UK SEO searches 2015-20
Latest version
Small business SEO is now more vital than ever. Why? Because with more people working from home, offline advertising will struggle to compete with online searches.
Your competitors know this. That’s why Google Trends shows that searches for SEO in the UK recently (March 2020) peaked higher than at any time in the past five years.
Still, small businesses face special problems when it comes to investing in SEO. This leads to three common mistakes.
Mistake #1: DIY SEO
Small budgets make DIY seem tempting. Yet whilst the basics of SEO can seem simple to learn, they take years to master — and they keep changing.
Besides, the simple parts won’t get you far. Why not? Because everyone else is already doing them.
So DIY SEO will cost you sales, as well as “free” time that isn’t actually free. Ignore those costs at your peril. In reality, it often costs less to engage an SEO expert.
Mistake #2: SEO Scams
SEO is an ongoing investment in quality and competitiveness. That takes time, skill, constant learning — and is not a quick-fix. Whilst there are ways to get fast results, search engines penalise sites that use them.
Likewise, SEO results can’t really be guaranteed, They depend on things neither you nor an SEO expert can control, such as the competitiveness of your market.
Still, small businesses often want cheap, guaranteed quick-fixes. So they fall for the amateurs and fly-by-night scams offering these, over and over.
Mistake #3: SEO Misconceptions
Perhaps worse, these understandable yet impractical expectations lead to dissatisfaction with legitimate SEO, too. The most common reasons for SEO “not working” are:
- Targeting keywords with little traffic or buying intent
- Targeting highly-competitive keywords without adequate budget or prior positioning
- Giving up before SEO has had a chance to work
- Blaming SEO for poor conversion rates (a separate, common issue)
Then there are those who think they don’t need SEO simply because they don’t even track their website traffic, or how they really make sales. Whatever has worked until now, they haven’t questioned it, or how many sales are passing them by. That’s a dangerous position to be in when times get tough.
All of these fuel common misconceptions about SEO. Yet the fact is, SEO works — and you need it now more than ever. So how can you invest wisely, and avoid the scams?
Small Business SEO — A Helping Hand
Effective SEO isn’t just complicated — it’s multi-faceted, and it evolves over time. Doing it properly involves on-site, off-site, technical, social and psychological factors, as well as analysing stats and creating great content. So in recent years, my SEO packages have evolved into “SEO Plus” digital marketing packages, covering more options than other SEO plans at small business friendly price points.
Why? Because since 2005, my goal has been to help small businesses compete cost-effectively online. So I understand why price is such a big factor, especially for micro-businesses. Few can afford to spend the thousands each month on SEO that slightly larger firms do.
Still, the game just changed. So you need to change yours — and I can offer a helping hand.
The Coronavirus Update
The world just got a lot more competitive, and a lot more reliant on the internet. Folks who actively want to buy something don’t wait for a convenient ad to pop up. They search for it — and over 90% will never look past the first page of search results. So that’s where you need to be found.
That makes digital marketing more valuable than ever — and when something gets more valuable, prices increase. So why have I slashed my SEO Plus plan prices by 20%?
Because my goal of helping small businesses compete is real. That means giving you a real, cost-effective alternative to making the mistakes listed above.
Still, I can’t keep this offer open for long, and may be forced to increase my prices soon. So signing up by 31st March 2020 will help me delay that increase and lock in the discount for the duration of your plan.
The Cost of Delaying Small Business SEO
At best, delaying investment in SEO means missing sales and gradually falling behind. Delaying when prices are about to go up could put you out of the race. Check out my SEO Plus plans using the link below, and if you have any questions, or other reasons for delaying further, please get in touch!