Charlotte, North Carolina has grown over the last several years, hasnt it? In fact, reports show that over just the last two decades, the citys population has surged from less than 850,000 to well over 2.2 million. Because of that population growth, Charlotte has become an attractive locale for businesses and a prime destination for consumers.
For local residents, new businesses coming into the area means jobs and shopping opportunities are in ample supply. From a business point of view, the swelling population brings about a vast supply of customers and prospects.
Of course, with so many new businesses moving into the area, it also means catching the publics attention is increasingly difficult. Thats particularly true from an online perspective. Local businesses need to be as visible as possible online, and that takes a certain amount of prowess in the field of search engine optimization.
Its no secret that drawing prospects interest and bringing in a constant stream of customers starts online these days. Nearly 90 percent of shoppers research products online before making purchases. Furthermore, almost 70 percent of peoples experiences with businesses begin with search engines, and the majority of consumers rarely scroll past their first pages of search results.
With all that being the case, you need to make sure your website shows up at the tops of peoples online search results. Teaming up with the right Charlotte SEO company can make that happen. SEO experts know what it takes to give their clients a competitive edge in the online world.
Search engine optimization is the process of propelling websites to the tops of search results for relevant products and services. As such, its important to Charlotte businesses for numerous reasons. Consider some of the following ways SEO can help build your companys success.
One of the most significant advantages of an effective SEO strategy is boosting a websites visibility. If its carried out successfully, SEO can send a website through the ranks to the tops of the SERPs in its local area, field of expertise, market niche, and beyond. It can also tap into the power of social media and other marketing outlets to further increase a companys reach.
Virtually all consumers are now turning to the internet for the products, services, and information they need. Unfortunately, theyre not willing to look very far after asking Google for help with their searches. Most dont look past the first pages of search results. Quite a few dont even scroll to the bottoms of those first pages.
Your website must be on those first pages of search results. Otherwise, prospects arent likely to see it. That means no matter how amazing your products are or how dedicated your company is to customer satisfaction, youll never get to prove yourself without a solid SEO strategy.
That brings us to the next crucial benefit of SEO: bringing in more traffic. If your website appears at the tops of the SERPs where its sure to be seen, theres a good chance prospects will click on it. Once they make their way into your website, SEO can help make sure they stay there long enough to learn more about your company and its products or services.
Its also worth mentioning that when more people choose one website over the others that show up in their SERPs, Google takes note of it. This most popular of all search engines then continues to promote said website for similar searches conducted by other users. A cycle like that can go on indefinitely as long as effective SEO tactics remain in play.
Additionally, Google places a certain amount of emphasis on how long people linger on websites when they visit. If visitors spend time on your website instead of immediately clicking out of it, that shows Google you have something valuable to offer. In turn, itll continue to hold your site in high regard.
When visitors click on your website, theyll be looking for certain elements. One of the first is how quickly the site loads. If it fails to load within a couple of seconds, most consumers will simply go back to their search results pages and move on to the next website in line. Thats the case with desktop and mobile visitors alike.
A key element of SEO is ensuring websites load quickly, so it can help keep visitors from giving up on you before your site even loads. Another purpose of SEO is to guarantee that websites are mobile-friendly so they work properly for the ever-growing volume of mobile users. Google takes both of those factors into account when ranking websites.
Once prospects successfully reach your website, several additional factors come into play. They expect your content to be helpful, interesting, and simple to read. They want to be able to quickly and easily find the products or information theyre looking for, too. When they click on internal links to visit other pages of your site, they want those links to work properly.
No one wants to be taken around in circles or receive endless error messages when trying to navigate a website. Few people are willing to search through massive blocks of unbroken text to find the details they need. On top of that, if websites arent visually appealing or their written content is boring, visitors tend to leave pretty quickly.
SEO covers all those bases as well. It encompasses a websites appearance, functionality, written and visual content, and many other factors to give users the best possible experience. That inspires them to spend more time on the website and potentially move along to the next phases of the business-to-consumer relationship.
If your site is more visible, itll draw more attention. Then, youll get the opportunity to showcase what makes you stand out from the competition. From there, youll be more likely to make conversions. Keep in mind, there are different types of conversions, and a Charlotte SEO company can help foster all of them.
Getting your foot in the door with consumers is only the first step in the conversion journey. While visitors may be looking for the products or services you offer, they may not quite be ready to make a purchase just yet. Still, if youre using SEO effectively, visitors could at least be enticed to browse around your website. They may even sign up for your newsletter or a special offer per your calls to action.
SEO can usher visitors along your conversion funnel to the point of making a sale. After that, they may even become loyal customers. If theyre pleased with what you have to offer, they may also provide valuable word-of-mouth advertising via positive reviews, recommendations, and shares.
With all that being said, many elements come together to build an effective SEO strategy. Its an overwhelming undertaking for most business owners. Many who try to handle their own SEO ultimately fail. Thats why working with a Charlotte SEO company is so critical.
When users enter search queries into Google and other search engines, they provide valuable insight into the products, services, or information they want. That includes certain keywords. Search engines scour the internet for websites with matching keywords to determine which ones might be most helpful for their users.
To catch Googles eye, businesses need to use a range of keywords that pertain to what they offer customers. Those can include short, general keywords that are fairly easy to rank for as well as longer, more specific phrases that are more competitive. Conducting extensive research to find out which keywords are most effective is an essential component of SEO.
Using those keywords properly is also vital. Your content should contain just the right concentration of keywords blended seamlessly into informational, user-friendly content. That content needs to be relevant to the keywords being used as well. Its not an easy feat, but a team of SEO specialists can pull it off.
Technical factors encompass the underlying issues that could be slowing down your website or interfering with its functionality. If so, they could detract from its visibility despite any other SEO measures you may have in place. An experienced SEO agency can perform a thorough audit of your website to seek out technical problems and eliminate them.
Businesses online visibility partially depends on the on-page factors weve covered and many others. Thats only part of the picture, though. Off-site aspects also enter the mix. These include incoming links from other websites, social media presences and mentions, guest blogs, and business directory listings to name a few.
Search engine optimization is crucial for businesses in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. Whether youre marketing internationally or solely to the millions of local customers at your disposal, appearing at the tops of the SERPs is the key to success. If youre not there, prospects may never even know your company exists.
By working with a Charlotte SEO company, youll be setting your business up for success. With fast load speeds, exceptional content, a stellar visitor experience, and a heightened online presence, your visibility will soar. Your website traffic and conversions will follow suit.
SEO isnt a one-time endeavor, though. Its an ongoing process that constantly changes. Your SEO experts will stand by your side to not only boost your rankings in the SERPs but sustain that visibility. With services and solutions available to suit the needs of virtually any business, a skilled and experienced SEO team can help place your business in the spotlight where it belongs.