Search engine optimization can be described as the process of adapting the website so that it can achieve a higher ranking on the search engine. There are a lot of advantages for the SEO services. One of the best SEO service benefits is the cost efficiency and thus may result in a high return on investment. SEO services price 4-5 times more compared to PPC and other online advertising methods. However, the money you’ve spent on SEO will give back much greater returns as it is a long-term solution. Let’s say you are selling software products online and your profit is only $300 per sale. If you spend $500 on SEO, probably you can get 20 times return in sales and as well the money that you’ve spent on SEO. You may now use the money earned on the SEO to further promote your company or product. This will only increase your business and as well the money to spend on SEO. Another advantage of SEO services is an increase in brand visibility. When your website appears in the search engine results, it will place your company image as well as your brand in the consumer’s mind. Not to mention, search engines are a great advertising platform. We are aware that most of the users are using search engines to search for information online, so this is a chance to present them with what your company offers and convince them to turn into your customers.
It is very important to get your business listed on local business listings websites. In today’s business-oriented world, everyone wants to make an online presence and has an online identity. More than 2 billion people are using the internet and more are being daily. Many of those people are looking for local businesses online. Whether through computers, tablets, and especially now with the advent of cell phones, they have access to the internet at all times. People are using the internet to find information about things they are interested in. If someone is searching for a service that you offer, are you showing up? If you do have your business listed but you are not showing up in the top 5 results on the major search engines, then you are losing money to your competition. This is where having your business listed on local online business listings websites can generate more customers and more money for your business. These are not the only reasons why your business needs to be listed on these websites. Local business listings websites and SEO have many big advantages. The term SEO, which stands for search engine optimization, is the process of getting more traffic to your site from search engines. The goal of SEO is to improve your website’s visibility by ranking higher in search results. There are many ways to improve your SEO, and there are many SEO companies that offer their services to those who do not have the time to improve their SEO on their own. With the increase in demand for local business listings and the ever-growing number of businesses using them, SEO services for local business listings are on the rise. High-end SEO services are very costly and are not realistic for small businesses. However, SEO services for local business listings are a cost-efficient way to improve your business.
Role of Local Business Listings
Business listings in website directories tend to have an experienced and skilled staff that provides clients with many different services. SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the services that is very critical to the success of businesses today. Local business listings are one of the most effective ways of marketing and advertising your SEO services. There are many different professional SEO services available, such as on-site optimization, off-site optimization, and keyword research. Listed on business directories are many SEO companies that offer all of these services. These services are often described in the business profile and will help consumers find the types of services that they are looking for by the SEO company. This comes to the point where the targeted consumers are searching for SEO services from a said company and discovering the company that they feel is best for them. If a consumer uses a search engine to locate a specific type of SEO service, will they be able to find the said service? Often times the use of a search engine is the use of a general search engine such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN. This search engine provides results that are mostly linked to major web search engines such as Google. Now consumers will be able to find SEO companies that are offering their services worldwide or globally. This will not help the company that is looking to find an online service in their local area. Global online marketing hits the targeted consumers, but not the focused local consumers. The making of online marketing from potential local business clients is something that these SEO companies from website directories are looking to market. Consumers’ local online marketing for their business within their local region will approach finding out the best online marketing services. Researching for online marketing services has increased requirements for all SEO services. Potential consumers are looking to maximize their marketing dollar. It’s best effective to take marketing online, which costs less than marketing through print ads or media advertising. Any demographics of marketing, whether local, national, or global, are looking to increase financial effectiveness. The cost efficiency can be determined if consumers will be able to outsource an SEO service to any online marketing. High-end SEO services can provide high returns on any investment by providing businesses increased rates of clearer potential consumers. Now the better preference for the SEO service will be for the best effective results at the cheapest rate available. Local marketing online with the use of local business listings can provide this effective service to all consumers. High-end SEO services are competitive in the global market, but starting an SEO campaign from the ground up would be an option for all SEO companies to increase rates for various different businesses. This can occur in any specific area to any global service provided locally, which is the best effective option for all consumers.
Increased Online Visibility
Search Engine Optimization, which can be promoted by a search engine marketing company, tries to increase your search engine rankings for your target audience’s queries. Effective local business listings is a good way of achieving this, as unlike natural organic search engine results, local business listings are shown on the first page of search engine results. Most local business listings are pay per click, meaning they are an ad, thus if your local business listing does not appear on the first page, you will not have to pay. Local business listings are shown to your target audience when they are searching for your product or service, it is targeted advertising which offers high returns for your business. Unlike traditional methods of advertising, it offers higher brand exposure at lower costs. A search engine marketing company can give you the tools to track the performance of local business listings in comparison to organic search engine results and other forms of advertising, enabling you to measure the success of local business listings in promoting your brand’s visibility and identity.
The purpose of web marketing services is to increase your business’s visibility so as to enhance your competitive advantage. There are several ways of accomplishing this goal, one of the most effective being the use of local business listings. When effectively optimized, local business listings can increase your business’s visibility in local search engine results pages, increasing the traffic to your website and sales for your business.
Targeted Local Audience
Local businesses provide for other businesses within a small area. The term local business is also used to define a franchise in a particular location. In order to bring in more local customers, these small businesses need to be listed in popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. A recent survey indicated that 54 percent of Americans have substituted phone books for searching local business information online. Only 3 percent use local newspapers or other print media as their source of information. The survey also indicated that 18-34 year olds are more likely to search for information on local businesses through the internet (54 percent) than their older counterparts of 35-54 years old (46 percent) and 55+ (39 percent). What these statistics have shown is that the newer generation is always moving away from traditional media and using the internet to search for information. The fact that local search has increased greatly over the years and the use of mobile devices is only expected to increase. An estimate of a staggering 3.8 billion local searches a month by 2016 has been made and it is expected to yield 70 percent of online search. Local business listings are in major need of improvement from just a name, address, and phone number. This is how the business listings will appear on a search engine results page as well as the information at the top of a verified Google+ local page. In order to take advantage of the traffic that is already on these search engines, local businesses need to provide sufficient information on their business to differentiate themselves from the competition and attract potential customers. High competition can lead to ad spend on search engines, but consumers are 8 times more likely to click on organic search results than paid search results. The click-through rate is even higher when a consumer recognizes a brand, which is why improved brand awareness in local business listings is a key factor in winning over consumers.
Higher Search Engine Rankings
This all leads to higher search engine rankings. Your website SEO can only take you so far and even with a top rank, it is still hard to tell the quality and quantity of visits it will receive. The often unpredictable nature of search engine changes and how it affects its results ranking can cause a website’s rank to decrease and with it, the traffic. Being listed within search engine results is also a lot more volatile than will last through consistent local traffic. With a local listing, your business won’t move from the first page of results and will also have an icon indicator showing that it is a local listing with a pinpoint on the map. This goes hand in hand with SEO’s true purpose in ranking a business where it should be to increase quality/quantity visits and in turn more business. A higher search engine ranking from local business listings is the result of this process and is something that is a lot more worthwhile and reliable.
Rather obvious from the heading, higher search engine rankings is the desired result of increased online visibility. The whole point of utilizing local business listings is to enhance your business’ exposure to a targeted local audience and in turn get higher search engine rankings. As opposed to your website, local listings will have a lot more consistent traffic and are highly favored by major search engines. Whether it is on Google Maps, Yahoo local or any one of the other various localized online directories, your business is far more likely to show up on the first page of search results from these listings than a typical organic search engine result.
Enhanced Brand Awareness
Overall, this topic itself tells you about the benefit of local business directory listing and there are still more benefits hidden. Now let me tell you the bad news. There are few businesses who want to build brand awareness and still do not know about online local business directories. This article is a wakeup call for those businesses who are still laying their ROI in old local media and those who have registered their site with a cheap DIY business directory believing offline and online directories to be the same. I will publish another article explaining the importance.
Invest wisely in a good business directory listing as money saved here is money lost. Imagine you are a computer trainer in a small city with no big industries around. Your ideal customers will be students and local residents who want to learn basic computers for any purpose. Ads on Google may increase traffic to your website but this might not sell your service, as a student considers learning when parents are convinced, so they are your customers. Just register in a local online directory under the education category, the money you save here on Google ad can now be used for any student offers and you can post your teaching experience, student testimonials, your ‘about me’ video and you can even offer a discounted learning course with a custom coupon, now this is something you cannot do even with your own website. This will significantly increase brand awareness. Today it is a myth that local product-based businesses are the only people who need local business directory listing. Any business which is part of today’s bumpy economy may want to receive targeted customers and get the most out of every buck spent. Now that’s enhanced brand awareness.
One of the main advantages today is that the internet is now in mobile phones. Most technically advanced mobile phones today can easily access local business listings in mobile maps. This is very useful for people on travel. With today’s fast life, people tend to stop at new locations for various purposes like job, education, medical solutions, etc. Now suppose if you are a physiotherapist in a new location, it will be very hard to build a customer source in a new location or patients may have varied needs so the know-how on what you offer. Just register in a local online business directory under a healthcare category. Customers begin to recognize your experience, will slowly start talking about your service, other patients with different needs may also approach you and there you achieve enhanced brand awareness.
Enhanced brand awareness can be explained as the way how our brand is not only known but also how much it is being talked about when compared to other similar products. Greater the people talk about our product, greater will be the brand awareness. Local business listing helps in raising online brand awareness. When your businesses are listed in local directories, it gets exposed to lots of targeted customers. The thing with traditional media like TV, radio, newspaper ads is that it is about brand recall and not brand retention. It may take a few numerous ad repetitions to increase retention. But people would not want to spend much on unnoticeable retention during a sluggish economy period. There are still people who depend on their local cable TV, which may not offer them the information they need through banner ads. Most people do not even read newspapers now; many have switched to online news. Today, cost per lead is more when compared to ROI during any traditional ad.
Improved Website Traffic and Conversion Rates
This might be entirely different from any other local promotional methods. Local listings make distinctive traffic which is highly targeted – the traffic and conversions come from locality search. By utilizing the local business listing as an online marketing tool, businesses find it easier to connect with customers and, more importantly, the customer finding information about their services is presented by the business itself. This is, from a customer’s perspective, very purposeful as they can acquire the right results based on the vicinity of their residence or if the product or service offered by the business is what they are looking for. Directing relevant traffic to your website is prompted by the differing search process done by customers. These days, people are beginning to realize that typing in a specific service and the city of residence will get the best results. For example, somebody wanting to replace their windscreen would type “windscreen replacement (service) Sydney” in the Google Search Bar. With the right optimization, the closer the business to the number one position on the first page, the more likely this service will be found. Running parallel to the increase in the acceptance and the use of the internet, customers are time poor. Offline yellow pages are in the vicinity of extinction; the ability to find information online is faster, easier, and more informative. The use of mobile internet on devices like smartphones and GPS is also high. These items are a direct link to the internet and the information digital, thus by having the right local business listing, information on products and services can be accessed right at the time it is needed. This is proof in delivering the right message to the right people.
Directing Relevant Traffic to Your Website
Local business listing sites receive more than 90 million visitors per month. That’s a lot of potential customers, and if your business isn’t listed in multiple locations on the web, you’re missing out on all that traffic. Whether you’re promoting a coupon or a special offer or simply providing information about your product and services, you need to get it in front of the eyes of potential customers before you can generate a conversion. And with the prevalence of mobile device usage, accessing the internet is that much easier. So when customers are searching for a place to eat dinner or looking for the nearest dry cleaner at 10 am on a Tuesday, there’s a good chance they’re going to pull out their smartphone and perform a search to find what they’re looking for. Being listed on the web is an easy source of advertising – accessible to an on-the-go demographic. An updated business listing will help to steer potential customers away from your competitors and to your business. This is direct traffic from the search at its very best. You’ve provided a solution to your customers’ problem and have provided them with information on how to access that solution. Which brings us to the next point.
Building Trust and Credibility
A key way to understand the trust and credibility built through local business listings unfolds if we understand consumer behaviour. The intent of advertising is to persuade consumers to purchase a product whether it be right now or in the near future. If consumers are purchasing a product, it is usually because they are in need of it. An example of this would be someone purchasing a vacuum because their old one broke. The first thing that this person would do is turn to their computer and research on search engines for a site that sells vacuums. Usually, it is preferred to buy such products at local stores, so the person would specify that they are looking for a local store in the search engine. When results come up, the person most likely will shop at the first store that he found. This is how trust and credibility is established. A person is in need of a product, looks for businesses who sell the product, and then decides to make a purchase from the business that they believe is the most reputable.
One of the greatest attributes of local business listings is that they help build trust and credibility with your local customer base. When searching for a particular service, people tend to believe that those who come up in the top results are more reputable. In fact, a recent survey found that 36% of online searchers believe that a business appearing on the first page of search engine results is a major brand in its specific product/service category.
Local businesses and service providers are considered trustworthy and of higher quality based on how high they rank in the search engines. So being listed in the top 10 positions for your local business niche is very beneficial. Having your site highly ranked on search engine result pages gives a greater chance that consumers will click on your site and learn more about your business rather than going straight to your website. These days, customers are exposed to more marketing and have learned to compare a business with another business before making a decision. By having your site highly ranked, potential customers will associate your site with the keywords they searched for, building your brand image.
Generating Quality Leads and Conversions
Local business listings are a great source of quality leads for small businesses. Implementing an optimized and well-managed business listing can result in targeted traffic to the website. Visitors that are already seeking to purchase a product or service are more likely to follow up online or call your business. An increase in quality leads can also lead to an increase in conversion rates, something all small business owners are interested in. When a visitor locates your information, articles, or tips and then clicks through to your site, this is already a pre-qualified lead. You can increase your conversion rate by providing the information or solution promised in the listing. Step back and try to view your local listing or map with a consumer’s eyes. You must perform an action to see the more details about a listing. The action could be as simple as putting part of the business name in a search box and clicking through to a details page. This user has some probable interest in the product or service, if not now perhaps in the near future. This is also a great way to reach someone who was referred by a friend or family member who has obtained the product or service. They are likely to be searching for the item directly and consumers love to see results from their queries. A coupon can be the final determining factor for these types of consumers. An often overlooked benefit in business and marketing is to receive indirect leads. A direct lead is the result of someone seeking to find your product or service, while an indirect lead can be a result of a service or product that you offer as a solution to a problem. People in need of a solution may not necessarily be seeking your product. Your product can be the best choice, but they are simply unaware. This is typical in service industries. A well-optimized listing can bring them to you. They are by far the most difficult types of visitors to gain.
3.4 Boosting Return on Investment (ROI)
Keep in mind that listing your site in simply one industry-related directory may not be very effective. You should try to submit to as many relevant directories as possible. This will increase your chances of not only being noticed by web surfers but also improve your search engine rankings. When a search engine sees a link to your site in multiple directories, your site’s importance and relevance in that particular category becomes more significant.
Local directory listings can be very cost-effective, especially for small business owners. This is the primary reason why every business should take advantage of professional directory listings. Simply put, it is easy to list your site in multiple directories, allowing you to see what type of increase in traffic you may experience. For a majority of directories and search engines, there is no charge to get listed. It is only a cost when you decide to alter your anchor text, direct link, or to use a premium listing feature.
There are many ways, beyond directory listings, that you can improve the ROI of your SEO campaign. This section will explore a few strategies that any website owner can implement to improve their search engine rankings, by using solid data in their on and off-site campaigns.
Competitive Edge and Business Growth
People carry out their research in various ways, but many make the decision to buy after carrying out an online search. But it is not only technology products and services that people buy online. With the growth in confidence with online security, many people are now purchasing all sorts of goods online. The world is changing and the move to online purchasing is an inevitable future and current reality for the majority of consumers. As a local business, the time is now to allocate a portion of your marketing budget towards online marketing. Step in step with the change in consumer trends. Nowadays, many SEO services are offered on the internet. But the best way to improve your sales is often still to outsource an offline service in the most cost-effective way possible. And what other better value for money, with a higher return on investment, than search engine optimization?
Local businesses will quickly find that the higher rankings in the search engines will result in an increase in customer numbers, as well as an increase in profits. What is the point of setting up shop if nobody knows you are there? As a small or medium-sized business, this is detrimental to your company. People may travel around the area where you are situated and still not know you are there. Those days of high visibility with low search engine rankings are over. You need to get into the mindset of your potential customers. And the mindset of consumers these days is that they research products and services before making any further decisions.
Outshining Competitors in Local Search Results
Yet another advantage is the fact that your listing gives consumers a detailed map and a list of directions to your place of business. In the computer world today, direct mail and phone books are becoming a thing of the past. Most people are typing in the service they are looking for to a search engine. With local business advertising, they can find your service and be given direct directions to your place of business. Although we all love the internet, there is a huge benefit of having someone come directly to your place of business rather than them shopping around and calling you for directions. It’s always a good thing for a customer to experience your product or service from the start.
Another advantage of local business advertising services is the fact that there are low to no competitive markets for small businesses. Wait a minute, low to no competition? That’s right. We aren’t talking about the competition for the top spot, we’re talking about just being there. Most local businesses are not familiar with SEO and all of its benefits. You can easily be placed ahead of your local competitors with local business advertising while spending just a fraction of the cost they are spending on other advertising methods.
Once your business is listed with W3affic Booster local business advertising services, you are already at an advantage over your competitors. Most local businesses do not have websites. Consumers cannot find services and products they do not know are offered. A local search is quick and easy, and you do not need a computer to find a service or product. Local business advertising works on both computers and mobile phones. It is a known fact that cellular phone use is increasing rapidly, and the use of traditional phone books is slowly declining. You can be there wherever your potential customer is looking for your specific service. The growth in mobile phone use also adds a tremendous advantage to local business advertising as cellular phone GPS systems are the primary method for locating local businesses and services.
Expanding Customer Base and Market Reach
SEO does a great job of positioning a business within a targeted market. This is done by optimizing keyword-rich meta tags, title tags, and several on-page factors. Additionally, it establishes a presence through organic search, which is known to be less intrusive compared to outbound marketing. All the tactics combined target users who are already interested in the service or product. This is a great opportunity for a smaller service company to advance in local SEO because they can utilize the targeted market to provide a strong business lead.
Business is all about attracting customers and that will never change. For any business to achieve success, a healthy flow of incoming leads and possible customer attraction is essential. The main reason for online marketing is to increase the customer base and market reach.
Strengthening Online Reputation
Overall, the impact that you and your business will get from local business listings is enormous. From just the cost of your time and effort, the total outcome of the business will be much more and the money will keep flowing in, creating a sustainable business. Nowadays, people will just open their smartphone and search for the things they want. With a good local business listing, you can just sit at your place of business and watch it grow.
From here, you would like to invest your money in other advertising to improve your products and services. Getting high traffic flow is quite a difficult task, especially when you’re a newcomer in the industry. Paying high-cost advertisements probably will lead to some disadvantages for you. So, why not use local business listings to boost up your advertisement? Create a pay-per-click ad on various sites that relate to your business, that way you can get targeted traffic and it’s relatively cheap. High traffic from potential consumers will definitely increase the chances of getting more sales.
Online reviews, comments, feedback, and ratings from consumers actually have a significant impact on the decision-making of the potential customer. Whether these things are positive or negative can mean a lot. Through generating such comments on your site or in other local directories, you can pull more traffic to your business. Using those comments helps you to build the genuine trust of your consumers. By doing so, you are getting on the right first step to boost up your business.
