The Bigger They Are...

In a recent BrightLocal poll, 546 "local SEOs" (local agencies and freelancers who work with local businesses, local franchises and and smaller multi-location businesses) were asked to answer 3 questions.  The answers prove what I’ve often written:  small local business have an extreme advantage over “big business” if they’ll only take advantage of it.

First question:

What impact does on-page SEO have on search ranking in 2016?

Four out of 5 local SEOs said on-page SEO has a “high” or “very high” impact on search rankings. 13% said “some impact.”

This "93% effectiveness" explains why on-site SEO was rated as the most in-demand service from customers (and one of the top two services offered).  And why it’s so important.

Second question:

How long do you have to wait for technical on-page changes?

Almost four out of 5 of local SEOs (79%) generally wait less than a week for requested technical changes. (33 percent waited 1 working day).

That’s very quick turnaround (many did say they make changes themselves).  But that’s an important factor for your local site’s ranking; speed is critical.

RIGHT THERE IS WHERE SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES SHINE!

Remember what I said at the beginning?  “Local SEOs” work with local businesses.  But “big site” SEOs (in-house or agency, who might have a “couple of dozen people”, and be "responsible for billions of pageviews per month"), can’t move that fast.

In fact, 42% said they had been waiting longer than a year for change completion. 

And 58% of “big site” SEOs don’t expect to seeing a change request “go live” for at least another six months.  That's hard to even believe.

They have a lot of reasons, though.  In "big business":

1. marketing team priorities aren’t always seen as priorities;
2. the company’s “current platform” makes the desired change impossible (imagine using Windows 95); and,
3. there is “a long dev (development) backlog”.

“Local SEOs” - on the other hand - have more direct access to the business owner/decision maker.  And small local business websites are seldom as complex as “bigger” sites.  So work can be approved and completed much faster, benefiting the business and their customers, sooner.   Local businesses obviously have lower budgets than large enterprises, but Local businesses can “turn on a dime” while "big businesses" can't.  Paraphrasing something I said last month, small local businesses are like private planes; they can "change course" faster than a jetliner.  So a smaller "passenger list" doesn't have to mean a lower profit ratio.

Third question:

What on-page content is most effective for ranking?

“Title” and “meta data” were given by 68% as the “most effective” on-page content for improving rankings.

“Title and “meta data”  define a page for search engines, but they also provide a valuable preview of a page on search engine results pages ("SERPs").  The name of the site, the name and address of the business, etc., are “content” (and you know what they are when you see them, but search engines don’t).  “Meta data”, also known as “tags”, define that content; they tell the search engines what the content is), and determine how the content will be seen by a visitor.

Here’s an example:  If you’ve been to this blog before, you know I’m very sarcastic at times.  But sarcasm doesn’t come across well in print.  So I try to remember to use what I call “sarcasm tags”: <sarcasm> Get it?</sarcasm>   The <sarcasm> </sarcasm> tags wouldn’t be visible on the web page (and the sarcasm would be overlooked).

Title and meta data do require "keyword research", but don’t require a lot of technical expertise.  Neither does “copy”, necessarily.

Lastly,

Videos and Professional Photography were rated by local SEOs as less effective on search rankings (and require more technical expertise).

IMPORTANT NOTE: That last paragraph applies to search rankings ONLY.  People like video, especially.  And pretty pictures.  So USE PICTURES and VIDEO to get and keep customers' attention.  Just keep in mind: that’s for engagement, not ranking.

For more information, CALL. 602-618-6626.  Or email me. info@localmotivemarketing.com.