The Importance of SEO & Digital Marketing for Small Business

Small businesses often have an uphill battle to fight by their very nature. They are smaller, have less cash on hand, and traditionally don’t have the budget to get the same level of advertising or marketing attention that large established companies can put down.

The good news is that modern technology has, in many ways, evened the playing field for small local businesses. That being said, understanding that SEO and digital marketing are important is a far cry from actually being able to use them effectively. While many small businesses, especially those run by “old school” professionals with decades of experience in their industry but who aren’t familiar with online business or changing trends at all.

Why Digital Marketing Matters
Digital marketing isn’t just “the wave of the future,” it is something that small local businesses need right now. On average over half of all buying decisions start with an online search. This means businesses that don’t have a website, or don’t have a website that ranks on page one, are giving up at least half of their potential business right off the bat.

In addition to this, younger generations look up services online at over a 75% rate – making it even harder to get new youthful customers without an online presence.

SEO and digital marketing is what takes a boring old website that any small business can put together and push them to the top of the search engine results pages. This is where over 90% of the traffic finds their solution – and having those first page rankings is the key to thriving.

How SEO Plays Into It
There are many different types of digital marketing that include pay per click (PPC) advertising, banner ads, and social media marketing. These are all great ways to get more attention and more exposure to a business, but it all starts with a high quality website.

Even the best website in the world isn’t going to do a lot of good if no one can find it. Search engine optimization (SEO) is what allows a small business owner to beat their competition in the ratings, and this is an even field. You can’t buy your way to the top, which means a small business with a smart SEO consultant will be able to take care of the on-site and off-site issues that need to fall into line in order to get the online results a business needs to succeed.

The right combination of digital marketing and SEO can have incredible results for any local business that invests in them.