SEO is a commonly thrown around term these days. Before we begin discussing why every business needs to have an SEO campaign, let’s discuss what SEO really is. SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. According to Dictionary.com, SEO is “the methods used to boost the ranking or frequency of a website in results returned by a search engine, in an effort to maximize user traffic to the site.” What does that mean? Basically, search engine optimization is a marketing strategy (methodology) that improves a website’s organic listing on a search engine such as Google. In other words, the websites showing up on Google when a keyword is “Googled”.

Google is most commonly used in correlation with SEO because Google searches consist of 90.1% of all searches from search engines. That means when consumers are searching for businesses (products, services, answers) online, more than 90% of all consumers are using Google to find what they’re looking for.

REASON #1 – 90% of YOUR TARGET Market is searching on Page 1 of Google for your business.

(and if you’re not there, you’re missing out on a massive amount of revenue).

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR MY BUSINESS?

Well, if your business is not one of those 10 listings that show up for specific keyword searches on Google, you’re missing out on 90% of the market searching for a business like yours! Not to mention, 75% of consumers NEVER go to page 2 of a search engine when searching for something. They just simply type in another keyword search (a.k.a. search term). SO, if your business is not showing up on page 1 of Google for keywords that are commonly typed into Google regarding your industry, services, or products, then your business is missing out on 90% of the total market share. Yes, word of mouth is important, but there were BILLIONS (with a “B”) of Google searches in 2019 and Google has become the world’s most commonly used tool for finding EVERYTHING! Including your business.

Most consumers are searching online (Google) to find a trusted source to give their money in exchange for a product or service. If your business doesn’t appear on that list of businesses, there is NO way for them to find your business.

REASON #2 – Local Searches result in 72% of consumers visiting companies with a physical location within 5 miles from where they searched on Google.

Meaning, if you own a local business where you need foot traffic, your business NEEDS local SEO. It’s a common myth that only “online retailers” need to compete or have their business found on Google. WRONG! Data has shown that before a consumer will visit a store in-person, they research that store, look for reviews, and will find their website online before ever visiting that store. Data also states that 72% of local searches by consumers results in customers actually visiting the store in person. If your business would love to have a 72% uptick in foot traffic, then it’s imperative to have a local SEO campaign for your business in 2020.

REASON #3 – Consumers are getting more technologically savvy and resourceful every year.

Consumers are no longer taking the “seller’s” word for it anymore. Consumers have technology at their fingertips (literally) and are using that technology to research products and services BEFORE even contacting a retailer or service-based business. Data shows that 72% of consumers will only purchase, or do business with, a trustworthy website. How do you prove that your website and company are trustworthy? ANSEWR: Show up in the organic listings of Google on page 1 for quality keyword searches with a well optimized, user-friendly website. A large portion of SEO is quality content that is clearly optimized for both the consumer and Google’s algorithm on specific landing page throughout the site. A clearly defined page layout with unique creative content and clear calls-to-action (CTA’s) telling the user what to do (conversions) are essential in an SEO campaign. Consumers will no longer “work hard” to find what they’re looking for. It’s up to the business to make it easy, clear and understandable.

REASON #4 – Reviews differentiate the top competitors on Page 1 of Google.

Let’s just take a step back and conclude that it’s essential to be on page 1 of a Google search engine for specific keywords relating to your business. Remember, It’s 90+% of your target market. But taking it a step further, how do you ensure that your business is chosen out of those top 10 choices? It’s extremely crucial to have an SEO campaign that focuses on Review Management as well. 94% of consumers will NOT buy or do with a company that has a majority of bad reviews. 35% of consumers will not work a business that has no reviews at all!

A lot of “digital agencies” will try and sell you on SEO as a pure ranking strategy. Technically, that’s only part of the strategy. Review management is also tied into the SEO because when your business ranks, your reviews are 100% tied to your brand online. Brand reputation and Review Management are a significant factor that directly correlates to your SEO campaign.

REASON #5 – There are hundreds of thousands of businesses still not performing an SEO campaign.

(So, take advantage of the market while there’s still time!)

There are a lot of businesses that still don’t believe in technology or market trends for some reason. We still hear SEO being referred to as “magic” or “hocus-pocus” for websites. This hard-nose, old-school way of thinking is allowing the competition to capture market share just by having an SEO campaign. In a 2018 survey conducted by Searchengineland.com (a very well trusted source in the digital marketing industry), only 36% of businesses were conducting SEO campaigns and 54% of businesses were conducting “in-house” SEO, but are inherently misunderstanding what SEO really is and doing it incorrectly. A commonly known mistake of businesses that try and conduct SEO campaigns in-house refer to “social media” as their #1 tactic within their SEO campaign. Let’s be clear: ONE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OTHER. Keywords from an SEO campaign can be used within social media posts, and its important to have social media accounts for the overall health of a marketing campaign, but social media has NOTHING to do with an SEO campaign in that respect. That same survey showed that only 28% of businesses were using a professional digital marketing agency for their SEO efforts. That is astounding data because that leaves the door wide open for business to take advantage of the 90% piece of the Google pie that we discussed earlier. 15% of that survey said that they “intended” on starting SEO in 2020 or later. Even that number is staggering.

BRASS TACKS

There are obviously common misconceptions about what SEO is and how dramatically it can impact a business. In 2020, there are probably more than a hundred reasons why SEO should be utilized by every business. We have given you the top 5 reasons businesses need SEO in 2020. The data speaks for itself, but here’s a quick recap of all 5 reasons plainly.

• 90% of your target market is searching for you on Google. Are they finding you there on the first page?
• More consumers visiting your store/location – 72% of Local Searches result in a physical visit to your location.
• Consumers are using technology to find you. You have to show up on the technology they are using.
• Reviews matter. You can lose out on business if you’re not focusing on review management in tandem with an SEO campaign.
• Market share is there for the taking! Doing nothing will result in nothing happening.

If you aren’t running an SEO campaign or have been contemplating how to even learn more, then you need to get an SEO Assessment. We offer FREE SEO and Website Assessments with no obligation. Just fill out the form below and we will get you a 10-15-page assessment.

We strongly believe in helping businesses grow, so that’s why our SEO and Website Assessments are 100% complimentary. We want to educate businesses owners like you. We look forward to hearing from you and scheduling a meeting to discuss your report that we will run absolutely free.