I’ve been in the SEO industry for about six years now. That’s six years that I’m counting which includes professional experience and consultation that I have provided to others. For as long as I can remember there was always an urge for search. My fascination with the way people searched on the web had always been there. It wasn’t until around 2005 though when I truly decided to pursue this passion professionally. Search Engine Optimization impacts every brand on the web today. Regardless of whether you’re a profit or non-profit organization that’s seeking to create more awareness about your products and services. Visibility matters! If you aren’t found, you’re losing on potential revenue.
Let’s create a hypothetical scenario here for an instance. Say that you’ve decided to start your own shop. Your specialty consists of repairing work boots for those in the blue-collar sector. Sadly there aren’t many of those types of people around nowadays due to the economical downturn but quite frankly I personally truly appreciate the amount of effort these guys put forth on daily basis. As someone who grew up in a middle-class family I’m quite appreciative of their hard work especially considering that my father falls in-line with these types of folks. So, here’s you and your Workman’s Boot Shop, LLC. trying to create more brand awareness and increase visibility. You’ve been told about the local newspaper, media boards, yellow pages and other traditional media sources for advertising. Only one problem here – limited budget. Any small business owner especially ones that have just broken ground know that money can break the bank. The ad in your local newspaper exceeds your budget and has low circulation numbers. Media boards are simply out of the question unless you dig into that savings account that was passed down from a former family member. The Yellow Pages? Who reads those nowadays anyway especially when you have search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing at your disposal? Ok, so you’re stuck. Limited budget, lack of customers and now you’re moping around for the next move that will hopefully bring in more dough.
Local SEO Matters – Don’t Ignore It!
Recent data from top resources shows that over 80% of consumers are using the web as a tool. Whether it’s research, shopping, or analysis there’s more consumers floating around the internet than ever before. Google’s market share now stands at 65% followed by its competitor Bing coming in with around 33% and last but not least Yahoo’s some 2% of exposure. There’s plenty of fish out there for everyone, go fishing. If you’re a local business that’s seeking exposure for generating more awareness and ultimately driving foot traffic into the door you need to leverage what local SEO has to offer. For example, using our hypothetical scenario above as an example. Those blue-collar workers need their boots repaired quite often. Trust me, I remember when my father used to buy a new pair every three months and complain about the price tag that nearly gave him a heart attack a few times. Instead he could’ve used a search engine of his choice to find the nearest “boot repair shop” and save him a few bucks. Workman’s Boot Shop, LLC. can connect with these potential customers by optimizing its website around specific keyword terms or synonyms pertaining to related searches. The mentality of this process lies in the fact that consumers will search for services or products pertaining to your business. Leverage that potential by ensuring that you capture that visibility and opportunity to be found…locally.
International SEO – An ROI or Scheme?
Everyone out there now claims to be an SEO expert quite frankly. You’ve got ABC company that guarantees you top rankings in all search engines to your next door neighbor who really has no clue about SEO but wants your hard earned money regardless. Self-proclaimed gurus and techies are everywhere. The reality of SEO though boils down to who has the most experience and success. I’d hate to toot my own horn here by any means quite frankly either. As a matter of fact I urge you to do some upfront research on the company or individual that you’ve vested your SEO trust in. There’s only a select amount of people out there that will assist you by providing a charted path of success to organic visibility. Well, I’d hate to call it that but in all honesty they’ll provide you with the necessary information to create more awareness and generate targeted leads for your business. SEO in itself is a long-term investment whether it’s local or international. Patience, time and money are virtues that shouldn’t be taken lightly when steering the organic success of your business. Most people that I’ve worked with in the past have had a hard time understanding this even with the simplest reasons provided. But, you need business now, right at this moment. You’re on the verge of hitting rock bottom and cautious of losing a part of your dream – owning your own business. Start by leveraging the opportunity of local SEO before you set sail for uncharted waters. The local competition typically offers less difficulty and can be dominated easier than on a larger scale such as international SEO. Obviously it may also vary based on the type of industry you’re in and something that you should be skeptical about from the get-go as well.
There’s untapped Return-On-Investment in SEO without a doubt. Although just like anything else that’s foreign in Life you must first familiarize yourself with it. Seek the expertise of an SEO professional that can provide you with the basics for understanding how organic visibility can yield results for your brand. If you’re a statistics enthusiast like myself pop on over to SEOmoz for a quick read on statistics a win for SEO article. It’s a bit of an older read but a great one that gives a breakdown of SEO stats in detail while outlining correlation and relevance of each.