Should You Pay Attention to the Hype About SEO?

More businesses have increased their online presence, showcasing their products and services on websites. While some have updated to e-commerce sites, many still use social media and traditional websites to support their marketing efforts.
A website helps with brand awareness and visibility, among other benefits. With an optimised website, you can increase website traffic and the efficiency of converting visitors into readers, email subscribers or paying customers. So, almost every conversation about an optimised website includes Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Start with a search.

When potential customers need a particular product or service, they might take advice from contacts (word of mouth), read reviews, or use social media. Many use a search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) to find what they need.

Some marketing efforts include using search engine marketing (SEM or paid advertising) to improve visibility on search engines. With SEM, businesses can secure a priority position to rank high during a search. So, if your marketing team has the budget, your business will show up on the front page of the search engine, making it easier for customers and potential clients to find you.

Investigate why there is a hype about SEO.

Another option that many companies employ is using SEO. SEO is a marketing tool that focuses on growing visibility in non-paid (organic) search engine results. Companies use SEO as it is a significant source of leads, can result in higher conversion rates, and create a better user experience for customers. You can use SEO to make improvements on and off your website to gain more exposure from search engine results. SEO helps to establish brand awareness and can build brand credibility. After searching, it may also encourage local users to visit the online (e-commerce website) or physical store.

How can SEO help your business?

Some companies with large marketing budgets may use SEM for specific campaigns and SEO to support overarching marketing goals that keep their business front of mind for loyal and potential customers.

Small companies that optimise their business for local search can benefit from SEO since approximately 46% of Google searches are by people looking for local information. So, a potential customer may type “hardware stores” and include a location nearby where they can easily visit the physical location for what they need.

When your website is optimised correctly, your business will rank higher in search engines, which allows you to position your company’s products and services to stand out against your competitors.

Okay, so what’s local SEO?

Local search engine optimisation involves improving the visibility of businesses on search engines, especially those with brick-and-mortar locations. Search engines use social media pages, links, citations, and local content to gather information for local search, producing the most relevant results for users.

Companies use local SEO to target customers searching for local businesses. When local SEO best practices are employed, it can increase organic traffic from searches by customers nearby. Since local SEO can result in better conversions and more traffic to your business, it’s good to develop a regional SEO strategy. Also, if your company sells products or services in several countries and regions, international SEO services can improve your business’ ranking and visibility in other countries.

What should you consider for your local SEO strategy?

Your business can use local SEO to showcase products and services to customers and local prospects searching for them. So, developing an effective local SEO strategy is worthwhile. Consider the following when creating your strategy.

Do a local SEO audit that includes an on-page SEO audit, competitor analysis, website audit, and a Google My Business audit.
Make your website mobile friendly.
Use internal links or improve your internal linking structure.
Be consistent with how your name, address, and telephone number(s) appear online.
Create local content that resonates with your customers and prospects.
Be methodical (optimise) with URLs, title tags, headers, content, and meta descriptions.
Use inbound links that are relevant and show authority.
Pay attention to engagement on your social media platforms.
Consider optimising and adding posts to Google My Business.
Be active in your local community.
Ensure your online directories and citations are current and optimised.

What’s next?

Local SEO tools (paid and free) can provide competitor insight, encourage customer engagement, develop SEO-optimised keywords, help track rankings, and monitor performance. Using these tools can help your business to higher and be more visible.