9 Local SEO Stats Every Small Business Needs to Know
Posted April 4, 2016
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SEO is a powerful tool, one that may allow small businesses and new startups to establish themselves with greater ease and success. Despite the growing importance that SEO plays in today’s marketing strategies, misconceptions leave countless businesses missing out on the full benefits that Local SEO marketing strategies may be able to provide. The following nine statistics contain information that every small business needs to know in order to create and implement a more successful and effective marketing strategy.
Half of All Search Queries are 4 Words or Longer
The era of short keywords has come and gone as today’s customers are more and more likely to include more specific terms in their online search. Choosing the right keywords and search phrases is of paramount concern when it comes to SEO marketing. Too many businesses continue to strive for brevity rather than selecting the longer and more specific keywords and search terms being used by today’s customers.
More Than half of Business to Business Marketers say SEO Has the Biggest Impact on Lead Generation
Lead generation is perhaps the most crucial part of the sales process, and businesses that are relying on outdated tools and methods to generate new leads can quickly find themselves at a real disadvantage. SEO is fast becoming the most effective promotion strategy for successful business to business marketing. The relatively low cost needed to implement SEO marketing efforts makes it an ideal resource for businesses seeking to improve their lead generation.
90 percent of Buyers Prefer to Seek Out a Business When They Need It
In addition to being more time, labor and cost intensive, more aggressive marketing strategies can actually sour customer attitudes towards a business. SEO functions by connecting businesses with the potential customer and clients who are already seeking out the products and services which can often provide superior return of investment on marketing costs. Relying too heavily on conventional strategies and outdated marketing methods could be costing businesses much more than they might realize.
Search Provides Three Times the Traffic to Sites as Social Media
Social media sites and services have made great strides in recent years in terms of their effectiveness as an advertising resource. While these sites provide businesses with the chance to interact with their customer base or generate buzz regarding product launches and new services, they are a poor replacement for search. Content sites continue to get the bulk of their traffic from search engine returns, with social media referrals providing a mere third of the volume.
Hosting a Blog Can Create More Than Four Times as Many Indexed Pages
A bare-bones webpage that provides little more than contact information or a payment portal is rarely the most effective way to anchor an SEO campaign. Hosting a blog can vastly increase the number of indexed pages businesses are able to benefit from which can have a tremendous impact on search engine rankings and standings. Investing in fresh, high-quality content for a blog can do wonders for businesses seeking to increase their prominence, profile or brand recognition.
Wikipedia is the Top Return on Almost Two Thirds of All Searches
Businesses who shy away from SEO under the mistaken belief that the market is already saturated may be sorely mistaken. Statistics clearly show that there is ample opportunity to claim the top return spot for any number of searches being made daily by countless potential customers and prospective clients.
SEO and PPC Can Increase Site Traffic by 25 percent
The most effective digital marketing efforts can provide businesses with a much needed kick, one that may play an important role in ensuring launches, promotional events and other special opportunities are able to make a bigger splash. The investment needed to bring a new product to market, open a new location or arrange for a promotional event can be wasted expense for businesses that are unable to attract the attention and interest of their clientele.
Almost Three Quarters of Customers Who Perform a Local Search End Up Visiting a Store Within 5 Miles of their Location
Businesses owners that assume local searches rarely translate into more physical traffic would do well to consider just how effective a tool SEO really is. The highest ranking return may be able to see as much as 75 percent of search traffic passing through their door in the near future. Neglecting the role that search based marketing and advertising may play in improving the volume of customers who choose to visit a physical location can be nothing short of a disaster.
Two Thirds of Mobile Browsers Will Leave a Site That is Not Properly Optimized
Even the most effective SEO marketing campaigns can be of little real value if visitors choose to leave a website without making a purchase or obtaining contact information. With more and more customers using their smartphones and tablets to conduct business mobile site optimization is no longer a concern that businesses can afford to ignore. An updated website able to provide all visitors with a superior browsing experience is never a resource that should go overlooked.
When used correctly, SEO is one of the most cost-effective and valuable promotional tools available to businesses today. Allowing misconceptions and outdated information to limit their access to SEO resources and marketing techniques is a costly mistake that no business can afford to make. Improved search engine rankings can benefit almost every aspect of a small business and help to ensure that more organizations are able to enjoy the level of attention, interest and recognition they need to ensure a more successful future.
