If you’re a small business, where are you getting the majority of your customers? Assuming that “small” also means “local,” it’s likely that most of your revenue is driven by word-of-mouth and local advertisements. You probably have a website because that’s what’s expected of every modern business, but it might not be a main source of revenue-generation for your company. If this is the case, does your small business’ website really need to be optimized for the search engines? The very simple answer is yes.

Free and Powerful Marketing

The Internet is a very powerful, cost-effective marketing tool. As a small business, you can’t afford to turn down such a potentially highly-profitable advertising tool. Since you already pay for the domain and hosting of your website, why not increase its SEO? There are very easy and simple ways to increase the SEO of your website, and Verticalwerks can help you do just that. Doing so can’t hurt, and it will only drive more traffic to your site.

More traffic means more customers means more profit, and your small business wants more profit. In addition, people now use the Internet more than any other source for information. Enhancing your SEO may prove to be a more-cost efficient and effective marketing method than placing an ad in the newspaper or on TV.

Localized Searches

Localized searches are the reason your small business needs SEO. Localized searches make up a high percentage of the searches performed every day on Google and other engines. This means that people are looking for products or services in a specific area. SEO will help you capitalize when people are searching for whatever it is that your business provides.

For example, if someone in Jacksonville, FL wants to find custom tailoring, they will likely search for “custom tailoring in Jacksonville.” Even if they don’t add “in Jacksonville,” Google will identify their location and return search results it thinks are most relevant, which will be for custom tailoring near that location. If you’re a custom tailor in Jacksonville, you’ll want your website to be recommended, and it won’t be if you don’t have SEO.

 Local Directories

With the increasing popularity of location-based search engines, apps, and voice recognition software like Siri for the iPhone 4S, the importance of small business SEO will only continue to rise. Your website needs SEO, but there are other important ways to increase your small business’s visibility for the search engines.

For example, when a search is performed using Siri on the iPhone, Siri looks to local directories and review websites like Yelp and Bing Local for the business that’ll be recommended. She will recommend businesses that are geographically close to the user, as well as those with high ratings.

It’s important to have your small business listed on as many directories as possible. Verticalwerks helps you do this by claiming and verifying your business on directory sites. We fill out as much information as possible, such as business hours and contact information, and try to encourage your customers to review your business online. This will increase your SEO for searches that rely on local directories.

M. Lau shares relevant business information related to online marketing and link building with a focus on executable strategies.