As technology changes the way people shop and do business, online marketing has become an important tool for businesses. Especially for small businesses, having an effective online presence can produce big results. Not all online marketing strategies are created equal, however, and studies have shown that organic SEO is one of the best lead generators. An experienced web development company can create a web site that has SEO built in, for better performance.
What is organic SEO?
With so much information available online, consumers are increasingly searching for products and services online. Google is the leading online search engine, with 71% of the global search engine market. In fact, internet users carry out a total of over 10.3 billion Google searches every month. Search engine optimization or SEO simply ensures that your website will feature at or near the top of an online search for specific keywords that are relevant to your business.
As many as 97% of consumers rely on the internet to find local products and services. This could be anything from shoe repair to sushi and most things in between. Web marketing is the most effective way of reaching these customers. About one out of three or 32% of consumers are more likely to contact a local business if it has a website.
Why does SEO matter?
Many businesses try online advertising as a way of reaching customers, but researchers have found that consumers don’t actually trust these paid ads. And they don’t click on paid online ads, preferring the organic results produced by their online searches. This is why it’s so important for your website to rank high in online searches like Google.
SEO is a highly cost effective and successful internet marketing strategy, which is why marketers have come to rely on it. SEO has very high lead generation and close rates. SEO close rates are 14.6%, as compared to the close rate of 1.7% for traditional outbound marketing tactics like direct mail and print ads. Inbound marketing strategies like SEO also cost 61% less than outbound tactics.
How does website design influence customers?
Not surprisingly, internet users prefer clean, quick loading sites to slow and cumbersome ones. Website designers are also focusing on making sites mobile friendly, since people mostly research products and services on their tablets and smartphones.
A good web development company will build SEO right into the website design, rather than adding it on later. They use clean, search engine friendly code, which reduces page load times and improves search engine performance. In our age of information overload, customers prefer a quick loading website that is easy to find. Many in fact mistrust slow loading or badly designed sites, and see these as reflecting badly on the business itself.
Small businesses that switch to organic SEO will see a jump in online traffic to their site, which will be reflected in revenues. The most effective SEO is built into the web design, making for a clean, hassle free user experience. Most small businesses lack the web development know how to maintain an effective web presence. An SEO agency can help them to make their presence known and establish their brand.
