If you are a business owner in Abbotsford, you have probably heard of local SEO and that your business needs it. SEO is one of the most misunderstood terms in the world of marketing. What it stands for is search engine optimization. This service is meant to optimize your website so that it may reach the top of search engine results.

Studies have shown that search engine marketing can lead to greater returns on investment versus outdated, traditional forms of marketing. Search marketing, however, isn’t as simple as putting an advertisement in a newspaper. You need to work with a company that is always utilizing the latest, proven methods of online marketing. Signing on with SEO firms just because they offer a lower price point can potentially lead to damaging your website as they tend to either use outdated methods or outsource their work overseas.

SEO is Good for Business Visibility and Branding

When people use their favourite search engine to look for your products and services, you obviously want to appear as high as possible in the search results, but there are more reasons than the obvious action of clicking through to your website.

The average person doesn’t simply search once when making their decision of who to give their business to. They usually do more research which involves using multiple search terms to find what they’re looking for.

So what does this mean for you and your business? It means that if your website is continually showing for numerous amounts of search terms, you are gaining more branding value and people are attaching your brand to the product or service subconsciously. That is when your business truly becomes a marketing force to be reckoned with. Which brings us to the next point of why SEO is essential for your business.

SEO Provides Your Business Credibility

When searching business online, users tend to make mental notes of those websites that appear on top of the results. They may not realize it, but subconsciously, their minds have given the top results a vote of confidence because they believe that Google will display the best websites in order.

“Google says this business is relevant, so that must be the case.”

This might sound exaggerated to you but when the Yellow Pages were popular, did you feel more comfortable calling the mechanic on the first page, or did you scroll to the seventh page and call the small text listing?

Your customers may not conscientiously know this, but they are attaching credibility to the websites that are displayed first.

SEO Brings Your Business Traffic

Sure, by itself, online traffic may not make you much money. But, with search engine optimization, your business’ website will get laser targeted traffic to your website! If, for instance, someone is looking up a dentistry in their town, the first website will receive traffic from someone who is looking to do business. This type of traffic is extremely valuable and can help you get a greater return on your investment than other forms of marketing.

SEO Has One of the Best ROI’s in Advertising

SEO has a much better return on investment than other forms of traditional marketing for a reason. While TV ads interrupt people’s favourite shows, and radio ads make people change the station, SEO is an inbound marketing strategy; meaning, people are looking for someone to give their money to and you happened to be the business THEY FIND!

You are not the distraction, you are the solution! You don’t have to come up with strategies to convince them that your product or service is necessary in their lives. They already want it, they’re just looking to give someone their money. Simply, the battle is already won before it is fought.

SEO Gives You Unmatched Insight Into Your Customers

The beauty of SEO is that it’s the gift that keeps on giving. While your website is generating traffic, Google Analytics tracks this traffic, giving you enormous amount of data and metrics that are even more valuable to your business.

With these tools, you can now gain more insight into your customers in terms of how they search, what devices they use to access the internet, the time of the day that your website receives the most traffic, and many more.

All of the metrics can then be used to further optimize any marketing efforts and enhance your business’ profitability.