The Importance of SEO

(Search Engine Optimization)              

By Kevin McKnelly

 

One of my biggest challenges in talking to business owners about their website is helping them understand the importance of search engine optimization.  Websites that are optimized enjoy greater internet traffic than those that are not.  If you are not optimized, it is kind of like having a great-looking store located in a dark, back alley where customers can’t find you.   Your competition may have a less attractive building, but if it is located in the middle of Main Street, they get lots of customers because of their location.  It is the same with websites.  When people go looking for services or products, they type what they are looking for on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. Those websites that end up on page one of the search result are the ones on Main Street.   

It amazes me how many business websites are not optimized for the web.  This is for several reasons.  One is that they haven’t even looked to see how their website ranks on a particular search.  They often build their site assuming it will just show up on page one of a Google search.  In 95% of the cases, this is far from the truth.  My clients sometimes have had their website for years, but have no idea where they are on a search.   One client of mine was ranked 113^th on a basic local search for his services.   I had to go to page 13 to find him.  He was completely unaware that his site was in “Nowhere Land”. After doing some basic search engine optimization, I put him on page one. 

Many business owners are aware that their site is not coming up on important searches, but just don’t know what to do about it.  For many, search engine optimization is a mysterious process, and is a bit intimidating.   They may not know whom to call.  Other business owners are just too busy to “deal with it”.  They may know that something has to be done, but they are too busy to identify, and fix the problem.  But those that choose to ignore it are losing money every day from lost revenue.  I recently spoke to a small local company who put up a website, and had it optimized about nine months ago.  The total investment of the site and optimization was about $1,500.  The site is already generating about $20,000 per year in revenue. 

Your website is the cheapest way to get your business out there in the business world.  It works for you 24/7 for a minimal investment.  A well-optimized site pays great dividends, and should be the centerpiece of any marketing campaign. 

If you have any further questions about search engine optimization, and how we can help your website bring in more customers, please feel free to contact us.

Hope this helps!

 

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