totally understandable, especially if you are in the first few years of your business.
After all, most small businesses start out at a mere $3,000 to $5,000. The majority of entrepreneurs seek outside financing, such as business loans, to get things going.
Marketing’s ultimate aim is to “get things going,” though–by getting you noticed! For this reason, investing in professional advertising services may be exactly what you need to get off the ground.
Here are some other reasons why SEO services may be what you need.
The Many Elements of Winning SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) sounds simple at first glance. How complicated could it be?
Sure, SEO involves playing a bit of a matching game. Marketers choose search terms and knit these into existing content.
But it is so much more than this! If the only rule for SEO involved keyword integration, Google would have no way to assess authority and rank pages appropriately.
Google takes into consideration plenty of other factors when assigning rankings. For example, it looks very, very closely at content quality.
After all, Google has to maintain its own reputation as a search engine. If it fails to deliver good matches for searches, users will navigate elsewhere!
In its guidelines to a Google-friendly site, Google emphasizes the value of high-quality content. It urges marketers to give searchers the information they’re looking for. This content should be well-written and authoritative. It should not be misleading in any way.
Yes, it should be optimized appropriately for relevant keywords. But this is only part of the SEO pie.
Google also inspects link quality and number, especially the number of links to your site found on other sites. These “backlinks” can be valuable for assessing your domain’s authority and its likelihood of ranking highly.
If your site loads too slowly, this could also hurt your Google ranking. Google prioritizes fast-loading, mobile-friendly sites.
If you are new to marketing and SEO, all of these factors can be hard to keep track of! When you invest in SEO services, you entrust your campaign to experts well-versed in everything that influences rankings. What’s more, you can rest assured that they will be optimizing everything to ensure your organic visibility.
SEO Takes Time–And Effort!
SEO is a time-consuming, ongoing digital marketing process. It is not something you do in a day. Nor is it something that can be implemented and then left to its own devices.
In fact, the best SEO campaigns come from solid industry research. Professional SEO marketers will spend time analyzing your target market and industry niche. They will perform intensive keyword research to come up with the exact search terms your clients are likely to type into Google.
Then, they will optimize your content accordingly. Sometimes this involves fresh web design and actual content development. Some SEO services will incorporate link-building as well.
Once a campaign is launched, marketers will track it constantly, identifying areas for improvement and generating monthly reports.
As a small business owner, you’ve got enough on your plate as it is. Plus, your time is money. The more time you have to devote to SEO, the fewer dollars in your pocket.
SEO services can actually save you money by generating an effective campaign the first time–without costing you your time. The return on your investment will always be higher, especially if you are not well-versed in SEO already.
Like any relationship, building a strong relationship between your website and Google takes time. In the long run though, having a steady stream of organic leads for your business is an undeniable asset that leads to massive growth.
Results Happen Fast When You Outsource
Our customers have said it time and again. Outsourcing SEO generates fast, effective results. With SEO services, small businesses can get onto the first page of Google within a matter of months.
Tackling SEO on your own, however, can have variable results. It may take longer to boost those rankings organically without the aid of professionals.
Plus, it can be hard to identify areas for improvement if you don’t know what to track.
Don’t Get a Google Penalty
Yes, it is possible to make an SEO misstep. If you violate any of Google’s SEO rules, you are at risk of a penalty. Google penalties can tank your organic visibility. They can also take a long time to recover from.
DIY SEO marketers are at greater risk of these penalties than professionals. When you outsource, you eliminate this risk.
Any organic visibility acquired through SEO services you get to keep. End of story.
Final Thoughts: Small Business SEO Services
SEO can be a powerful tool for small businesses everywhere. Because it is a form of digital marketing, it is particularly ideal for budget-conscious businesses.
Small business SEO services can be especially valuable for boosting organic visibility. These are designed to get your brand on the first page of Google so that you can enjoy greater traffic, conversions, and sales!
While businesses do have to invest in SEO services, this investment is likely to save money in the long run. Every SEO campaign is time-intensive and unique and requires professional attention.
Are you ready to boost your visibility now? Start a conversation with us to learn more!
