92% of searchers choose a business on page.
Additionally, 75% of traffic goes to the top 5 positions, with 33% going to the first organic result.
Let that sink in for a minute.
If your business isn't in the top 5 results (or worse, not even on the first page), then you are missing out on at least 75% of people looking for businesses like yours. If that isn't enough, search has been shown to be 1.8x more likely than traditional advertising to have a positive impact on purchasing decisions.
It has been proven repeatedly that SEO is important. In addition to the statistics above, there are other things SEO can do for your business online ranking and footprint.
WHY IS SEO CRUCIAL FOR MY BUSINESS
SEO causes you to make your site and overall web presence better for your prospects and customers. When you improve your site’s content, functionality, user experience, etc. for search engines, your visitors benefit, and your site attracts more of the right kind of traffic. Being visible within search results also helps with brand awareness.
If you feel like people don't know about your business, it might be that they can't find you online - and we all know, if it isn't online, it doesn't exist...at least in today's technology-centered world. Additionally, according to BrightLocal, seven out of 10 customers are more likely to use a local business if it has information on social media sites. By having an active social media page you develop a more personal connection with consumers and can utilize that connection to help drive traffic to your website.
HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): encompasses both the technical and creative elements required to improve rankings, drive traffic, and increase awareness in search engines.
- MOZ.com
There are a variety of pieces the fit into the puzzle that is SEO, but to simplify, we will just hit on the more common pieces you should know.
Relevancy: First and foremost, browsers look at what websites are the most relevant when searching for what results to list. For example, a pharmacy will probably not appear when someone searches for information on the new iPhone. It is important to provide some information on all of your services on your website so you appear when someone is looking for those services.
Quality of Content: Posting regular content such as, helpful articles, videos, and blog posts, can affect your rankings as well. Conversely, posting useless information to try and boost your ranking can hurt your websites listing. Google has been moving further from keyword targeting to long-form content when listing search results.
Links: Internal linking within your site making it easier to navigate for your readers. As an example, if you post a blog about medication packaging, include a link to where readers can find information about your medication packaging on your site.
User Experience: This includes things such as an easy to navigate website, how quickly the site loads (longer load times can hurt rankings) and if the site is compatible with multiple devices. The easier the browser can read and get information on your site, the better your ranking.
Tags: Tags refers to back end SEO (within the code of the website) and includes pieces such as meta descriptions, title tags, alt text and more. These are used to help describe what each item on each page is in the most concise and accurate way.
Social: SEO utilizing social media channels is relatively new, however is becoming a big part of SEO. In addition to simply having social media pages, browsers are looking at how relevant your content is as well as how much/well you are interacting with your audience.
If you have questions about website and online ranking, or want us to conduct a review of your pharmacy's online standing, schedule a meeting with us!
Sources: https://optimwise.com/seo-grow-business/https://www.revlocal.com/blog/local-search-marketing/the-local-search-stats-you-need-to-know/