What Is SEO And Why Is It Paramount For Your Business In 2017 And Beyond?
Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short is the process that we use to have your website rank at the top of the search engines (such as Google, Yahoo & Bing) for relevant search phrases. These could be branded, targeted or generic phrases geared toward your business or industry.
Consider the following scenario. Lets stay, for example, that you are a plumber in Tacoma Washington. If somebody were walking up and down the main street in Tacoma shouting out that they need a plumber and you happened to be in the area, you’d likely be able to land the person as a customer pretty easily. That person is very targeted – they are a person in Tacoma who needs a plumber.
Of course sane people usually don’t walk up and down the streets yelling for a plumber. In times past they might have used the Yellow Pages or some other phone directory. They key would be to get your ad to stand out from the others somehow so that you would get the phone calls.
Nowadays, nobody uses the Yellow Pages anymore:
- 82.6% of Internet users use search (eMarketer, July 2011)
- 97% of consumers now search for local businesses online (Forbes, April 2013)
The truth is that the vast majority (and it’s increasing) of people use the Internet to search for local businesses. Close to 80% of those people prefer Google. They search on their home computers, laptops, tablets and mobile devices.
Now when people are searching for a local business or service, increasingly they don’t turn to the yellow pages to search, they turn to the Internet. They go to Google and type in ‘plumber in Tacoma’. Which poses a problem and an opportunity for your business.
It’s a good thing if your current business is showing up on the front page for both local listings and organic results. However, it’s also an issue if your business doesn’t show up on the front page of local search engine rankings. If this is the case, then you are losing out on hundreds of potential opportunities on a daily basis.
With over one billion searches made by consumers looking for local businesses every month, someone is always looking for your product or service in your local area.
Local SEO Is A Problem And An Opportunity For Your Business
When you used to run ads in the Yellow Pages, you could sort of ‘game’ the system by putting an ‘A’ in front of your name (like AAA Plumbing). This would get you closer to the front of the book for your service.
The problem on the Internet (and the opportunity) is this. Roughly 80% of the searches go to the (unpaid) top local positions. This means that the average person searching for ‘plumber in Tacoma’ will choose one of the top local unpaid spots. These top local spots are the equivalent of being in the front of the phone book and if you want to compete in 2015 and beyond then you better be ranking.
And that’s the problem. There are dozens or even hundreds of businesses competing for those top spots (depending on your industry and location). Fortunately most of them lack quality local SEO and they are doing a pretty bad job of it.
Therein lies the opportunity!
SEO Los Angeles
You have a chance to get ahead of your competition and claim one of those top spots in Google, Bing and Yahoo for your product or service.
Looking for an affordable SEO Los Angeles company? We’re experts at what we do and there is a window of opportunity to get there before your competitors do!
Because of the beauty of the internet, we can take clients not just from Los Angeles alone, but from all over the world! Fill out the for and contact us today!