Today’s blog topic is going to focus on one question; why are search engines so important for small businesses? I’m writing this because I’ve received a lot of advice that follows a similar line of thinking. People tell me to improve the SEO of my site all the time. They tell me my site needs to appear high up in the search rankings, and that search engine performance is everything. I give similar advice to anyone that asks me about their small business website too.
Most of us will blindly follow this advice without really questioning it. So, that’s what I want to do today and look at the importance of search engines. Hopefully, this should show you how beneficial they are for your small business, which will give you more of an incentive to double your search engine marketing efforts.
Consumers Use Search Engines Every Day
If you did some brief research into your personal internet history, I guarantee that Google (or any other search engine) is a site you visit daily. You don’t have to be the owner of the best SEO agency in the world to understand that people use search engines every day. It’s become the main way that consumers search for businesses in modern times.
Previously, they may look through the phone book or the adverts in a newspaper. Now, a simple search shows them all the businesses they need. Therefore, if your business focuses on improving your search engine ranking, you can be seen by loads of consumers every single day. This increases the opportunities you have of gaining new customers. Furthermore, it will certainly help you gain more web traffic, which helps with lead generation, etc.
Search Engines Bring Your Business To Local People
Secondly, a search engine can help bring your business right into the vision of a local audience. It does so through ‘local search results’ which show people businesses in their area, often with your location shown on a map. Again, this makes people more aware that your company actually exists, and can help smaller business get on the radar.
A Good Ranking Boosts Business Reputation
A little-known fact about search engines is that your ranking can help determine your reputation. If a small business ranks highly for a competitive keyword, they’ll gain a huge reputation. People have it ingrained in their mind that the things at the top of a list are often the best. So, when they see search results, they automatically categorize the first few results as the best and most trustworthy businesses. Get your small business in these top results, and you will see a massive improvement in reputation from consumers. In essence, it’s an easy way of making your small business look a lot bigger.
As you can see, a search engine will open your business up to many positive things. Good search engine performance can help you gain traffic and new customers, as well as appeal to a local audience, all while gaining a better reputation. I’ll leave you with one simple tip to cut your search engine marketing costs; only focus on Google. Most people use this search engine, you shouldn’t focus on others like Bing or Yahoo until you maybe have enough money in your budget to do so.