The internet marketplace is growing at a phenomenal pace and with it the competition has become vicious. Every marketer is trying to outsmart the other in their niche to get a piece of the customer-rich market. Over the years, many marketing techniques have been emerging to help online marketers leverage the growing numbers on this platform. However, search engine optimization (SEO) remains the most effective strategy. If you are looking for a career choice, it is time to learn more about how SEO services are changing the internet landscape in order to invest your time and money and become among the best SEO experts in the market.
Why SEO Matters in Online Marketing
Before investing in SEO training, you need to take time to appreciate the importance of the services you will be providing to the market. For a start, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) says there are over 3.6 billion internet users today and the numbers are growing. A similar study by Pew Internet Research shows that over 80% of Americans have made an online purchase. In fact, 51% of consumers prefer shopping online.
These numbers give a sneak preview of the reason every brand is trying to leverage these numbers through business websites. Today, a beautiful website is not enough for online marketing. Any brand angling for a piece of the market has to boost its visibility on search engines.
Why so? A survey published on search engine journal shows that 93% of search engine experiences start with a search engine. This means any brand fighting for visibility online must invest in search engine optimization (SEO). The same survey shows that 74% of internet users don’t scroll past the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs). If a business wants to be seen on search, it has to invest in SEO services. This is where your services as an Ithaca SEO professional will come in handy.
Limitless Opportunities in the SEO Industry
With this in mind, it is a no-brainer that starting an SEO service is a brilliant entrepreneurship idea. This is among the most profitable online ventures. As of 2016, the SEO industry was worth $65 billion and considering this is an industry that is barely a decade old, these numbers are phenomenal by any standards. SEO spend according to Borrell Associates will have risen to an estimated $79 billion by 2020.
If you were looking for a business idea with the best returns, an SEO company seems to fit the bill perfectly. The next question then becomes; what do you need to succeed as an SEO service provider? Here are some ideas you can use to grow your SEO business:
- Build Your Networks
Whether you are working as a web designer, an online marketer or in any other profession related to the internet marketplace, you can use this as a foundation for your SEO Company. Every client you currently have is a potential SEO customer. Always retain every contact you make in the online market because these will help you start building your business. Your family and friends might also turn to be important customers either directly or through referrals. In the online market, every contact made should be retained.
- Build a Professional Website
Your website is the face of your business online and as such, you must invest heavily in design and development. If you don’t have the prerequisite skills and tools to build a business website, hire professional services. Your customers will visit your website to get first impressions and determine whether you have the skills you are advertising.
You should not just focus on aesthetics alone but instead blend functionality with beauty. Your website should be easy to navigate because this is a major factor in user experience (UX). Remember search engines will check these factors when crawling through your pages. If it is hard to maneuver through your site, you will never feature on the 1st page of SERPs. A professionally built website is a powerful tool for any business, more so for an SEO company.
- Leverage Social Media Marketing
There are millions of people on social media and this is the best platform to use to grow your nascent company. Start by creating professional social media profiles on several platforms and build a consistent campaign to make users notice. If you already have followers on your personal social media networks, start posting content and include links to such posts.
- Practice What You Preach
Across all your online platforms, make sure you have consistent branding and messaging. More importantly, use white hat SEO techniques which will not lead to penalties. Make sure you publish helpful content on your blog and deploy all the other SEO techniques which you propose for your clients. This helps build customer trust. Make sure you engage with your clients constantly to build brand awareness.
The SEO industry is ready for you but to get the best out of this industry, you have to be well armed. Competition is tight but the demand for SEO services is not going to end soon. Make sure you have a professionally built website, invest in the best talent, provide excellent customer support and always stay up to date with trending SEO technologies.
Author Bio
Carol Jones is an Ithaca SEO consultant with over 21 years’ experience in digital marketing. She also runs an SEO blog targeting business owners. Carol lives with her family in the city. Visit her blog here for more information.
