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You've probably heard all the buzz about search engine optimization (SEO). But it's confusing, even overwhelming, and you suspect SEO is more appropriate for big businesses, rather than a small or mid-sized company, like yours.
SEO is the process of increasing the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engines like Google via natural ("organic") or unpaid search results as opposed to pay-per-click (PPC) ads, which are paid inclusion.
In the past, businesses attracted potential customers through print advertising, radio, telemarketing, trade shows, direct mail and other outbound marketing strategies.
Today, people start their purchasing process online. They go to search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Studies indicate that, 81% of Internet user's worldwide use search engines. You want to be sure these potential customers find your company when seeking the products and services you offer. That's where SEO comes in. SEO can position your website at the top of the search engine listings for the keywords in a search query, resulting in increased traffic and ultimately more sales for your business.
Still not sure if you need SEO? Then ask yourself the 10 simple questions below to see if your company and its website could benefit from SEO.
1. Do you want your small or mid-sized business to grow?
More than 80% of online consumers begin their search for a product or service using a search engine like Google. And 81% of internet users worldwide turn to search engines for answers. If you're a small business that wants to increase sales, you can't afford to ignore this enormous purchasing audience.
2. Would you like more leads than you're currently getting from customer referrals?
While word-of-mouth is a great way to grow your business, you're limiting your referrals to people who hear about you. Just imagine how many more sales you could generate if you were also getting referrals from search engines. A high ranking on Google will bring you a steady flow of new customers who otherwise might never have found your company.
3. Do you want your site to appear at the top of the search engine result pages?
Studies show that 91% of search engine users don't click past the first page of search results. Do you? Probably not. If you want new customers to find you, your website must appear within the top 10 listings, the higher the better.
4. Do you think your website would receive more traffic if it ranked high, not only for its main keywords, but also long-tail keywords as well?
Your organic ranking on Google is very important. And while it's crucial that your website ranks high for your main keywords and phrases, there are also more specific terms you could capture that would bring in additional business currently going to your competition.
5. Could you benefit from added visibility via social media?
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social sites are exploding in popularity and can play an important part in your SEO strategy. Participation on these fast-growing platforms can generate huge amounts of traffic to your site, which leads to increased exposure and helps build your brand.
6. Would you like a better return on your advertising investment than you currently get from traditional media like newspapers, Yellow Pages, television or radio?
SEO costs much less than traditional advertising platforms yet offers more reach and longer exposure. Optimize your website with SEO, and it could stay at the top of the search engines for months or years, but nobody keeps yesterday's newspaper or last year's Yellow Pages lying around for long. And radio and TV commercials are forgotten within minutes. You'll get a far greater return on investment from the online visibility and increased traffic that SEO delivers.
7. Would you prefer to have top placement on the search engines without paying for it?
Sure you can purchase pay-per-click (PPC) ads to appear in the search results, but that will eat up your marketing budget in a hurry. Also, you should know that studies indicate 85% of search engine users are more likely to click on organic (natural) search results rather than paid search ads. SEO is considered a better investment than PPC advertising.
8. Do you value targeted leads?
Search engine users who find you through Google, Bing and Yahoo are specifically looking for products and services that your company offers. They are qualified visitors with a genuine interest in your products or services, and that's just what you need.
9. Are you concerned that your competition has a stronger presence online than you do?
The longer you wait to implement SEO techniques, the more entrenched your competitors get in the search rankings. You need to focus on getting your website ranked now if you want to increase your market share of the business. Tomorrow may be too late.
10. Do you want to position your company for the future?
If so, then the Internet is where you need to be. It's where your competitors are and your customers too. Very simply, if you don't have a quality website that ranks high on the search engines, potential buyers won't find you.
If your answer to each of the 10 questions above is "yes," then you owe it to yourself to investigate what SEO can do for your business. The investment you put into SEO and online visibility today will pay off with increased sales and profits.
The online marketplace is crowded. Small and medium-sized businesses must compete aggressively to attract attention and new customers. Fortunately, SEO is affordable and can make a powerful difference in the volume and quality of traffic your site receives.
Put your website to work for you. The faster you engage in SEO, the sooner you'll have new customers knocking at your virtual door.
Ready to get started? Get a FREE SEO ANALYSIS today!
Let our team of SEO professionals at SearchXcel, a leading SEO Company review and analyze your company's website at no charge. We'll create a detailed proposal for launching your site to the top of the search engines. Call SearchXcel at (877)-400-0252 or visit us at www.searchxcel.com for a free SEO consultation and quote. | 
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