In these days, going online is as normal as breathing the air or drinking water. The first thing most people do when they do get online, about 93% for that matter, is to use a search engine. Most people don’t know what they want at first, and many rely on search engines to help them find it.
That’s why up to a whopping $65 billion are spent by companies on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) just to get to the front page of SEO results. However, not all businesses have the budget or the resources to execute an SEO campaign of this scale. What they need is to execute and SEO campaign and strategy specifically intended for small businesses.
So how can you find a digital marketing agency that can offer suitable SEO services for your small business? The following will give you an overview of how this is executed, eventually creating a maximum impact that will catapult your small business to bigger growth and higher revenues.
Understanding Small Business SEO Services
Before the advent of digital marketing, the consumer marketplace is dominated by conglomerates or large businesses. Small businesses simply could not compete as they do not have the budget, resources and manpower to conduct marketing in a scale and extent performed by these large companies.
Thanks to Small Business SEO, small to medium enterprises can now compete with the big guys and achieve online growth, at least from a local business standpoint. Most small businesses cater to local clientele or customers within or near their areas of operations, and this is who such SEO services are targeting for in their campaigns and strategies.
The Merits of Hiring Small Business SEO Services
It is a harsh reality in the Digital Marketing world that a huge majority of search engine users will not look pass the first page of search results. What’s even tougher is that up to 67.60% of the clicks that will eventually be generated will go to the top five organic results. That is why as much as 61% of marketers placed SEO at the top of their inbound marketing strategies – for appearing at the first page of SERPs is the only search engine appearance that matters.
This will be a tough one for small businesses, and the only way to compete is to target local search users. Luckily for them as much as 97% of consumers would search for and look for a viable local business, and most would prefer those that are located within five miles near them. In fact, up to 46% of searches made in Google was done with a local intent, so strategizing your small business SEO in this direction may get you the results you need.
The results indeed would really be promising. For small businesses, a good SEO campaign can help them generate up to 40% of their business revenue by targeting local clients. The organic leads that they will generate by targeting local customers with their small business SEO will have a better close rate of 14.6%, compared to the 1.7% average close rate of traditional marketing campaigns.
The Processes You Should Look for in Small Business SEO Services
If you’re in a lookout for digital marketing agencies offering small business SEO services, do not at the first ones that come along offering their services. You should also not rely on vague plans or strategies that they say promises to give you the results you want.
An effective small business SEO campaign should be systematic and follows an organized and logical flow of processes. Having such a comprehensive workflow is a good indication that the small business SEO services you will be getting is an effective one. The key process steps that should be conducted includes:
- A Preliminary Consultation that will help the small business SEO agency get a clear understanding of your business. Without such understanding, how can they formulate a sound small business SEO strategy that will work?
- The agency will conduct an SEO Audit and Website Health Check to give you an assessment on how your website is performing, how effective your previous efforts are, and the deficiencies that find your strategies lacking
- Up to 78% of local searches is conducted via mobile devices, so it is important that the agency will conduct and Audit Your Site for Mobile-Friendliness to gauge your online presence if it is mobile-friendly or not.
- After the assessments are made, the small business SEO agency will give a comprehensive SEO Recommendation Report outlining their findings and their recommendations on the strategies and activities that should be performed
- The agency should be transparent enough to provide you with comprehensive Timelines and Milestones Chart that outlines all key activities, milestones and their targeted completion dates
What Should You Expect from a Suitable Small Business SEO Services Agency?
No matter how small or how big your SEO campaign is, a good small business SEO services agency should provide you with a comprehensive array of deliverables that will jumpstart your digital marketing initiatives, boost your online presence, convert more potential clients, and generate revenue for your business. These include but are not limited to:
- Website Audit and Health Check
- Keyword Research
- On-Page Optimization
- Link Building
- High-Quality Content Creation
- Performance Tracking and Monitoring
And even if you are only a small business, the SEO agency that you will be working with should assign a good Program Manager and a qualified team of SEO specialists that will work on your campaigns. It would be good to check on the track record of the agency you will be working with, particularly in their experience and success in handling small business SEO.
The Take Away
No matter how small or big your businesses are, or what line of products and industry segment you are involved with, the success of your online presence in generating business and revenue for you depends on how effective your marketing is in attracting the right sets of customers.
A suitable small business SEO services provider will work well to your advantage in helping you formulate, plan and execute a Search Engine Optimization campaign that delivers the good results you want. As people always say, the proof is always in the pudding, and the same goes for identifying the right small business SEO agency to work with for the long run.
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.