It
is no surprise that London is one of the most competitive areas worldwide for a
small business to get ranked on Google. Moreover, the past few years have seen
Google make it easier for large brands to rank top in local searches making it
harder for small and less recognizable local brands to stay relevant. However,
despite these challenges, online search remains the main medium that consumers find about small business.
According
to a survey by Vistaprint Digital
Services, about 37 % of the polled internet users claimed that they found out
small businesses by searching online. Surprisingly, online research beat word-of-mouth at
35%,which is considered the lifeblood of
local businesses.
Sections where business can rank on Google results
We’ve
provided a broader overview of leads and sales generation options on Google for
inbound marketing that will help your
local business in London to appear on the
first page of results.
Here are
three main sections on Google,where your
business and website can potentially rank.
1 1) Paid Search Results (PPC – pay per click)
These results appear at the top and bottom of
Google’s results page and are indicated by a small “Ad”
icon. Businesses pay to have these Google Adwords pay per click placements
appear in the search results when users search specific keywords.
They are ideal for new and struggling brands
competing against larger businesses in organic search results. This strategy
has high revenue potential, but might be more expensive and lacks long term results compared to organic or local search results. Besides, when
you stop paying for the Google Adwords,
your result stops showing.Therefore,this
method is ideal for higher-profit
businesses.
2) Local Search Results
To have your business appearing in Google’slocal search
results, you need to have a Google My Business account. Moreover, these results
appear within Google Maps page after a user searches for keywords with a
location such as “plumber in Hammersmith.”This is key forsmall local
businesses as it puts you in front of
local people ready to buy.
There are three key reasons why Local Google listing is very important;
- Costs - This
listing is free. Besides, although you may need a local SEO expert,it
provides the lowest cost strategy in comparison to the relatively
expensive PPC or organic results that might take longer to give returns.
- High chance of ranking –
Your business ranks higher in the local results because your competitors are all from your area.
- Higher conversion rate - people
who search locally have an intention to buy from local businesses,and this local listing can generate
valuable reviews for potential customers.
There are many strategiesto get your Google My Business account on local search result placement in
Google.
3) Organic Search Results
Organic search results are displayed below Google Ads and sometimes below
local results. They are free. Google uses an
algorithm,which keeps changing, to determine the websites that rank
highest for organic search results based on keywords, relevance, web user
experience, and other technical factors.
Here’s why organic search result is very important
for your business;
·
Highly qualified visits–It brings
in regular and more engaged visitors. Besides, research has shown that most
users trust organic result more over the paid Ads. 94%percent of search engine users click on
organic results compared to 6% for paid
search results.
·
Long
term result–Although it takes time to achieve meaningful
results, organic search results are long-lasting. Once you establish and
implement search engine visibility, it will serve your business for years.
·
Cost-efficient in the long
run - Paid traffic campaigns are expensive. Utilizing
organic search results will see your cost per organic
visitor decrease by many factors while your business’ return increases.
·
An excellent method of
brand building - Organic traffic gives you higher credibility hence is key in building new and struggling brands.
This shows that it is difficult for your
local business to rank organically for terms with the keyword London without
using proper SEO. Therefore, you need an SEO
agency thatknows the key search terms to help your business in ranking high. If
you need highly-skilled, dedicated, cost-efficient and result-driven SEO or PPC expert and would like to get detailed
strategy tailored to your particular business,get
in touch with VS Digital Media for free and with
no obligation quote.
For more information contact VS Digital Media Ltd
