Since their introduction to the Internet, search engines are the most widely used tools online all over the world. The leader is Google, which is used on all kinds of digital devices where users enter their requires search parameters and use the search engines to search for a diverse range of products and services along with finding businesses. For owners of SMEs in the UK having their business on all the major search engines especially Google is of immense benefit. For new and upcoming businesses having their business registered with Google’s free directory is a good start. Like that offered by most sites, the basic listing is free of cost. It also has the added benefit of having your business featured on Google Maps. Once you are on the listing, you can have regular updates on online traffic that is diverted by the search engine towards your business with the Google My Business tool. All of this will further benefit in improving search rankings of your business.
Organic Search
Users looking for businesses online most commonly use an organic search where a business name is not mentioned. A few examples of such a search are ‘plumbers in Sussex’ or ‘locksmiths in Liverpool’. As an increasing number of people are using the internet to conduct such searches more than 50% of the processing time is taken by such organic searches. It indicates the importance of search engine listings and the necessity of ensuring that your business figures in the right listing at the right directory so that it shows up during these organic searches.
Having your business listed with a hosting service will register your business’s website automatically with certain search engines. For Google, this takes place via Googlebot that scans the web constantly for new sites. Once it locates a new website, it uses its Google algorithm to on deciding about the sites; indexing. The disadvantage is since there are existing and new sites being added daily online a business owner cannot depend exclusively on Googlebot to locate and display your business online. Instead a better tool would be to use Google My Business where you can fill in the details along with the company description and contact info etc. All of this is critical to any business becoming successful online. Google’s business tools help business owners to target their niche markets when people conduct online searches.
Ongoing SEO
If you want your business to keep being found by prospective consumers as well as features high up in the rankings, it needs constant maintenance. After the business is listed you can be complacent about the listing with this rather being the initial step to having a healthy presence online. Many business owners are shocked to learn how their business rankings have suddenly slumped online. Unfortunately, many only realize this fact after it affects their volume of business. The bottom line is losing in rankings does impact businesses to an extensive extent. While the quality of products or services may remain of the highest order, it is ongoing changes online that may cause a loss in rankings. It could be due a swanky new business directory appearing online overnight that may be favoured by your competitors. Or it may have something to do with the manner in which businesses are categorised and change in the manner of local searches. Eventually it could any of minor changes that may result in your competitors gaining an edge over you.
Free Directory Listings
The good news is there a massive variety of UK based business listings to select for your business to be featured online, apart from Google. In fact, for many small business owners it is these local listings that help generate traffic to their businesses over major search engine directories. This is because they cater to local clientele in specific categories. As with Google Business, most of these directories offer free basic listings with a well-designed listing catering to the local population. That combined with regular monitoring using a variety of SEO tools helps smaller businesses to grow their profits while regularly gaining online traffic.