Business

Local SEO Industry: Current Status and Future Projections

What is SEO?

This is a common question that most people, especially those who are new to or unfamiliar with online marketing, might be asking. SEO stands for search engine optimization. In plain English, it is the process of capturing traffic from search engines, such as Google listings. Through this reading, I will give you facts about the SEO business, the current state of the SEO market, as well as future projections in this field.

Top SEO Players

Like any other industry in the world, the online SEO business has its players. This includes local SEO tool providers such as small digital agencies, free SEO launchers, and web designers, among others.

Returns for SEO players

The main reason people go into business is to make a profit and expand their financial situation. In the field of SEO business, the rates of return are promising. This is because recent research on SEO returns over a 12-month period shows that at least every player had something to take home with them. However, returns vary depending on the hard work and skills of the players on the field. For example, according to this research, 34% of interviewed SEOs said they received less than $ 30,000 while another group of respondents, 17%, said they received returns greater than $ 500,000.

From the statistics above, it is clear that the size of an organization played a role in determining the amount of returns received. It is better than logic for one to expect a large organization to receive low amounts of returns and vice versa. In addition, the presence of part-time SEOs as well as the entry of newbies into the market could have led to low turnover rates due to low operating capacity. However, it is difficult to predict the direction the SEO market is likely to take due to the lack of a clear shift in SEO earnings since 2011. However, the demand for local SEO services appears to be growing by the day and This is attracting more players, increasing competition among SEO service providers.

Emerging issues with current SEO returns

With the above distribution of returns, several questions arise. This includes the following:

• According to statistics, a large percentage of SEOs receive a low income, something that suggests low prices for SEO services.

• Small and medium-sized businesses may also not understand the value of the SEO services provided to them.

• Low-income SEOs, those who received less than $ 30,000 a year in returns, also have questions about whether they can provide quality services while earning such a low income.

• It is also unknown if most SEOs will continue to work if your income remains static.

Current revenue per client from SEOs

Like annual SEO returns, SEO revenue per client also varies. This is because there are clients who would pay less than $ 100 a month, while others would pay more than $ 5000 a month. This variation in revenue per customer can be attributed to the type of services provided, as well as the depth of services. The size of the business for which a client seeks SEO services also plays a role in determining the amount to be charged. For example, small businesses are charged less simply because their requirements are much lower compared to large multi-location franchise companies.

Research also shows that some SEO service providers operate in high volumes. Such SEOs provide simple SEO services at very low monthly fees. As a result, such SEO service providers end up having high customer churn with a large dedicated network of sales team.

Similarly, some SEO service providers provide services that are more comprehensive in a much more professional and personalized way based on the client, leading to a reduced number of clients.

Due to the above statistics, it is essential for any SEO service provider on the market today to operate in a way that matches their setup.

Modern SEO skills

Currently SEOs are handling more clients compared to previous years. Statistics show that around 40% of SEOs in the market handle at least 11 clients, while 23% of SEOs handle at least 21 clients. Such a large number of clients to handle leads to more audits, lots of tasks, investigations, reports, and even more customer calls to be taken care of. The high number of clients also demands a high level of efficiency so that clients can be assured of quality services.

Market structure for most SEOs

SEOs have been using various marketing techniques to promote their business. Offline marketing channels, such as word of mouth, have been cited by most SEOs as the most effective marketing technique. This can be attributed to the level of trust, business reputation, and relationships that are built during offline campaigns.

In addition to offline marketing, SEOs also practice online marketing, such as using LinkedIn and social media. However, most SEOs have cited LinkedIn as the best option compared to social media because it is better positioned for lead generation and networking.

Services offered by SEO

Most SEO players offer on-site optimization with 91% of SEOs practicing this. Google+ optimization also has a good number of SEOs practicing it, with 86% claiming to be offering this service to their customers. For affiliate marketing, only a small percentage (11%) of SEOs offer this service to their clients.

Other services offered by SEOs:

• Content creation / optimization

• Link building

• Dating building

• Social media marketing

• Website development

• PPC

• Mobile site development

• Video marketing and mobile marketing.

The most demanded service by SEO clients is on-site marketing, while the least demanded service is affiliate marketing. The other services are demanded in some way on average. However, most small and medium-sized businesses do not understand the opportunities that video and mobile marketing can offer them and therefore tend not to use these services. Therefore, SEOs must educate their clients about these marketing channels so that they can choose them.

When asked about SEO services online that SEOs consider effective, 82% of them said that general search is the most effective in generating leads. Local search appears to be the second best after 62% of respondents in an SEO poll voted in its favor. PPC is third with 53%, while social media is fourth with 26%. Daily deals seem attractive to most SEOs because only 1% voted for them.

Tedious SEO tasks

55% of current SEOs on the market consider link building to be the most tedious and time consuming work. Others, although 15% only believe that content writing is the most tedious and time-consuming task of all the tasks they perform. So it turns out that for the 55% who find link building tedious, this task is for them too.

Future projections

This is a summary of what we look forward to in the near future when it comes to the SEO business.

SEO business expansion

Compared to previous years, SEO companies have been growing and expanding steadily. Most SEOs (around 93%) are not only optimistic about expanding their business, but are also hoping to grow their business. In what appears to be a determined move to grow their businesses, the majority of SEOs (82%) are willing to recruit more staff members to achieve their desired levels of growth.

Social media is also expected to grow and be more effective even than local directories. This is because most SEOs believe that social media can work better thanks to recommendations from friends. The use of mobile devices is also expected to grow further and be relevant to local businesses.

Increased confidence in SEO business

Unlike other businesses, the SEO business is showing positive growth in trust among players. Despite being a dynamic and innovative industry, most SEOs are still willing to hire more staff to help boost their business. 84% of SEOs sampled in SEO research are also optimistic that the SEO business will be more profitable from this year 2013.

There is also a lot of confidence that if SEO players increase understanding of SEO / social among the business owners they serve in the future, they will not only increase the investment rate of the business owners, but also make them transfer your marketing budgets from other channels. to digital channels.