If you own a business, then odds are you’ve at least heard of SEO, if not dabbled in it yourself from to see if you could get results. However, business owners get busy and schedules get tight, and cultivating an online presence takes a time – A LOT of time. On top of those precious moments that you spend in your day on marketing, you’ll also discover there is a pretty big learning curve when it comes to SEO.
In some cases, business owners will simply turn website optimization over to an outside company or give the job to an internal person. Other times, efforts will be made, but once it’s realized how much work it actually takes, some will throw in the towel and go back to traditional marketing methods. Whether you’ve attempted SEO in the past and are thinking of applying it again, or you are just getting started, here are a few things to consider if you’re on the fence about investing in it.
Do You Want to Be Found on the Mobile Web?
It doesn’t matter what service you provide, people are looking for you online, especially at the local level. Restaurants, mechanics, car dealerships, dentists, flower shops, and many other businesses are continually being searched for by potential customers via cell phones – and trust that you don’t want to pass up the opportunity to be found. If you aren’t getting found on the mobile web, then you’re basically handing business over to the competition that is on top of SEO for smart phone searches.
Are You Gaining Leads from Your Website?
Your website is a wonderful marketing tool that you will find value in and should be getting leads from. SEO will focus on bringing in organic traffic, and it’s important to remember that the goals isn’t having a high volume, but grabbing the attention to quality clients, even if it is just a few of them per month.
Do You Want a Positive Online Presence?
If you want to have a positive online presence, then an SEO company will look at the whole picture from social media to reviews on other websites. It’s crucial that your website ranks above negative reviews so that these aren’t the first impressions people find of you online. A company that optimizes websites will work towards getting your business site ranked accordingly, but will also make sure that your online presence is one you can be proud of.
Do You Have a Website That Hasn’t Been Touched in Years?
If you started a website ten years ago and haven’t touched it since, you may surprised to find the dated design and information may actually be hurting you when people find you online. SEO has changed, as well as web designs, and you don’t want to look dated and spammy because you don’t do updates. Even if you don’t hire someone full time, make sure that you invest in a redesign occasionally so that you don’t turn people off.