Type your industry and city into a search engine. Where does your company show up in those local search results? The first page? The second page? Maybe it doesn?t show up until you?ve lost count of how many pages you?ve clicked through.
That’s bad news, because chances are 75% of your potential customers haven?t gone past the first page to find your site. Many business owners see this term ?SEO? floating around the internet, but have no idea how the benefits of SEO can increase their position and profits within their local community. For example, if someone?s car breaks down on their way to work in Phoenix and they do a Google search in their phone with the words ?emergency auto mechanic Phoenix?, they are much more likely to click on the first business that shows up in organic results on their mobile device. If you aren’t on page one, you won’t be getting their business.
Here are some of the top benefits of a stellar search engine optimization strategy that you can implement right now, whether you’re that auto mechanic in Phoenix, teach underwater basket weaving in Wichita, or run the best custom quilting service in Sacramento. If you’re an entrepreneur, you can’t afford to ignore the benefits of SEO any longer.
1. Half of all local searches are performed on mobile devices: Make sure you?re at the top of the screen
The majority of people typing your product or service into a local search engine will be looking on a 6-inch screen to find you while they?re on the go. Since one half of all local searches are done on the phone, the best options available to that auto mechanic in Phoenix is to find out what SEO keywords drive customers to their site so they appear first in search results. It’s important to know that up to 70% of the search engine market share is owned by Google, and over half of all their searches are performed on a mobile device. Getting lost in the background could have your business missing out on the benefits of SEO, affecting your online presence, and essentially, your bottom line.
2. Top rank in the most popular search engines
And I don?t mean those paid advertisements. About 80% of all the people trying to find you won?t even click on advertised businesses, opting instead for the top businesses in the organic results. Search engines are a really big deal, as they are the starting point of 93% of all online experiences. And almost 60% of all those people engaging in that online experience have researched a product or service online, according to Pew Internet. This means that most people who are online looking for your company may not know specifically who, what, when, or where you are, but optimizing your website will drive them directly to you to give them what they need. With 34% of all digital marketing strategists calling SEO ?very effective,? adding search engine optimization tools and practices to your business processes on your own or with the help of an SEO consultant can help you grow in the digital age.
3. Traffic does not always equal interest. Convert your site visitors into customers
There are 27 million pieces of content shared each day on the internet. Creating an interesting and honest narrative around your business not only pulls visitors to your social media and website platforms, but converts them into paying customers. Testimonials, clear statements of product and purpose, and visual media are some examples of content that increase your company?s conversion rate. Over half of everyone looking for your piece of a 27 million-slice pie will be more likely to purchase your product or service if you have the flavor they are looking for.
SEO helps them find you.
