Digital marketing is an industry that is not well understood by many business owners. I hear from customers all the time that they get frustrating cold calls from random solicitors about SEO, and that it all sounds very unnecessary. Usually, we are asked “Is local SEO expensive?” I like to answer that it is only expensive if you DON’T do it! SEO might not make an immediate impact, but the long-term game can make a huge difference.
When we approach new clients, their first question – and rightly so – is about how much our services cost. And we understand that smart business decisions are all about weighing the costs versus the benefits. However, most people get so stuck on the price of SEO services that they can’t see the forest for the trees.
We can see where it might be difficult to put your faith in our promise that over time, we can enhance your local presence and your bottom line, but we both also know that sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and put in some sweat equity.
Local SEO is a prime example. You might have to put some money out for the first couple of months that might not show immediate results, but we know that your sweat equity in this case will build your business in the long run. Your savvy competitors are already on board with digital marketing and SEO, and if slow and steady wins the race, you better get at it!
Statistics tell us that 90% of search engine users will only go to first page results when doing an organic search for a product or service. Most of the time, we have no problem getting our customers to understand the value of updating and redoing their website to be more “mobile-friendly,” easier to navigate, and more appealing.
What they might not understand, however, is that you can spend thousands redoing your website to make it eye-catching – but it won’t catch anyone’s eye if they never see it.
If you aren’t found on page one of an internet search, then you are really throwing money away on a new website because the only person that will probably appreciate it is you and the customers who you have already captured.
Throwing the money into making your website spectacular and then letting it sit without the use of local SEO really makes very little economical sense. If you understand the value of your online presence, then it stands to reason that putting in the extra amount to ensure your investment in a new design is well worth it.
Sometimes the only way to illustrate the point you are trying to get across is to put it into practical terms. So let’s say you have your mindset that local SEO is a waste of your monthly marketing budget, but let’s do the math…
How much money do you gain from earning just one client or sale per month? For most industries, if local SEO drives just one customer your way, or entices one to reach out and buy your product, you have recouped all the money you put into monthly local SEO.
A study done by the highly-respected Forrester Group found that when you invest in local SEO, you can increase your revenues by as much as 400%. But is that really realistic? Let’s see how it works.
When it comes to revenue, driving more traffic to your website is not the only way to increase your sales and leads. If someone is merely attempting to land more people on your website indiscriminately, that is probably useless. But that doesn’t mean that driving traffic isn’t a vector for increased sales.
50% of all of your website views comes from people clicking on your link from an organic search result. Those who engage in local SEO are getting more than 50% of all the traffic on the internet, and those who aren’t are sharing the remaining 50% amongst themselves. If you rank on page one, you are being seen 90% of the time; therefore, you are getting 90% of the 50% if you come up on the first page.
The question then becomes not whether SEO is expensive, but whether you can afford not to use it as a resource to enhance your visibility and your bottom line. How many jobs are you currently missing out on because you aren’t being ranked in the top spot when people are searching for your product or service?
What I can tell you is that sometimes in an effort to save pennies, we end up throwing away dollars. If you aren’t doing some form of local SEO, you are probably missing out on a large portion of traffic and revenue.
At Fu Dog Media, we don’t just throw out opinions or projections; we deliver real-life results based on analytics and reports. If you are worried about seeing any change, we provide facts, figures, and analyses about the difference we are making. But most of all, you will feel the difference our efforts make in your sales, leads, and wallet – so my question to you is, how expensive is not engaging in local SEO for your business? Contact us today and let’s start dominating the web together!