Yes, absolutely. SEO is worth your time and money regardless of the size of your business because it is able to yield profitable and effective results that translate into customers and sales.
Who would want to miss out on that?
Here’s a quick list of reasons why SEO is 100% worth it for small businesses that will convince you that investing in this marketing technique is the smart thing to do.
Let’s see why.
1. What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which is the marketing technique that works to place any online content at the top of a search results page.
Why should any content be at the top of the results page? The answer is simple.
The top 5 results in Google get around 75% of the traffic. Make it to the top and you have yourself a load of traffic coming your way that can translate into sales.
1.1 How does SEO work?
The main tool it uses is a thing we call keywords.
Keywords are the terms a person types online whenever they want to search for something online – news, information, a product, a recipe, etc.
SEO is about finding out what keywords people use to find what they’re looking for. Once you know what these words are and how they are aligned with the product/service you offer, you can create content around them.
That way, your chances of appearing at the top of the search results page (SERP) will automatically increase.
2. How does Google work?
Google is the number one search engine in the world. Who doesn’t use it to do practically anything these days?
If you want to read the news, find an answer, a recipe, or even an online yoga class, you go to Google.
The possibilities it offers are infinite and that is exactly why millions of companies and businesses around the world see great potential in it by becoming the first result in a search query related to their activity.
Making it to the top 3 positions guarantees huge traffic to your site, which translates into more sales and business growth.
According to numerous studies, the top results in Google get around 35% of the traffic, not bad at all.
It is no doubt why every business, company, or professional is fighting to get there.
3. How long does SEO take?
Ha, the one-million-dollar question. It depends.
It’s practically impossible to determine a timeframe as SEO is a technique that works with a high number of variables and factors.
Search engines like Google are constantly undergoing algorithm updates, there is content being published every minute, content that has been online for a long time, competition, and many more.
Some studies and polls like this one from Ahrefs will say that it takes 3-6 months to start showing results, but again, it depends.
4. Is SEO worth it for small businesses then?
The first thing to consider to answer this is:
- Does your business offer a product or service that can be found online?
- Do you want to attract your customers and convert them into sales?
- Are people searching for information related to what you offer?
The answer to all three is probably yes, right?
Then starting with SEO is the right move for your business. It will help your business cover all three of these aspects.
4.1 Attract customers
SEO is the perfect way to attract your potential customers.
As we saw earlier, once we discover the keywords our target customers use to find relevant information, we can create content that best solves their queries.
Say your business is a bike repair shop and you want people to come to you, either online or in person.
You’ll need to find out what your potential customers are interested in, what is the problem they are trying to solve, and the words they type to find the answers.
Create content around those possible terms based on your research in the form of:
- Articles – The top 10 bikes coming next season
- Blog posts – How to fix a bike’s flat tire
- Guides – Bicycle maintenance. 5 proven best practices for a long-lasting bike
- Social media posts
- Videos
- Tutorials – DIY video about bike fixes
The options are many.
Once you start doing this, you’ll be much more likely to become the option your target audience lands on.
4.2 Sustained traffic
You’ve done your keyword research and have a great deal of content that is SEO targeted. You are seeing your content climb up the top of the search results page.
That alone is awesome.
But here’s the amazing thing about SEO. Once you make it to high-ranking positions, your content stays there for a long time.
This creates a constant flow of traffic toward your site over an extended period of time. This provides a possible high conversion ratio, that is, the number of people that will become your customers.
4.3 SEO is the cheapest option in the long run
One of the most common misconceptions about SEO is that it must be really expensive.
SEO itself is a technique that has no cost. Interesting, right? Let me explain.
Once you create content that’s valuable to your audience and makes it to the top positions of a SERP, the process of it getting there is actually free. And the best part is that it lasts for a long time.
You will not be paying for your content to rank high, the way to do that is through paid alternatives, like Google Ads.
However, there’s no denying that the process of creating SEO-driven content does have a cost. It will cost you some money and -do not be scared- it may seem like a lot at first.
But when you look at the long-term picture, you’ll realize how much more worth it is.
Here’s an example that will help illustrate this:
Say an SEO specialist costs you 2,000$/month. Now, let’s say that you have a site that has a 5% conversion rate, and that the conversion has a value of 1,200$.
Now, we know studies show that the number 1 position in Google’s results page gets around a 27% click-through-rate. Say you have 1,000 monthly searches for your target keyword.
The result of this would be 1,000 (searches) multiplied by 27% CTR times 5% your conversion rate, which is 16,200$ in revenue.
16,200$ in revenue minus 2,000$ of SEO specialist costs is 14,200$. I say that’s not bad at all.
5. What does your business need to start working on SEO?
Now that we know the benefits of SEO for small businesses are a lot, we must focus on what we need to place our business on the path to online visibility.
As a first step, any business must have some basic tools without which any SEO efforts would go to waste.
5.1. A website. Don’t have one? Your business doesn’t exist
Your business’ website is your most powerful sales tool, it works for you 24/7.
Of course, it must be well-optimized and designed to attract visits, retain them and make them convert into clients.
You should already have a live website but if it’s not optimized for SEO, have it live or don’t, it doesn’t make much of a difference.
Your web design has to be perfectly aligned with your SEO goals, otherwise, your site’s business proposal will lack any sense.
5.2. Loading speed
This is one key aspect you can never look past. A site that loads slowly will make you lose sales, ranking positions, and, ultimately, online reputation.
Your site must always load fast, in the least time possible, as the average user doesn’t even wait 5 seconds to see something online.
This and other technical factors can affect your site’s quality, read about them here.
5.3. Create quality content
Any business has a lot to tell about what they do, what problems they can solve, and a ton of other interesting things.
You can create content on a regular basis and have it 100% aligned with your SEO goals. Here is where your squeeze all the juice from your target keywords.
With them, you can publish related content, which is exactly what gives you the visibility you want on Google.
You can start with effective channels like these:
- blog
- video
- podcasts
- social media
- guides
- tutorials
It’s your choice.
5.4. Work with local SEO
It doesn’t matter if your business operates at a local level or if it works at a greater one, do not miss the opportunity to cater to those near you, as you can be their closest option when they look for your product or service.
With the help of simple and easy tools like Google My Business, you will be automatically under Google’s radar the moment someone looks for your products or services in your area. This feature is also 100% free so use it now!
5.5. Optimize all sites on your web
Each section or subpage can be a sales tool your clients go to when they perform a search related to your product or service.
That’s why each and every one of you
6. Other alternatives to organic SEO
Is SEO the only strategy to consider? Of course not. There are other equally effective options, but not as profitable in the long run.
Google Ads is the most popular platform to run paid campaigns for those who are looking to appear first (with an AD tag) in a shorter period of time.
But of course, this comes at a higher cost. Pay-per-click campaigns are based on a price associated with the times a user clicks o searches for a term.
Consider your budget then and the time you are willing to invest to obtain high-quality conversions.
7. SEO is the smart and most profitable option
Consider your budget and the time you have at your disposal and make the best decision accordingly. Hopefully, the above example will help get a clearer idea of what you can expect out of a successful SEO strategy.
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