There is a misconception among many local business owners that it is not necessary for them to go through the process of improving the search engine optimisation of their site. Business owners that are operating in a single city, usually out of a single location, feel they are not going to get much out of internet marketing. They believe that it is better for them to focus on more traditional means of attracting customers. It is a misconception and one that can cost a small business a lot of money. Here is why SEO matters for local businesses.
Google Trends Local
In the past few years, Google has done a lot of work to localise results for people, even if they are not enquiring based on their location. You can test it on your own computer, tablet or smartphone. Search for a particular type of service, such as a plumber or electrician. Do not add any location information. You will notice how many of your results are from the local area. You may even see a little map with results at the top of the page, where you can click to go into Google Maps.
Since Google is going all in on local, it means that businesses have to respond. If your pages are not properly assessed and evaluated for their local SEO readiness, you are at a disadvantage compared to other companies. It is far too great a risk, especially if you have a lot of competition where you are running the business. Your two or three competitors may have optimised their sites, which means their names are appearing at the top of results pages and Maps results. It is why a free SEO site review is what your business could need right now.
SEO Reviews
The purpose of a free SEO site review is to give you an assessment of how your site is performing. The review provides you with valuable information about the pros and cons of your current site. Everything is assessed, from your site performance to aesthetic to the SEO readiness of various pages. The report will indicate where improvements are needed. Then it is up to you to decide how you want to proceed. There are a few options in this area, which we can explore briefly. You could either hire an outside company to handle the SEO for your site, hire someone to do it in house, or try and do it on your own.
The latter is rarely a good idea, as most business owners do not know a lot about SEO and internet marketing. It would take you a lot of time to get it right, which is time that you could be better spending on other projects. The other option is to hire someone in house, which is valid for larger companies. However, you may not have the budget to pay a full time salary to someone who has the sole job of managing your online marketing operation. It is why hiring an outside firm is the way to go.