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Ontario SEO was recently featured in the London Inc Magazine as part of their Tech Alliance featured section. London Inc is a great local publication that showcases local business and their achievements.
In this article, our Director Wayne Atkinson discusses the importance of an ongoing SEO strategy and having a dynamic digital presence. Here is a recap of the questions and answers discussed in this recent article.
What is the importance of having an optimized digital presence? Are the returns worth the effort?
The reality is that if you don’t have a strong digital presence when a potential client starts doing their research, you don’t exist, and if you don’t exist it is unlikely that they will be buying from you.
To generate leads and gain new clients it is important to not just be visible, but to add value for as much of that online journey as possible. Failing to do so could mean losing a future client to your competitor before you have had the chance to have a conversation with them.
How does SEO and other forms of marketing optimization (or lack thereof!) impact your business?
It doesn’t matter whether you are in a B2B or B2C market, your target clients are doing more of their pre-purchase research online than ever before, and probably on a mobile device. If you aren’t visible at the research phase you won’t be on the short-list, and if you don’t add value throughout the sales pipeline, it is unlikely that you will win their business.
Done correctly, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) delivers a steady stream of new enquiries or online sales, ensuring a full sales funnel. Lack of a digital strategy often results in a steady decline of both new and repeat business.
What would most entrepreneurs or small business owners not expect about web optimization?
When having conversations with business owners the expectations if often that optimization gets done, and then you are at the top of the search rankings. The reality is that the amount of work required is usually determined by their online competitors, both direct and indirect. To be more visible than your competitors (usually simplified as ranking higher) you have to do a better job than they have been doing, and if they have been doing it for years then you are going to need to be aggressive and put in a lot of work.
If you are focusing only on organic SEO, then expect it to take some time. The more competitive your market, the longer it will take to see results. In a competitive market you could be looking at 6 to 12 months, maybe longer. In situations like these incorporating Paid Search into your strategy will generate revenue in the short term, taking pressure off your organic SEO strategy.
What are the best resources for business owners to keep up with the changing standards and best practices for optimization?
There is a lot of misinformation, or information that is outdated and no longer relevant. The official google blogs are always a good resource, especially the Webmaster blog which has good best practice information and updates on Google Search Console, which in itself is a fantastic tool for website owners. The Google AdWords and Analytics blogs are also very useful.
Read the full article on the London Inc Magazine website.
