Should My Small Business Start SEO?
Why or Why Not?
Thinking About Your Business
A Question for New Websites
If you’ve recently started a website for your small business or start up, you might be asking yourself: do I need Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
This is a basic question that anyone who’s serious about their online business will eventually ask. So what’s the truth about your business needs?
What to Expect Without SEO
If you’ve built or are about to build a website, you can do it without the help of an SEO Specialist. You may even make an attractive and professional website that makes you proud of your web presence.
If you’ve read a bit about SEO and done some fundamental link building (in this case, listing your site in popular directories), it’s likely that your website will do a few things.
1. You can rank for your business name: With even a few directories like Google Business and Yelp pointing to your website, you should be able to rank first or second for your business name. This is a reassuring sign for any fledgling website!
2. You can have a dedicated Google Business listing: Your Google Business listing may appear at the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) and show your address and hours of operation.
3. You can have a good site to show your customers: You can refer customers to your website and make a positive impression when they type in your URL.
These accomplishments may be enough to convince business owners that they don’t need the help of an SEO Specialist. Over time, however, you may start to notice that your online business is not performing as expected.
What You Won’t Achieve Without SEO
If you’ve made your site without the help of an SEO Agency, you may feel that your site is underperforming. Over time, you’ll notice fewer sales and leads coming from your website than you might have expected.
You may or may not realize it, but you are unlikely to achieve important things without the help of an SEO specialist.
1. You won’t rank on the first page of results for your most important keywords: Think about what users might type into Google to find your website, assuming they don’t already know your business name. Without the help of an SEO, you almost certainly won’t rank on the first page of results for those searches.
2. You won’t fully understand online competition levels in your industry: Unless you’re familiar with analyzing websites, you probably won’t understand how difficult (or easy!) it is to rank for your desired searches. This leaves you in the dark about how best to stand out in a crowded online landscape.
3. You won’t be able to generate sales through your online business: For the above reasons and more, it’s highly unlikely that your website will serve as a driver of sales, leads, or other conversions. Although your website may serve as a sales tool for people who are already interested in your product or service, it won’t gain you any new customers or clients.
What an SEO Specialist Can Do for You
If you’re serious about building an online business, you absolutely cannot be successful without SEO! Although it may be an unexpected expense, hiring an SEO Specialist will do many things for yours business.
1. You’ll Fully Understand the Competition So You Can Build Your Website According to a Plan: An SEO Specialist has access to tools that can analyze your competitors’ websites, as well as gauge competition levels for your target keywords. While you may already have some sense of how much competition there is in your industry, compiling this data on a granular level will allow you to build your website with a plan. You can start with keyword targets that you are likely to rank for quickly, then aim for increasingly competitive targets over time.
2. You’ll Address All Aspects of Ranking Higher in Search Engines: You may have weaknesses in On-Page Optimization, Off-Page Optimization, or Technical Optimization. Any weakness in any of these three areas WILL stop or negatively affect your online growth! Although it may be possible to address some ranking factors without the help of an SEO Specialist, you’re unlikely to successfully address all aspects of Search Engine Optimization without the help of a professional.
3. You’ll Start Understanding Your Online Growth as Numerical Data: It’s unlikely that you’re fully set up to track visits, conversions, and keyword rankings without the help of an SEO. Trying to grow your online business without these numbers is like trying to navigate without a compass! A professional SEO will show you exactly what’s working, what isn’t, and how much growth you’ve achieved on a month to month basis.
4. You’ll Achieve Quantifiable Growth Every Month: Although it’s impossible to know how competitive your industry is without looking at the data, a professional SEO will take the best steps to grow your business as quickly as possible. Once you start to understand your progress, you’ll never want discontinue your SEO plan. That’s why every successful business on the internet counts SEO as a necessary expense in their operating budget.
It’s Never Too Early (or Late!) to Start SEO
Every company has to make difficult decisions about their operating budgets, but if you want your website to help you gain sales, leads, or conversions, then SEO is an essential part of your business plan! Choosing to go without a dedicated SEO Specialist will doom your chances of success before you’ve even started.
Whether you start your SEO plan on day one of planning your website or years after your website has gone live, contacting Accuracy SEO will give you the best chance of thriving in a competitive online landscape! Leave us your contact information to arrange a phone consultation today.
Accuracy SEO has been honored by Design Rush!
Thanks to Design Rush for honoring Accuracy SEO as one of the best online marketing providers in Evansville! Click the link to see Accuracy SEO on Design Rush!
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