Ensure Your Business Survives Post-Recession with an Effective SEO Campaign
It Has Never Been More Important to be on Page One of the Search Engines
According to the latest figures released by the Insolvency Service, around 30,000 businesses have gone bankrupt during the recession. While SEO is not a 100% sure-fire way of safeguarding a firm’s future, it does beg the question – how many of these would have survived if they had implemented search engine optimisation into their strategies?
Following the government’s recent claims that we have begun to tip-toe out of economic meltdown, it is perhaps surprising that there is still much doom and gloom around. Many forecasters are predicting that things are likely to get worse before they get better. Never before has being on the first page of Google mattered so much.
If you have the capabilities of selling your goods online, extending your customer base on a national or even international basis is essential. For those who operate locally, the advantages of being on page one of the search engines will naturally allow you to gain advantage over your competitors who are not.
As outlined in our blog post prior to Christmas – ‘Ensure You’re at the Top of the Search Engines this Time Next Year’, all of the usual SEO tactics apply to small businesses: keyword rich content, high-quality and relevant link building, blogging, appropriate tagging and sue of social media…there really is no big secret to search engine optimisation. Without wanting to over-simplify the whole industry, if these tools are used effectively there is no reason why a particular website shouldn’t be on page one of the search engines.
Fundamentally, being on page one of Google and Yahoo will yield more enquiries and therefore more sales for businesses in all market sectors. For instance, if you were to type ‘Window Cleaners Leicester’ into a search engine, it is highly unlikely you will look beyond, say, the top three companies listed before you find a firm that meets your requirements. Research by AOL has found that 63% of clicks are centred on the top three listings. Those that feature below this are unlikely to get a look-in.
It may be the case for uncompetitive phrases that getting to that all-important page one of Google requires minimal financial outlay. However, for the more competitive keywords such as national or big city phrases a more considered SEO approach will be required, which is where the benefits of working with a professional search engine optimisation firm are likely to reap excellent return on investment for small to medium-sized businesses, and help to safeguard their future.
