Comprehensive SEO Analysis
First, we will conduct a complete analysis of your service area. This includes finding local competitors that you will need to outrank, analyzing local search terms, studying average monthly search volumes and more.
Optimized SEO content
Once we have the information we need, we will begin publishing and optimizing localized content for your site. We will publish locally targeted content to improve your local search rankings as well as improve user experience.
Keyword Research and Technical Support
We will also carry out continuous keyword research to find what your target audience is interested in and what kind of keywords they use. On a more technical note, we will also add microdata to your site to improve local business listings as well as optimize your landing pages on a continuous basis.
Backlinks and My Business Page Services
Finally, we will also optimize your business’ Google My Business page to include your shop’s address and phone number. We will also carry out backlinking campaigns in accordance with the latest local business SEO strategies. And lastly, we will claim your Google maps listing, so that your business location will appear on local maps and search results.
SEO vs PPC for Local Businesses
The perceived value of advertising on Facebook and Google is simple: the opportunity to drive quick, tangible dollars and cents by tailoring ads to target specific audiences. But there is more to paid acquisition than meets the eye.
Here are the 5 biggest strengths of digital ads as they pertain to marketing your local business:
- Visibility. Paid search takes up lots of real estate at the top of Google results pages. With somewhere between two to four ads on desktop and one to three ads on mobile, a user will almost always see Google ads, even if they scroll past them.
- Targeting. PPC provides a laser-targeted way to get in front of potential customers. Ads can be optimized based on target keywords, time, date, geography, language, device and demographics of past visitors.
- Speed. It’s self-explanatory – Google Ads can be created in minutes and adjusted on a daily basis. There is no faster way to make your business visible on search than to pay-per-click for advertisements.
- Marketing intelligence. Since the most recent Safesearch update, Google has hidden vast amounts of keyword data from organic search traffic. One of the benefits of PPC is that no such restriction exists.
- A/B testing. Using Google AdWords, small businesses can easily test ads, landing pages, and call-to-action buttons to determine which strategies perform the best and drive the highest ROI.
Meanwhile, just below those ads lies Google’s natural, organic search results, derived via an ever-changing algorithm that aims to provide searchers with the best possible result for his/her query. Organic search first came into view as a marketing channel nearly 20 years ago when marketers first identified that Google’s algorithm and the sheer reach of it’s search engine proved to offer a viable opportunity for businesses to drive quality traffic to their site.
Here are the 5 biggest benefits of engaging in SEO:
- Credibility. Ranking well in organic search drives a perceived credibility with the audience looking for your services. In fact, a recent study showed that 85% of all clicks on Google occur not on paid ads, but their organic non-paid counterparts below. Why? Because organic results convey credibility and ads are ads.
- Cost Effective. On average, cost per click (CPC) for organic traffic is significantly lower than paid traffic because while instead of paying for each and every visitor to your site (as is the case with ads), organic visits are free once the site has been optimized.
- Better ROI. Organic traffic offers significantly higher ROI than PPC, and any other form of paid media. For local businesses that utilize a sales process, tools like Call Rail’s call tracking and Google Analytics goal tracking can help to effectively track ROI.
- Sustainability. Unlike paid traffic, organic traffic isn’t lost the moment you stop paying. As such, investing in SEO is a long-term play that can help sustain a business during times of feast or famine.
- Competitive advantage. How long does SEO take? Somewhere between 4-6 months for a local business looking to get on the map. But once a site has established itself firmly within organic results, competitors will have a hard time overcoming, which means a strategic advantage for businesses that prioritize SEO now.
What are the major takeaways from a cost-benefit analysis of PPC versus SEO for small businesses? Search Engine Land summarizes the value of SEO versus PPC for tactics perfectly:
“A hyperlocal business… could likely develop good visibility in the local and organic search results with a little spend or some DIY SEO.”*
Does the quote above describe you? If so, keep reading for a list of how to get started on DIY SEO today.