5 reasons why small businesses should invest in SEO in 2021

If you are a small business owner, or an entrepreneur trying to ace the online world, then it’s high time you invested time, money, and, well, whatever it takes into SEO.

The answer to the first ‘Why‘ that pops up in your mind is a list of many compelling reasons, which we will dig into today. 

Shall we proceed?

Well, SEO has become diverse and trickier over the years. Approximately 10 years back, it was merely a matter of keywords and some meta tags.

But, with the search engines getting constantly smarter and the frequent changes in their algorithms, SEO has developed an elaborate learning curve.

Search engines, particularly Google, the major source of our website’s visitors, often play with their algorithms to ensure offering relevant and authoritative content to the users.

Google, as of 2021, processes over 63,000 search queries every second on average, which proves that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an integral part of contemporary business.

Speaking with experience, SEO is the best tool for any website focused on business and conversion.

SEO helps you in identifying important sales-generating keywords, which consequently web traffic and attract visitors. Besides, it assists you to locate aspects of your sites needing more focus and optimization.

Simply put, SEO will create a user-friendly and robust web experience for you as well as your audience. 

It is one of the most significant components of any organization’s online presence.

The specific areas that will beam with improvements once you invest in SEO, are website structure, scripts, and HTML codes, ultimately increasing your position in search engines and enhancing searchability & visibility.

Hence, SEO is an invaluable tool. So, if you haven’t yet, it becomes the most demanding time to invest earnestly in it. With cut-throat competition between brands to rank better on search engines, it’s time for action.

Ask yourself.

Don’t you mostly click on one among the three top results on Google? You don’t hover back to page 9 and open some hidden away website, do you? 

Considering your answer was positive to the above questions, I think you have understood the importance of SEO by now.

However, if you are still wondering why you need to invest in SEO, then I have here the top 5 reasons that will inspire you to invest in SEO and take your online presence to the next level.

But, first, let me tell you why SEO is still the best source of traffic and lead generation in 2021. Here are some facts backed with statistics that will blow you out of the waters.

• 93% of online experience begins with a search engine.
• Google owns almost 70% of the search market share.
• 70% of the links search users click are purely organic.
• 75-80% of the users ignore sponsored ads and focus on organic listings.
• 75% of users never scroll down the first page.

According to Sparktoro, a company by Rand Fishkin that provides the audience with intelligence data, Google is too dominant in search and the graph below represents this very clearly.

Hubspot reported that 61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority. Additionally, there has been a 900% increase in searches that contain ‘_ near me today/tonight’ over the last two years.

But, first, do you know how much is the SEO industry worth? A staggering $80 billion! 

In 2016, $65.26 billion was spent on search engine optimization, and the number rose to $79.27 billion in 2020. Furthermore, it’s it jumped over the $80 million mark this year and is expected to keep soaring in the coming years.

Now, coming to the most interesting part of the talk; only one-third of these huge numbers is spent by E-commerce giants, while the majority comes in from startups and small local businesses.

Do you ask the reason?

The conversion rate for SEO is 14.6%, firmly beating the 1.7% conversion rate for traditional outbound methods!

1. Organic search is on the rise

Google owns a very large portion of the market and people under the umbrella of the internet visit Google at least once a day. And as organic search is the primary source of website traffic ranking in the top positions of these search engines always favors a brand.

The following data presented by WordStream will help you better understand the working of a search engine, particularly Google.

So, to hit the milestones you see here you must implement quality SEO techniques as well as maintain highly optimized websites.

A study among internet marketers suggests approximately 90% of the professionals considered SEO practices to be crucial in boosting their brand.

2. SEO is very cost-effective in the long run

Now answer me honestly, what are you here for? Save your words about passion and vision, as it all boils down to business. (i.e., cash!)

But, SEO is not a marketing expense like your usual paid advertisements on google ads or Facebook. It rather is an investment.

And, like all investments, coming up with proper strategies is profitable. A small business website at most times has immense pressure regarding finances.

But, rest assured as SEO won’t make a hole in your pocket in the long run.

The reason is, that it is completely dependent on traffic accumulation, in contrast to advertising on online platforms like PPC advertising, email marketing, and social media marketing. Therefore, this investment won’t be a guilt trip.

Besides, studies prove that nearly 80% of users ignore paid ads and focus the organic search on engines. So, rather than wasting money on paid ads, you must focus on attracting traffic through the best SEO strategies.

3. Stats in favor of SEO

Trust me; if you aren’t on page 1 of the search results, your business most likely lacks 70% of the online marketing tactics.

A recent study on the search engine depicts that more than 75% of internet users never scroll over to the next pages of search engine results.

So, bitter but true, if you can’t make it to page 1, it is almost as if your website never existed.

Practically speaking, there is no way your audience can track you. You must know that approximately 80-90% of consumers search for reviews online before making a purchase, and the number is increasing.

So, why not strive to excel in your niche by adopting SEO religiously.

If this didn’t convince you enough, 93% of online experiences start with a search engine, which highlights the importance of ranking high in search engines.

4. Your competitors are already into SEO

Not implementing an SEO strategy for your business equals letting your competitors grab your piece of cake. If you squirmed at this thought, it’s a prompt to start NOW!

Go back to childhood, and recall the story Hare and Tortoise. Your content may be the best out there, but if you sleep through SEO opportunities, your competitors will win the race.

Consider selling a handmade bag in your local market. You notice another local selling a similar one in the next stall.

If the other seller has a well-planned SEO strategy and you don’t have any, customers would flock to his counter, leaving behind yours, even when you sell better quality at a cheaper price. 

This is the power of SEO.

Now, apply the same logic to the online world. When someone in your area makes a google search for the keyword ‘handmade bag near me,’ your competitor’s website will pop up on the first page, with more chances of getting clicked upon.

So, implement a perfect SEO strategy for your business, and appear where your target customer is looking. It is that simple!

5. The business world breathes on SEO

‘SEO is a never-ending process.’

Ignoring the potential that SEO’s correct implementation stores are putting your business out of the competition right from the start. Or better to say, you won’t qualify for the competition that rests on SEO’s shoulders.

Don’t pay heed to what passers-by say about SEO losing its charm; remember that organic search is the primary search.

Search engines are undoubtedly an integral part of the internet. You cannot even imagine an internet user who does not look up for anything, can you? So, how can SEO be dead? 

The world is on SEO, use it, or be ready to get completely knocked out from the search engine game.

Even the rise of mobile traffic is dominating online marketing. 73% of all online activity is local, which makes such traffic the primary target of small as well as large businesses’ success.

Local SEO and optimization enable people to find you quickly and easily. It focuses on specific regions and becomes a medium that connects your website to the local level. Small screens play an equally important role in attracting traffic.

With all that said, the question ‘how to reap maximum benefits from SEO’ arises. Let’s tackle this!

Tips for small business owners:

Engage in link-building

Do you love catching up with people working in your niche?

Well, it’s time to convert this into a profitable SEO opportunity!

Google and other search engines will rank you better if other websites on the internet display a link to your page. It will not only divert some traffic to your site but also improve your brand image in the reader’s mind.

Connect with similar website owners, and convince them to put a link to your website on their pages. You can put theirs on your page in return.

You may get tempted to collaborate with a lot of people in a short time, but don’t forget how a single link on an established website can overpower tens of them on some obscure page.

Dig into your client’s mind

I am guessing you are familiar with the potential of keywords by now. But the trickiest part is to find the right one.

Follow this tip the next time you are looking for relevant keywords. Place yourself in the shoes of a consumer at thinking about what you would search on Google.

Pay attention to what words you would fill in.

Those words are the value nuggets. Hold on to them as your keywords.

But, make sure not to stuff unnecessary words into your text as the results may come out precisely the opposite of what you expected.

Maintain a user-friendly website

You can pat yourself for successfully ranking in the top places and generating substantial traffic.

But, now it’s crucial how you glue those visitors coming through the search engine result pages. The trick is to optimize your website into a user-friendly interface.

Along with consistently posting interactive, quality content, maintain an easy-to-consume site that prevents the audience from bouncing back.

Publish articles relevant to your niche, and make it easy for readers to understand what you offer.

In the end, revisits solely depend on whether the person remembers or not the experience he got on your website.

Remember, to focus on providing an optimal user experience while you chalk out SEO strategies for your business.

You must bridge the gap between your websites and customers, or generating sales would feel like a Herculean task.

More traffic means better business growth!

Users won’t waste their time making deep search results; they jump on the top search results straightaway.

If you aren’t on top, you will get ignored.

Ask yourself, why have a website if no one can find it? So, start polishing your online presence with SEO today.