Developing the idea for your small business was just the beginning. On top of all the energy you put into running your business, you also must come up with innovative ways to reach the public. Luckily, search engine optimization (SEO) can help. It’s one of the best ways to support the growth of your business today and set it up to continue flourishing in the future.

Statistics show around 90 percent of people find local businesses using search engines. After doing an online search, most people never click past the first page of results. Most often, this is because they find what they’re looking for on page one.

This means if your business doesn’t show up on page one, you’ll lose potential customers to the competition. Considering one loyal customer could end up visiting your business for years to come, this loss is monumental.

You’ll soon see a return after getting your local business to rank well in search results. Statistics show that 50 percent of mobile users visit a business they searched for within 24 hours of the search. Online searchers, particularly those on mobile devices, are looking to find something quickly. Often, they’re searching for something they have an immediate need for.

For instance, if someone is out running errands and has a craving for a certain food, they might do a search one their mobile device while sitting in their car. If your restaurant offers that food, they could find you and show up in person a few minutes later. Everything moves fast these days. Your business needs to utilize the latest SEO techniques to keep up.

Experts believe SEO is one of the best investments a small business owner could make. The return on investment is estimated to exceed 1000 percent. Unlike other forms of advertising, SEO is always growing.

The higher you rank in search results, the more customers will find you. With more customers comes more online reviews. If you’re offering quality goods or services, most of these reviews will be positive. Likewise, many of these happy customers will also recommend your brand to others.

Greater brand awareness has another benefit as well. You’ll get more direct traffic. This means more people will type in the name of your website directly rather than visiting through a link provided by a search engine. Visitors who arrive via links in emails, on social media, or other websites count as direct traffic as well.

This is important because direct traffic plays a key role in your ranking. When Google or other search engines note that your website is getting more direct traffic, it signals that your brand is high authority.

When smart phones hit the market years ago, it began changing the way people searched for things online. Statistics show that in 2020, 61 percent of American website visits were carried out using a mobile device. Another 35.7 percent visited on a desktop computer, and an additional 3.3 percent used a tablet.

It’s easy to see why society is shifting toward primarily using mobile devices. With every passing year, these devices have more to offer. We’re all walking around with little computers in our pockets, and there’s rarely a need to sit down at a desktop. Therefore, it’s crucial that you optimize your website for mobile devices.

Speed is one of the most important factors for mobile optimization. If your website loads too slowly, the visitor will most likely grow impatient and return to the search results to find a better option. Researchers have found that 53 percent of mobile users will abandon the website if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Even if your brand is already well-recognized, the competition is stiff.

Other factors include proper formatting, intuitive navigation, and easy readability. If the visitor can’t read the writing because it doesn’t show up on a smaller screen, you’ll lose a potential conversion.

Remember that mobile users want to quickly find what they’re looking for. Your website needs to clearly and concisely deliver the information they need.

If you want to invest time and energy into SEO, it makes sense to work with the experts. SEO is a constantly evolving practice. Choosing a reputable SEO agency will likely be your ticket to a prosperous future.

Our SEO experts stay up to date on the latest techniques and can offer specific advice for your industry. With an experienced team working in the background to ensure your website stays relevant, you’ll be able to focus on other important aspects of running your business.

For more information on how our SEO techniques can help grow your brand, please reach out to us now.