According to Internet World Stats, there are now more than 2.4 billion internet users around the globe. That amounts to, roughly, 34% of the current world population! Although the internet is far from new, the quickening pace of technological innovation continues to introduce it to a wider audience with each passing year.
In terms of internet usage, the Pew Research Center ranks the most popular internet activities as follows:
- Search
- Banking
- Shopping
- Social Media and Networking
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In light of our continued reliance on email, coupled with the rabid popularity of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, some folks might be surprised to learn that an astounding 97% of web users go straight to their favorite search engines after signing on. Of course, businesses recognized the marketing potential of search engines many years ago, and the development of search engine marketing services is a direct result.
While SEO has become fundamental to all businesses, it can be particularly beneficial to small businesses and start-ups. Since newer, smaller businesses usually have less flexibility in terms of working capital, many struggle to compete with larger, more established competitors. However, today’s leading search engine marketing professionals can offer small businesses the affordable web marketing solutions they need to grapple with any competitor.
The affordability of small business search engine marketing can be attributed to the basic tools of the trade. For example, blogging and social media marketing have quickly become two of the effective search engine marketing tools. In fact, a recent Search Engine Journal study has found that blogging can garner businesses approximately 430% more indexed pages than businesses that refrain from blogging. Overall, SEO offers a nearly 15% closing rate on leads compared to less than 2% for direct advertising.
An OutBrain study has found that search engines continue to drive more content to websites than any other entity. This means that search engine optimization has the potential to make or break a smaller business. The good news is a top SEO firm can provide any business with the web marketing solutions to gain an edge, and keep it.