Why now is the time to work with a local SEO agency

If your business is like most, you’ve probably been having a challenging time because of the effects of Covid-19. Consumer confidence has taken a hit, and businesses have had no choice but to adapt to the new guidelines in place to ensure public safety. Many businesses that had no online presence are rushing to build websites whilst other firms have reallocated marketing budget to other departments.

With all this change, it’s important to understand the value of local SEO and how current market conditions are providing opportunities to get ahead of the competition.

Competitors are neglecting their SEO

We’ve seen a clear pattern across all our clients: businesses that have stopped their SEO investments have seen drops in rankings, organic clicks and organic conversions. Conversely, businesses that have continued to work on SEO have seen significant improvements. As fewer businesses work on SEO, the effectiveness of SEO work has increased as a result of less competition. Google loves “fresh” content and rewards websites that are regularly updated with better rankings. Now that a large number of websites are no longer creating content regularly, Google has fewer “fresh” pages to choose from, which is great for those who are creating content.

Whilst we’re seeing the effects of this change now, this is something that we’re likely to see for at least another six months. Furthermore, as SEO changes can take several months to take effect, this means that there will be months of lead time for results once businesses begin creating content again. There hasn’t been a better time to start SEO work than now!

If you’re not working on your SEO, you’re missing a vital marketing channel during uncertain times

SEO has the power to passively generate leads with no advertising cost. There’s no ad campaign to manage and no monthly budget. Moreover, the rankings you gain can stay for years, as long as you maintain the page correctly. If you haven’t thought about an SEO strategy, it’s highly likely that your competitors are gaining sales and leads in an area where your company has no presence.

Local SEO agencies know how to boost your presence in your area

There’s a big difference between ranking across the UK and ranking in your local area. Small businesses with limited SEO budgets can still rank highly for relevant terms from local searchers because of relevance signals your online presence is sending to Google. This is great if your services are related to your area. For example, mentioning your physical address on your website and in online directories can play a major role in local rankings. Furthermore, any links that you gain from local businesses (local newspapers for example) can have a huge impact on local rankings as it lets Google know that you’re relevant to your area.

As an award-winning digital marketing agency, we’ve helped countless businesses gain traffic and leads using SEO. If you think you could be gaining more leads from search engines, contact us today.