When it comes to SEO, are you in line with your industry?
While there are many people who have never heard of SEO, there are also many who are taking advantage of its benefits. There are several industries that have a larger knowledge base in SEO. It’s easy to tell which industries are utilizing SEO tactics and which aren’t by the quality of organic results on the search engine results pages and by the amount of paid listings. A few industries that are competitive in SEO that I’ve identified, and a few that are obvious, are:
- Real Estate
- Insurance
- Car Dealerships
- Funeral Homes
- Gambling
Why are these industries taking advantage of SEO? I believe it’s because consumers expect them to be. All of these industries represent expensive items. People have learned they can go to the internet to research these items before purchasing. And the people within those industries have realized that they need to be in front of those consumers during their research phase if they want to gain that lead. Companies within these industries, who are not taking advantage of SEO are probably losing business to someone who is.
But there are also many industries who are not incorporating SEO into their marketing plan. Many of them include:
- Health care providers (doctors, dentists, etc.)
- Local restaurants
- Auto mechanics
- Specialty retail shops
Most, if not all, of these and more rely on word of mouth and drive-by/foot traffic. Our business manager, James, says the most common response when talking to someone in these industries is that their primary target market is not searching on the internet. In most cases, I find this hard to believe. I know I have searched for one or more of these services, and an increasing number of people are, too, every day.
Usually the real reasons for not using SEO are cost and fear. Many of the industries above that are not involved in SEO are putting their marketing money into traditional marketing such as TV, Newspapers, Billboards, and Phone Book ads. All of these have a finite life span and can be very expensive. Yes, setting up a Web site and starting an SEO campaign can be expensive upfront, but there is no time limit on how long it will last, and it won’t continue to cost as much money in the future.
However, fear can be a bigger obstacle to over come than cost. Many people are afraid of trying non-traditional marketing methods. Whether it is a fear of the unknown or fear of technology, it prevents people from committing to online marketing. I think with time this fear will diminish, and people within these industries will need to give in to the demand of the consumer. Many consumers are beginning to expect to find most things online, and companies that can’t provide what people are looking for will fall behind in their industry.
