Is SEO worth the monthly cost for small businesses?

Keys and Golden Keyring with the Word ROI – Return On Investment – my client has nicknamed his new luxury car “ROI” 🙂
First, allow me to clear the air because I get asked this often…
I completely understand that the costs of good SEO are scary for some of you.
Putting in trust with a company that they are going to actually do the work that your website needs can be frightening. But you know what’s really scary? Hiring an inexperienced team that is new in the SEO business and charges less because of it. I get regular calls from people telling me their nightmare SEO story and how they got burned so they don’t trust anyone.
“OK, is SEO worth it for my small business or not?”
For small businesses, the monthly cost of SEO services can seem like a large expense. However, when you consider the potential return on investment, it is clear that SEO is worth the monthly cost. Here’s a look at why SEO is so important for small businesses and how it can help you achieve your business goals.
SEO Helps You Reach More Customers
One of the main benefits of SEO is that it helps you reach more customers. With good SEO, your website will rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), which means more people will see your website when they search for keywords related to your business. And, since most people don’t go past the first page of SERPs, it is essential to rank as high as possible if you want to reach your target audience.
SEO Increases Brand Awareness
In addition to helping you reach more customers, SEO also increases brand awareness. When people see your website ranking high in SERPs, they will start to associate your brand with those keywords. As a result, they will be more likely to remember your brand when they are ready to make a purchase. And, if they can’t remember your brand name, they are more likely to type in one of your keywords when they search for a product or service like yours, which will bring them right back to your website.
SEO Drives More Traffic to Your Website
More traffic to your website means more opportunities to convert visitors into customers. And, since SEO helps you rank higher in SERPs and increases brand awareness, it naturally leads to more traffic. In fact, businesses that invest in SEO experience an average of 2.8 times more traffic than those that don’t.
SEO is worth the monthly cost for small businesses because it helps you reach more customers, increases brand awareness, and drives more traffic to your website. All of these factors lead to increased sales and ROI. If you are not currently investing in SEO, now is the time to start.
Is SEO worth the monthly cost for small businesses? The answer is yes! SEO is an important investment that can help you reach your target audience, increase brand awareness, and drive more traffic to your website. All of these factors lead to increased sales and ROI. If you are not currently investing in SEO, now is the time to start.
So how do you improve your visibility?
There are a number of factors, but some of the most important ones are:
- The quality and quantity of your content
- The structure of your website
- How easy it is for users to navigate your site
- How often you update your content
- The number and quality of backlinks to your site
As you can see, it’s not just about adding a few keywords here and there. It’s a complex process that takes time, effort, and expertise.
Building SEO works by combining SEO elements using a data-driven approach
These factors include:
Keyword Analysis
Words are powerful, and certain words have the power to control your rankings online. Keywords can be single words or phrases that people frequently use to find what they are looking for. Keywords need to be researched and strategically placed in your content so that the quality of your content is high while still utilizing frequently searched words.
Keywords are one of the reasons why you need SEO for your business. Prospective customers will use certain words or phrases to search for a product or service. If your content contains those words and phrases used by customers, you will increase your visibility because you are providing the answers by specifically utilizing the appropriate keywords. The most effective SEO keywords will be those that are carefully researched and analyzed.
Backlink Building
Backlinks are elements on your website that link back to other credible, high-quality websites. Building backlinks improve your credibility because you are citing sources that are relevant to your area of expertise. For example, including current, trending events straight from their source can increase your credibility.
Backlink building should be done strategically so that your content does not get lost in a sea of other sources, which can be problematic. For example, plagiarism is taken very seriously and you do not want to present other people’s content as your own. Metric Marketing performs backlink cleanup if that is necessary for your site. Backlink building can absolutely enhance your SEO but it needs to be done carefully and ethically.
Content is where your SEO really comes to fruition
Your content allows you to communicate directly with your audience of existing and prospective customers. This is where your keywords help you build authority, trust, consistency, and engagement. Strong content can balance the human side of your customer-driven business with the data-driven analytics necessary to optimize your digital presence.
👋 BTW, I’m Jen – an SEO expert living in San Diego, CA
As a freelance SEO consultant, I wear many hats. I’m part researcher, part writer, and part strategist. I stay up-to-date on the latest SEO trends and algorithm changes so that I can help my clients stay one step ahead of their competition. But more importantly, I take the time to get to know my clients and their businesses inside and out. This allows me to create custom strategies that are tailored to their specific needs and goals.
SEO is important for any business that wants to be visible online, but it’s especially important for small businesses. Why? Because small businesses often don’t have the time or resources to invest in a full-time SEO specialist. That’s where I come in.
BTW, my client calls his new luxury car his ROI.