Business owners only have so much time in the day to perform all their tasks and attend to obligations, and there's a big chance not much of that has anything to do with their marketing efforts.
Doing your own marketing probably isn't a huge priority because of how time-consuming it is, and let's be honest, it may seem like a waste of time. How are you even sure it works?
These days there's so much to worry about, like social media, email marketing, digital advertising, having an accessible website, SEO... the list goes on! Each of these requires expertise and knowledge to be successful.
This is why delegating your marketing is the key to success and freedom! You'll need all of your energy and focus on running things, so why waste time doing something that takes up a lot more resources? Let's be honest, you probably can't anyway.
Today, we're here to talk about SEO, though.
What is SEO?
SEO is the practice of improving a website for the purpose of it to rank higher on major search engines like Google.
This is how Google displays search results when you make a search - it crawls every single available website to rank it based on certain criteria.
So... Why is SEO Important for Small Businesses?
Organic search drives around half of all website traffic... should I keep going?
SEO is one of the best investments you can make for your website.
Let me preface this by saying it’s not a quick fix, but it’s an ongoing process that will help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), drive organic traffic to your site, and improve your visibility.
SEO is a long-term strategy that can help you build trust with your audience and establish your brand as an authority in your industry or local area. While paid advertising can be effective in the short term, it’s not a sustainable or cost-effective long-term solution. SEO, on the other hand, is an investment that will continue to pay off for years to come with minimal investment.
Is SEO Right for My Business?
SEO can be applied to most businesses in most industries. However, there's a chance it may not be right for yours. There are just certain things that people aren't searching for.
How can you find out if it's worth the investment?
Keyword research!
Performing keyword research will help you discover what people are searching for when it comes to your industry and locality. Typically, there are free versions of SEO tools that you can use to do your own research, but if you're lucky some agencies can take a look for you, like us ;)
For small businesses, local SEO is the best route to take since you'll ideally want a local customer base - let's take brick-and-mortar and service area businesses for example.
Brick and mortar
retail
grocery
banking
specialty
Service area business
plumber
pest control
electrician
These are just some industries that can take advantage of a local SEO strategy.
So if you want to show up in search results when people search for your services, local SEO may be a wise investment.
Remember - It's a Slow & Steady Race
Performing SEO tasks can be a time-consuming process, and if you're not an expert, it can be difficult to know where to start or how to tell if your efforts are paying off.
However, outsourcing can help you to free up your time while still seeing results. An SEO firm will have the knowledge and experience necessary to improve your search engine ranking and grow your online presence.
In addition, they'll be able to track your progress and share updates with you to keep you in the loop. And if issues arise, instead of panicking you can trust your partners to adjust your strategy as needed in order to keep you from falling behind.
Organic Growth is key to longevity
"Live or die by the ad"- is not the type of strategy your company, or any should be following. If your goal is to grow your small business into a reputable member of the community, your strategy should not be to run ads on a consistent basis because (1) it's just not sustainable in the long run and (2) searchers most often skip Google Advertisements when making a search.
We're not saying don't run ads, just find a way to make both methods work for your business.
Instead, opt for a healthy balance of organic and paid. It's like the marketing version of the food pyramid or Maslow's hierarchy!
A little bit of this, that, and everything in between.
Stay updated
I imagine you didn't build your own website, and probably won't ever want to touch it. If you outsource, you won't have this problem. An SEO management team will keep it up to date with the most relevant keywords for your business and optimize your text, images, page descriptions - everything!
Imagine trying to edit your website by yourself and update it with new images, and pages, or change the meta tags and descriptions. If you have the time for that, I applaud you and want you to take on the challenge!
But, if you want to see SEO results without dedicating the time and resources necessary to learn about and implement all of the latest search engine optimization techniques, it may be time to outsource to an SEO agency that can help your business grow.
At Marketing Empire Group, we’re experts at helping small businesses (and mid-sized ones, we love everyone) achieve growth through digital means, including the right SEO strategy for you. We’d be happy to discuss our services with you and answer any questions you have about how SEO can benefit your business.
Thanks for reading!