Illawarra Local SEO Service
If your business isn’t popping in the first page of Google results when you look up your product or service, it’s about time you had someone look at your website’s SEO (that’s Search Engine Optimisation). If you’re trying to be found online in the Illawarra, local SEO means targeting areas such as Wollongong and Shellharbour.
Many business owners invest a great deal of time and money in to their website, only to realise that no one is finding it online. A good website should not only look professional, but be generating leads because when people are looking for solutions online, it should be you that they find!
Local SEO means increasing the online visibility of your brand or business within the geographical area that you service. There are lots of different ways to optimise your website.
I can offer face to face appointments to provide SEO advice for Illawarra and South Coast based business owners. Even if you’re outside this area, I can find a tailored local SEO strategy that meets your needs, making the most use of your available budget.
Get your website found by local customers
I regularly talk to Illawarra business owners who have invested serious money in to a flashy looking website, but it doesn’t seem to show up online unless someone types in the exact URL of the website or clicks through from a directory site.
The good news is that many of these websites can get significant results with their search engine rankings by making some pretty simple changes. If this sounds like your situation, drop me a line and we can discuss your business goals. I can conduct a free website audit and offer advice as to how you could improve your online presence.
Locally specific keyword research
I get to know your local area as well as using specialised tools to research your specific industry. This helps me figure out what your potential customers are searching for online and where they are.
Personalised service to meet your individual business goals
Each business is unique so is every business owner. I take the time to understand your short and long term goals for your business and customise an SEO strategy to suit you.
Website Renovations for Improved SEO
Find out what can be done to your existing website to improve it’s search engine visibility. Book a free website analysis with no obligation to proceed.
Local business SEO across other platforms
Once your website is optimised, SEO can mean linking up with other businesses, local directories and industry networks.
Why SEO is smart local advertising in the Illawarra.
Business owners spend decent amounts of their marketing budget placing a business card sized ad in a local magazine or renting a massive billboard along the Princes Highway. Mass media marketing has it’s place and is excellent for a big branding campaign, but for most small to medium sized local businesses, it’s pretty ineffective.
The reality is that most of the people who see the plumbing ad in the back of a print media publication aren’t interested in their service at that moment. When they do have the need for a plumber, are they likely to go trawling through a glossy mag they picked up at a cafe for someone to call? They’re going to get onto Google and type “plumber near me”, “emergency plumber Illawarra” or ‘Hot water service Wollongong”.
Of course there are ways to appear for those searches by advertising on Google and that can be great for some businesses. If you aren’t paying for that ad, however, the way to get on that first page of Google is through SEO.
Whether you have a physical location such as an office in Shellharbour or cover a service area such as the Northern Illawarra, you want to be targeting your connections with potential customers in that geographical location.
Why hiring a local SEO specialist makes sense:
Many people and agencies claim to “do SEO”, but the digital marketing industry is largely unregulated. Unlike a psychologist or a licensed tradesperson, there is no requirement for web designers or SEO specialists do hold any formal qualifications. This means that many service providers are self taught and have varying levels of expertise.
A recent report by Microsoft listed one of the most important skills for marketers to have as being SEO. This means if you’re going to be spending money on your local business marketing, it makes sense to use someone who understands SEO. If your website is being found by the right people online, you should see a return on your investment.
If yours is the business being contacted, what value is that lead worth for you? If a lead results in follow up appointments or a repeat customer, what’s it worth to you now? SEO could be the best advertising money you ever spend.
Interested to know more? Drop me a line to book a face to face meeting.
What does an SEO specialist do?
Put simply, an SEO specialist is someone who is able to optimise (by either building or improving) your website to increase your rank position in search engine results. As a marketing strategy, SEO doesn’t get results overnight. It regularly takes months to get real traction, but generally, those results then last for the long term. If SEO is gently maintained on an ongoing basis, it often requires less time for even better results.
If you do want instant visitors to your website for faster lead generation, paid advertising (known as Search Engine marketing or SEM) may be the right strategy for you. The results are instant, BUT the moment you stop paying for that advertising, you lose those visitors to your website.
SEO isn’t quite a “done once, done forever” game. While a website can be built in a way that enhances it’s SEO, for the best results, websites require ongoing care and maintenance. I often relate it to putting in the hard yards for a 12 week challenge at the gym – you will get results at the end of the challenge, but they won’t last forever if you stop exercising completely.
An SEO specialist manages the ongoing SEO of your website through creating new and updating existing content, keyword analysis and competitor research. Consider it like ongoing maintenance for your car such as oil changes and wheel alignments!
