Two recent independent studies of UK SME websites have both highlighted that many small businesses are failing to make the most of their online presence.
In the State of UK Business Websites 2010 study commisioned by Thomson Local, they found that almost 50% of sites had only very basic or no SEO work at all. The survey had analysed over 1000 sites and scored them against an array of SEO criteria.
Most worrying, they found that 12% of all business websites were not indexed by any search engine! While only 3% were considered to have applied advanced SEO techniques.
The study from dotSEO looked at a smaller number of sites and also surveyed SME marketers, and their findings were broadly in line with Thomson Local’s.
In particular the survey revealed poor knowledge amongst businesses about search engine optimisation and the tangible benefits it can bring:-
- 22% did not know what SEO was, and so didn’t invest at all
- a further 20% were aware, but chose not to allocate any budget
- and 18% allocated budget to paid search instead.
- Only 15% invested in search and considered it an important part of their marketing strategy.
As the results from both of these studies show, much of small business in the UK has not yet grasped the benefits effective search optimisation can bring to their company performance.
Yet implemented well, SEO can turn an under-performing website into a profitable and cost-effective website – a profit centre for the business.
For many businesses, this need not require a large costly campaign. In many markets, just getting the SEO basics right can bring a marked improvement to search results.
If you think your business would benefit from a free initial consultation about your website and how its performance might be improved, contact Andy at WSI Chester today.
