With SEO Strategies Changing, Web Market Pros Encourages Local Business Websites to Be Mobile-Friendly & Local Search Optimized
To compete in the modern marketplace, businesses must have a mobile-friendly website and a digital marketing strategy to optimize for local search results.
LOS ANGELES, September 1, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Small business owners are primarily concerned about reaching their target client base in a way that results in sales. With the internet and smart phones being ubiquitous to everyday life, it's more important than ever to make sure they are leveraging these technologies efficiently to improve their company's profitability. It's common knowledge that every business must have a professional website to be competitive in the modern market. What might not be known, is how important it is to make sure a site is developed for mobile access and localized search rankings.
Sites need to be optimized for local search results so prospective clients can find it easily, and it also needs to be attractive and user-friendly when customers access it from a mobile platform. Here are some important reasons to prioritize these aspects for a company's online presence.
1. People Use Mobile Phones To Search For Products and Services
The vast majority of people in a business' targeted customer base are using smart phones to access the internet. The Pew Research Center found that over 75 percent of Americans own a smart phone. Companies must operate under the assumption that most of its potential customers will learn about its company through local search results and access its website on their mobile devices.
This is one of the reasons the experts at Web Market Pros focus on local SEO strategies when developing digital marketing plans. Chances are when a potential client does a web search for a business in any industry, he or she will use a mobile device to perform the search and view the websites in the results. If a site doesn't show up near the top of the search results or looks unattractive on the mobile browser, the potential client will most likely look elsewhere.
2. Google Prioritizes Mobile-Friendly Sites
In order to reach potential clients, a company's website must end up near the top of Google search results. In 2014, Google announced it would be notating sites with mobile-friendly interfaces. As of 2017, a site's functionality on a mobile device is even more important; Google now gives lower search rankings to sites that don't meet its criteria for mobile accessibility. Therefore, creating a mobile-friendly website is an excellent addition to other SEO strategies.
3. Customers Base Purchasing Decisions on a Website's Appearance and Functionality
For decades, the advertising industry has been based off the correlation between brand aesthetic and sales. Modern advertising and digital marketing strategies also seek to use a website's visual appeal to increase the chance of converting visits to sales. The simple fact is that a potential customer will most likely choose to buy from a company with an attractive and easy-to-use website. Along with working hard to achieve a high local search ranking, businesses must also make sure their website encourages customers to purchase their goods or services. They may also want to include a mobile-friendly e-commerce setup and a simple means for customers to call, text, or email them right from the mobile site.
4. Mobile-Friendly Sites Integrate Social Media Marketing
The Pew Research Center's study on technology showed that almost 70 percent of Americans use social media. Additionally, social media activities make up over 90 percent of mobile internet access. It's clear that these online networks are ideal for targeted marketing campaigns. Whether using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, or other social media networks to reach a target audience, chances are users who click through to a website will view it on a mobile device. Working with Web Market Pros to optimize a website for mobile access is an ideal way to complement a digital marketing strategy.
5. Consumers Rely on Localized Search Suggestions
From lightning-fast searches to online shopping to instant downloads, modern technology encourages consumers to elevate their expectations when it comes to searching for information, products and services. While some people still use a desktop computer to do initial research on a product or service, many people tend to use a mobile device when they are out shopping and ready to make a purchase. When people search for something on a smart phone, they want the results immediately and will likely make their decision to buy while glancing through those results.
Just as brick and mortar stores relied on foot traffic to attract customers, online businesses must rely on local search results to attract click-throughs that could lead to sales. Any local business can work with Web Market Pros to make sure its business shows up in all the places customers should find them: Google Maps, Google Local, Facebook, and Yelp just to name a few.
6. Customers Equate a User-Friendly Website With Professionalism
Nobody would eat at a restaurant with dirty tables or buy a car from a dealership with broken windows and burned out lights; likewise, potential customers won't purchase from a business if they feel the company is unreliable or inauthentic. Few things can damage a reputation faster than an unprofessional website with coding errors, pictures that don't load, spelling mistakes, or missing contact information.
On the other hand, a smooth, responsive mobile interface can improve customers' opinion of a business and help them compete more successfully with larger brands. Many people want to support small businesses but are afraid these companies won’t be as reliable as large organizations. If they can show off their company's products and services in an attractive way and provide integrated contact functionality for mobile devices, it can go a long way toward making their potential clients trust them.
7. Local Search Ranking Factors Matter
There are numerous factors that affect a website's performance in local search rankings, and these factors can change every year. Many of these aspects, such as citation signals, behavioral signals, and foundation factors, can be complex and difficult to understand. Rather than spending valuable time trying to figure out what these terms mean and how they relate to a digital marketing strategy, local businesses can make a cost-effective choice and leave the SEO work to the professionals at Web Market Pros. They understand the nuances of search ranking factors and can utilize their expertise to ensure a website performs up to its full potential.
8. The Mobile-First Approach Is Economical
If a business approaches digital marketing and website design plans from a desktop-first viewpoint, they will likely be stuck creating and managing separate sites for desktop and mobile customers. By working with Web Market Pros to develop a mobile-first approach, businesses can take advantage of state-of-the-art technologies that automatically scale content to the user's device, allowing them to save time and money on website design and maintenance. Developing a website according to modern coding standards can also help a site meet Google's mobile-friendly standards, allowing them to rank higher than sites with outdated technology.
9. A Mobile-Friendly Site Is Ready For the Future
Technology is advancing at an exponential rate, and it can be difficult for small business owners to keep up with everything required to be competitive in the online marketplace. Fortunately, taking a mobile-friendly approach to designing a website is actually one of the best ways to prepare any business for the future. A responsive website is optimized for smart phones and wearable tech, the areas where technology will continue to advance in the future. By securing a place now as a company with an excellent, mobile-friendly online presence, they can set themselves apart from competitors and ensure they're ready for the next technological evolution.
10. Local SEO Keeps A Business Relevant and Engaged
One of the best ways to ensure a company's long-term success is to become established in its local community. Fortunately, there has been a resurgence in recent years of consumers seeking to support small local businesses when possible. Google even tends to favor entrepreneurs slightly over large corporations and provides several tools to help small business owners succeed. Additionally, search engines are always seeking to provide the most individualized results possible, and location can be a significant factor in those individualized results. The Web Market Pros team can focus digital marketing on local clientele for excellent results, especially when it comes to establishing a favorable online history with good reviews and ratings.
11. Good Websites Convert Visitors to Customers
Perhaps the most important reason to focus on a site's local search results and mobile functionality is the bottom line. More effective digital marketing leads to a higher search ranking, which leads to more visitors to a site. When visitors to a site experience fast load times, responsive interfaces, aesthetically appealing designs, and integrated contract and purchase functionality, they are more likely to become customers and remain loyal in the future.
The online marketplace is where business happens, and nowadays more people are accessing that online marketplace through smart phones, tablets, and wearable tech. In order to remain competitive, local businesses must have a digital marketing plan that encompasses the most crucial factors in e-commerce success: local search optimization and user-friendly access for mobile devices. The best way to ensure a company is ready for online success now and in the future is to work with a marketing company that can develop a beautiful, functional, and visible online presence. Trust the experts at Web Market Pros to work to create a customized plan to establish and maintain a company's online success.
Sources:
www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/12/evolution-of-technology
Source: Web Market Pros
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Tags: internet marketing, local business marketing, pay per click, search engine marketing, search engine optimization
