What is SEO?
SEO or (search engine optimization) is the understanding of leveraging the key terms/phrases that will attract the right customers to your website and provide the user experience they are looking for. The goal of a well-designed SEO strategy is to provide the answer to the customer’s question. Proper SEO brings in a targeted customer base while providing search engines (Google, Bing, Etc.) an easy way to navigate your site.
Why do most small companies fail at a proper SEO strategy?
Small companies tend to make two common mistakes.
- They hire an ad agency to run their SEO without proper research or understanding of what they are asking.
- They make the assumption “I know what my customers search for and how they search”
Ad agencies can be a great resource and can boost your companies SEO strategy if done correctly. However, if you don’t know the right questions to ask and metrics to measure it can become very confusing. This can result in inflated reporting that provides zero value to your business.
Assumptions are very dangerous in marketing. Buying behaviors and patterns don’t just change yearly or monthly, they can change daily. Other factors like geographical region, seasonality, and more play a role in finding the right SEO strategy.
Finding the right SEO Partnership
Finding the right SEO partnership can be difficult but you as the customer must set your expectations.
SEO is a very valuable tool for small businesses and isn’t something that should be overlooked. Budgeting can be difficult for small businesses as there are a million other items to which you can put your attention. However, if you want to grow your business and prevent your competitors from pushing you out, SEO is essential.