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Do Small Businesses Really Need SEO?

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The Tree in the woods parable

In metaphysics there this rather widespread parable made famous by George Berkeley — the possibility of unperceived existence. The whole idea can be summed up in a popular riddle: “If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” The whole idea is a philosophical thought experiment regarding questions of observation and perception. What exactly does this deviation, this segway have to do with SEO? Well, just about everything. If something pops up on a website, say a product or a blog post, and one is there to read it… does it make a sound? Does it matter? Is it even important? I want you to keep that in mind. If you leave after reading this article with just one takeaway I hope it’s this one — Your content, without SEO is like that proverbial tree; mighty, gigantic, possibly prehistoric, but ultimately menial at the end of its days. 

Why do small businesses need SEO?

90% of the data available right now on the internet has been created since 2016. On a typical day, there are over 7 billion users on the net. In 2019, there were over 474,000 tweets a minute. In 2016, YouTube was getting over 400 hours of new videos — that number has doubled. There are over 40,000 search queries a minute on Google, more than 3.5 billion a day. 

And blog and articles? 

More than 2.5 billion in a single day. That includes news reports and content like the one you’re reading right now. 

The reality is that it’s not only small businesses that need SEO it’s everyone. Research done by IDC showed that over 80% of worldwide data produced is unstructured. Only 20% of what is created is actually being picked up by Google or other web repositories. And that 20% That 20% has to fight like a rabid dog to get noticed and one-up their peers.  

Google — Your Friend and Your Enemy

Google doesn’t care about you. That’s the cold hard fact. Google’s main objective is to classify data and distribute it efficiently. PERIOD. Google is the net’s librarian, it picks up books tossed on the floor and clarifies them according to the Dewey Decimal System. It shelves those books and when someone comes for one it goes to the shelf and hands it out. BUT in order to have a book perfectly organized it needs classifiers — authors, dates, editions, topics, etc. This is SEO at its most primitive. It’s key information you’re giving Google to better classify you. 

Without that info, without those keywords, those tech solutions, and data points Google won’t know where to file you — and, when the librarian gets frustrated, it either tosses you into the digital dustbin or sticks you in the lost and found until someone reclaims you. 

What are the benefits of strong SEO

It’s cost-effective 

Organic searches are the primary source of website traffic. Being visible in Google, without the need to advertise constitutes a venture into 75% of the overall search market. To do this a business has two methods:

  • Organic Traffic
  • Paid Traffic.

Organic traffic, one generated by proper use of SEO practices is more affordable compared to advertising. You’ll only have to spend once on a proper write-up — not daily just to funnel in clients. 

SEO builds Trust

One of the main goals of SEO is to establish credibility. A great SEO company like Devenup can seed the idea that you are an authority on the subject. There are dozens of elements that Google uses as authority regulators — criteria the giant juggles in order to list you as someone users can trust.

Positive user interaction.

Optimized page elements and content.

Quality of backlink profiles.

Machine learning signals. 

The more Google trusts you and your SEO the better you rank — the better you rank, the more credibility to ultimately have. 

Engagement, traffic, conversions, and buying cycles. 

Customers do their search — they are highly educated and in many cases are extremely wary. Good SEO relays your message better and manages to convince your potential client more effectively. It promotes engagement and dominates regional internet traffic thanks to GPS.

SEO Makes you visible

Above all, SEO draws people to you, it makes you visible. Without SEO, you’re ultimately lost in a sea of data. The proverbial needle in the haystack. Without SEO your business won’t even show up on Google and ultimately won’t even make a dent in the digital ether. Sadly, right now, thanks to Google’s interface we are at that giant’s mercy. 

Each business is unique and each one has goals and strategies that are exclusive to them. Look for a SEO-proficient company that has the experience and overall that works with small clients. One that’s not swamped by the chores dictated by larger companies. A firm that takes its time to give you a singular strategy and not one that promotes a “one-size-fits-all” model.