How SEO is Helping Austin Businesses to Survive Covid

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The world can seem like an uncertain place with Covid-19 hampering the way we live. However, one thing has remained certain: the impact of SEO.
Now more than ever, people look online for products, services, and news. That’s why Austin’s businesses need SEO to grow and thrive despite the impacts of the global situation.

Why Does Search Engine Optimization Matter for Austin Businesses?

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1. To Make Use of Local SEO

It’s the best time at the moment to invest in Local-SEO practices. That’s because the demand for locally sourced services and products has increased. Due to restrictions, users actively search for brands in their neighborhood or city to fulfill their purchasing requirements.
For example, say you’re searching for a birthday gift and need it delivered on or before the birth date. Due to fewer in-city restrictions, opting for a local brand ensures that the gift arrives on time. Additionally, if the birthday person lives in the same city, you can directly deliver the gift to their doorstep.
User behavior like this means that companies in Austin should implement local-SEO techniques. The right local-SEO strategy will help your business capture the local market, gain more sales and build brand awareness.
For example, See how this Austin-based cake shop has optimized their website for “Send gifts in Austin” and ranking at the top with the help of local SEO.

2. To Do a Budget-Friendly Marketing

During these unprecedented times, finding budget-friendly marketing options is a must. That’s why companies in Austin and globally prefer SEO.
Unlike billboards or magazine ads that are expensive, SEO techniques are affordable or free!
Plus, search engines crawl your website whether you do SEO or not. So, why not take advantage of that? Start with in-house SEO practices such as writing keyword-specific blogs, creating engaging social media posts, or getting a Google My Business profile. It will only cost you time, not money.
For example, See how this Interior designer company in Austin creates user engagement by posting quality blogposts.
However, to actively appear on SERPs and gain more web traffic, consider hiring an affordable Digital Marketing Agency. SEO is a fast-paced world; having experts to help you is beneficial. Plus, hiring a team means better success at meeting your marketing goals.

3. To Stay Ahead of Competition

Whether you’re a food truck on Rainey Street, or a bar in South Austin, the competition in any industry is fierce. The only way to keep up is to invest in an SEO strategy and do competitor research. These two things alone will help your business grow organically online.
You don’t have to go to a digital marketing agency for competitor analysis. Alternatively, you can use SEO tools. There are many SEO management tools online that offer competitor analysis.
Using Spyfu, SEMrush, or Moz, you can get access to competitor info such as:

• Keywords with high ROI
• Backlink profile
• Customer reviews
• Traffic sources, etc.

Most of these features are available with the basic package. However, you can unlock more SEO reports and analytics for a monthly fee. The insights from these features will further help your company grow.
Here is the competitor analysis screenshot from SEMrush.

4. To Get Quality Leads

Imagine shooting a dart in the dark. It’s pretty difficult to hit a target. However, with a bit of light, you can achieve this easily. That’s what SEO does for a website. It’s the light that allows customers to find you. The brighter the light, the more customers see you. That’s why SEO is so effective at creating quality leads.
Keyword research, content marketing, link building, etc. - are all SEO practices that aid in lead generation.
Simply put, the more your website is optimized, the better chance it has at showing up on search pages. More visibility and higher rank equal more traffic. More traffic means more quality leads.
For example, see how this website ranks at the top for “Buy Office Furniture Austin” and gain more visibility.

5. To Ensure Better User Experience

SEO is that you build a faster, friendlier, and better website through its practices. For example, if you optimize your website by:

• Creating strong content,
• Improving navigation,
• Increasing loading speeds,
• Building quality backlinks etc.,

You get a website that's best suited for search engines. But, you also create a website that users can engage with meaningfully.
For example, Take a look at the user-friendly navigation menu of a UK-based ecommerce giant Argos.
When people think of SEO, they think about websites, statistics, and obviously - search engines. However, the heart of SEO is people. More specifically, we're talking about the visitors who interact with your website. Search engines want to give their users the best results.
SEO offers users the best information and experience through content and the actual website. So, essentially, SEO revolves around the user.

6. To Increase Organic Search Traffic

As we mentioned before, search engines continually crawl websites to find the best content for their users. So, whether you do SEO or not, you will still get traffic from organic search queries.
However, crawlers learn what content is published and who would be interested in it through SEO practices. Therefore, search engines can show your website to interested visitors.
Let's say you have a BBQ restaurant in Austin, and your website only uses keywords such as 'BBQ restaurant' or 'best BBQ.'
Have a look at this screenshot.
Through those keywords, your website will appear in general searches. However, content with 'BBQ restaurant in Austin' or 'Austin BBQ' will help you expand your reach to a more targeted user.
Therefore, the more specific your SEO methods are the more quality leads and organic traffic you will garner.

7. To Build Trust

When was the last time you questioned the authority of the results from a search?
You probably didn't and went on to click the first few links without much thought. That's because users tend to trust the recommendations that Google, Bing, or YouTube bring up.
Users trust search engine results like they would a recommendation from a friend. That's why trust is a huge one out of the many perks of first-page ranking. Apart from rank, other elements help you gain more credibility.
Elements such as:

• Website mentions (natural links)
• Client reviews
• Authentic content, etc.

The higher your website ranks in keyword searches, the more it will solidify your company's authority and reputation in your niche. So, if you want to appear in the top three spots for 'Austin's best small business,' you better invest in SEO strategies.

8. To Make Use of User Data

Going back to the Austin BBQ example. Let's say your top-performing keywords are 'Best Brisket in Austin' and 'BBQ takeaway.'
These keywords indicate that your target demographic is interested in these two offerings. Insights like this can help you when creating a seasonal menu. Or whether you should partner with a food delivery app.
Thanks to SEO, your company gets access to data that can aid in your company goals and marketing decisions. A skilled SEO analyst can offer reports for a deeper understanding.
However, through SEO tools such as Ahrefs, Google Search Control, and SEMrush, you get real-time data on:

• Keyword performance
• SERP analysis
• Search query data, etc.

For example, Take a look at this section from “Site explorer” in Ahrefs showing lots of real-time data including, Backlinks, Referring domains, organic traffic, and more.
Use these SEO tools and the user data to grow your company further. Data is a natural byproduct and a benefit of SEO, so take advantage of it.

9. To Reap Long-Term Benefits

Unlike a billboard in a prominent area, the lifespan of an SEO campaign lasts forever. Or at least until you update your website or there's a massive change with algorithms.
Essentially, you can expect the lifespan of an SEO strategy to benefit your company for years to come. That's because optimized pages from a year (or more) ago will still appear in relevant searches.
It's essential to stay on top of the SEO game. It's an ever-evolving world, so either stay consistent with your SEO practices or hire a digital marketing agency. The experts know what to put to keep your website ranking and growing.
Additionally, having a team dedicated to SEO means you can target both long-term and short-term goals.

10. To Get Increased Engagement

A good SEO strategy implements content marketing. This approach focuses on getting users to interact or take a desired action with the content provided.
Meaning, optimized pages which have actionable content will have an increased engagement. Whether it be leaving a comment on a blog or purchasing a product - SEO creates more opportunities for user engagement.
Take, for example, an Austin-based website that publishes a blog about an upcoming small-business expo.
They add a call-to-action button to buy expo tickets or subscribe to their newsletter on that page. This actionable content creates opportunities for users to interact with the company, increasing engagement.
Plus, search engines will rank their blog for people searching for the expo due to page optimization. Small SEO practices like these help with engagement.

11. To Enhance Brand Awareness & Reputation

Web users like to get to know the brand before making any decisions. They research by checking reviews, ratings, articles, etc. Information like this is shown to them through SEO practices that highlight your company's details and offerings.
So, if you want more control over what a user sees when they do a name-brand search, then it's imperative to have a strong SEO marketing plan. The goal should be to produce high-quality content that is optimized and delivers valuable information.
Through local-SEO techniques such as:

• Having a Google my Business listing,
• Being featured on reputed websites,
• Strong social media presence,
• Review management, etc.

These practices will rank your website high on search rankings but also increase brand awareness, visibility and encourage a strong reputation.
For example, See how this “Surfer shop” company is maintaining a good GMB profile along with good reviews all across the web.

12. To Get Higher Conversion Rates

According to 99firms, leads that come from SEO have a 14.6% average conversion rate. This percentage is much higher than outbound methods, which has a rate of 1.7%. These statistics aren't surprising for many reasons. The most significant is that SEO is a form of inbound marketing.
Inbound marketing is currently the most preferred method for lead generation. It follows the principle of attracting customers by creating valuable and enticing content. Rather than outbound methods that disrupt a client.
When two inbound marketing strategies work together, namely SEO and content marketing, it unlocks huge potential. Through newsletters, blog content, how-to videos, etc., clients are more motivated to purchase an item or avail of a service. Hence the conversion rates are higher.
For example, Have a look at these blogposts from an Austin-based website.

Some Crucial SEO Stats You Need to Know

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• Any search's top five organic results (links) account for 67.60% of all clicks (Impact).
• 51% of people who first conducted a local search then visited a retailer within a 5-mile radius (WordStream).
• When searching for information, 75% of people don't go past the first page of results (Hubspot).
• Over 239 million search engine users in the US alone (Statista).
• 68% of online actions first come from search engines (BrightEdge).
• Of all search queries, 50% are made up of four or more words (WordStream).
• 70% of online marketers say SEO is better than PPC for sales generation (Hubspot).

Key Takeaways

Austin has been named the best city to live in for three years in the US. Meaning people are flocking to set up shop and home. Your company must have an online presence in a bustling atmosphere like Austin. And that means investing in SEO.

• It's budget-friendly, and whether you choose to do it yourself or hire an agency
• It will put your company on the map!
• SEO doesn't just help you grow; it helps you thrive.

And, in these unprecedented Covid times, that's reason enough to invest in SEO.

SEO & Its Importance - FAQs

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Q1: Is SEO Important for My Small Business?

As a small business, one of your biggest goals is to get more customers. SEO is the most effective and budget-friendly way to achieve that goal. SEO enables people looking for your product/service to find your business.

Q2: Why Is SEO Important for Websites?

SEO helps search engines rank your website. The better your SEO strategy, the higher your website will rank. This has many benefits, the biggest being a high volume of organic traffic, leading to sales and higher conversion rates.

Q3: What Does SEO Stand for, And What Is It?

SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. It's a part of inbound marketing and is the most effective way to grow a business. Your website will receive more quality leads, sales, and brand awareness through SEO best practices.

Q4: How Important Is SEO for A Digital Marketing Strategy?

Google accounts for 70% of all global search traffic, and SEO practices help companies like Google index and rank your website so that their users can find you. Therefore, SEO is essential for your business and any digital marketing strategy.