How important is SEO for a small business?
Source: PEOCompare Blog
SEO is the key to success for small businesses.
When people ask me about my job I respond that I do SEO work for a company that compares PEO companies. Given the quizzical looks I receive from most people, I have to explain the acronyms. First, a PEO company is a professional employer organization, a company to which administrative tasks can be outsourced (what is a peo?). Second, SEO stands for search engine optimization. Hopefully, if you are reading this you have an idea about what SEO is and the value it has for your company because SEO work is essentially the crux of any online business. In the simplest of terms, search engine optimization is enhancing your online marketing; by creating content with specific terms, your company can attract greater customers to your website. This, in turn, should lead to greater product or service purchases, which then should produce greater profits. However, this “then” implication rests on two truths: first, you have to target the right customers; and second, you have to be making more than you are spending on SEO.
Ultimately, both truths could be resolved with the same technique: using the best keywords. There are a lot of basics (specifically, creating and indexing your website) behind SEO that any small business owner should read about and understand before developing their online presence. Personally, I would suggest Search Engine Optimization for Dummies. After all, when has the “…For Dummies” series led you astray? (There are several editions and while the newest edition obviously has the best, most-updated content, any of the books are valuable.) Ultimately the best tip the book provides once your website has been established is choose the right keywords.
Think not about what defines your company (honesty, responsibility, ethics), but what defines your product – specific words that explain what you are selling that also include to whom you are selling. For example, PEOcompare.com provides a free PEO services matching tool to compare PEO companies but far more people search for “PEO companies” than “PEO comparison.” We, therefore, create quantity that focuses around the keyword “PEO companies.” How do we determine the best keywords? Find out in our next blog on SEO.