I know…as a business owner, you get 20 calls a day from search engine optimization companies telling you about your poor google rankings, and how they can get you to the top of the first page…GUARANTEED!
Does that sound familiar?
I hear this from all my local business clients. They are getting bombarded daily by SEO, Social Media, Reputation Management, as well as Web Design companies promising them more clients…quickly.
You most likely have a website, if you’re an existing local business. I want you to wrap your arms around this thought.
You Are Losing Potential Customers
If you are not on the first page of google, the chances anyone who is searching for your service or product getting to your website is “slim and none”. How far do you go when you do a local search? I know for me, if I don’t see what I want on the first page, I may go to the second and click on the top couple of results, and that’s it! I would say I only go to the second page maybe 10% of the time.
Can you see how hugely important getting your business on the first page is to your survival?
What You Need To Know
Statistics are now showing that 1 in every 3 searches has a local intent. What that means is with the billions of searches that happen daily, 30% of them are for a local service or business.
Reading this number should be enough for you to realize the importance of SEO to your business.
Again, just think of yourself for a minute. When you are looking for a plumber, electrician, or even a dentist, where do you go?
If you’re like most people, you get on your computer…and search the Internet (typically google)… to find one right?
3 Ways To Get On First Page Of Google
There are 3 main ways to be on the first page:
- Paid Listings (google ads in top and right side of page).
- Local Listings (called Google+ Local).
- Organic Listings (results usually below the local, but not always).
You can also get on the Maps, which for some keyword phrases (not all) show in the upper right corner of page.
Here’s a visual for you.
Picture your physical business out in the middle of the desert all by itself. That’s the equivalent to your website if it’s not on the first page of google. No one will ever find you, so you lose and your competitors who are on the first page get all the business.
There Is No Guarantee
No SEO company on the planet can guarantee you first page results. There are many factors involved to determine if it’s even plausible for your business to rank on the first page.
The more competitive it is in your area, the tougher it will be to rank, and the SEO costs will definitely go up, as there are more “man hours” invovled.
If you get any calls, or hear an SEO firm use the word “guarantee”…be concerned!
Google owns the game. Not even the best SEO companies know exactly what google does to rank websites.
With that being said, many of us who have been doing search engine optimization for years, have a confident grasp we can produce results. The kind of results that will stick (remain) and not be gone tomorrow.