Why is SEO important for small businesses in Nashville, TN?

Have you googled your business lately? How about your competitors’ business? How are you stacking up on the Google search result page? It can be hard to compete in Nashville with so many companies ranking on Google. But it’s not too late. Your business can compete with larger, more established businesses on Google with the right SEO strategy. We’ll break down how we work with our clients to achieve their SEO goals.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a broad discipline, but the goal of SEO is to improve your website so that it ranks higher on Google. This leads to more people clicking and buying your product or hiring your business. 

SEO deals with improving the user experience of your website, content, and even with promoting your website to other parts of the web. There are a lot of tactics that go into good SEO, but the bottom line for a business-- more qualified traffic leads to more sales. 

Why do search engines like Google matter for my business?

Because for most businesses, people go to Google when they are ready to purchase from a local business. Think about it, when you were an interested customer, you didn’t browse Facebook. You went straight to Google and searched through local businesses and reviews. You came to Google to make a buying decision, and we see that with search intent data. 

What is search intent?

Search intent is the purpose a user has when they search. Some searches are done to gather information like, “What’s the most comfortable running shoe?” But others show that a web user is ready to purchase something, like, “What stores near me carry X running shoe?” As a business, you want to be the first website a potential customer clicks when they search with this intent. 

What is local SEO?

Local SEO involves optimizing your website for a particular local region. Local SEO is the path that small and medium-sized businesses should take when creating a website strategy. If your business benefits from “your service/ business near me” searches, then there is a good chance local SEO will help your business. 

Why is local SEO good for my small business in Nashville, TN?

When you google your primary service and add the term “near me,” are you ranking well? How are your competitors ranking? If you’re not ranking, you’re missing out on the clicks that your competitors are getting instead. This means you are less likely to get conversions and sales. 

Local SEO is an excellent investment for small businesses in Nashville because your customers are online and looking for you. Also, SEO builds over time. This means that if done consistently, you will have a continuous stream of organic traffic that will drive leads to your business. 

What matters most for SEO for small businesses?

We cover SEO tactics for small businesses here, but here are a few areas you need to look at to have a well-rounded SEO strategy for small businesses in the Nashville area. All of these SEO areas work together to form a well-rounded SEO strategy. 

Website

Your website is the biggest closer in your business. Make sure your website has the right messaging to convert visitors into customers and shows up on search engine result pages (SERPs). We design websites with strategies that will make them rank on Google for the Nashville area (and beyond!). 

Content

Content that informs and builds trust with your potential customers is essential for building up your ranking on Google. We write content that ranks on Google, but humans also find it useful and enjoyable to read. (Because both matter!) Find out how we can help with your content strategy. 

On-page SEO

On-page SEO tactics mean that you are optimizing each page for Google. We bring our knowledge of SEO to your website development. This includes strategy, development, and ongoing content marketing development. It also helps to organize your website using a service page strategy. Read more about service pages here. 

Local SEO

Do you want to rank for your products and services in Nashville? You need to build credibility through things like Google My Business. Review websites in your niche and other major reviews like Google Reviews, Facebook, and Yelp also help boost your local SEO positioning. On-page tactics that are geared towards service areas also contribute to local SEO. 

Backlinks

Finally, links on other websites that link to your site are beneficial. These are called backlinks. They signal to Google that other websites trust you and find you credible. Read more about how we can help you with an SEO backlink strategy. 

Is SEO or online ads like Google PPC or Facebook Ads better?

It depends on a few different factors, and we’d like to talk more before giving your a definitive answer. But let’s break it down for general small businesses. 

SEO will get you organic traffic, but it takes time. Organic traffic is significant because people are coming to your site using an organic search and, depending on their search intent, they need your business. But you need business while you implement and build this organic SEO strategy.

It’s good for businesses to have a strategy that can work relatively fast, like paid ads, and then build up an SEO strategy over time. Put your paid ad dollars into the places where your customers spend the most time. We help businesses with online marketing and ads, too. 

Why is SEO so expensive?

Large agencies charge a lot for SEO because they often package their services. The services they offer are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Large agencies will charge more because they employ many different people in their SEO process.

Smaller firms, like Crosby Digital Marketing, offer more agile services. We personalize SEO services to fit your budget. We also have a more hands-on approach because fewer people work with your business. So don’t settle for large agency price tags, and talk to us about how we can help. 

How much is just SEO in Nashville, TN?

We offer SEO for businesses that start at $1,000 per month. We’d love to talk to you about how your business can rank higher in Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and beyond. Check out our local SEO pricing and information.