Q: I am located in a small town, is SEO still important for my company’s website?
The short answer: SEO, otherwise known as Search Engine Optimization is the single most important thing next to having a website at all. You can have a website but what point is there in having it if nobody can find it online?
A common misconception some small business owners have is that search engine optimization (SEO) is in the contingency plans of larger companies and corporations who are methodically competing with their counterparts in larger cities. Luckily with more freelance web designers and developers offering SEO services, search engine optimization is something for small town websites to think about!
Today, we’ll take a closer look at how SEO can play an integral role for a website/company residing in a small town. Stay tuned for more search engine optimization information.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Residing in a small town unfolds a bit of a Catch 22 when it comes to the worldwide web, depending on your business website and the websites of your competitors. Some services are hard to come by in certain cities whereas they may exist aplenty in other cities, so you may have little to no competition.
For example, if you live in a surrounding area such as Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Red Deer or Leduc – all considerably smaller than Edmonton, your search queries will differ depending on the population. You could be pressed to find a freelance designer if you are searching for one in Fort McMurray, but if you turn the tables and begin searching for a freelance designer in Edmonton, you’ll be welcomed with many more results.
This is where the Catch 22 comes into effect. As a designer in Edmonton we want BE3Designs marketing and advertising to be done on a scale larger than our city alone. Customers in Canmore, Banff, Jasper, Medicine Hat and Grande Prairie for example should know that our services are available across the map, no matter where they are located. This means that although we’re opening up the results for clients living in the small towns, we’re also opening up our competition by taking on more cities. As a business owner selling your own services, you will see this is a similar position you find yourself in, competing with other websites.
Don’t pass on your search engine optimization services simply because you’re the only company in your area and you feel you don’t have competition. Simply don’t give your prospective customers a chance to look somewhere else. They may not even realize you’re there if your website isn’t placing well in the search engines!
[sidenote]Tip: Ask your designer/developer if their services include search engine optimization. If they offer it as an add-on, consider adding to your total cost or look for another strategist who offers SEO services. Having your web pages optimized for targeted search terms and phrases will greatly benefit its standings in search engine result pages.[/sidenote]
In addition to freelance web design and development services, BE3Designs also offers Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services.