I know quite a few companies around Northern Ireland, internet companies that simply haven’t tasted online marketing success as yet with their search engine strategies. They ponder along in their micro businesses happy with their standard of living, making enough money to stay afloat and pay their employee of one, with virtually no desire to grow. They aren’t looking at alternative revenue streams they aren’t turning away new businesses because their marketing campaigns have succeeded tremendously, or that their website is generating leads; they are commonly sitting comfortably with an existing client base, servicing their needs and hoping to receive new business simply through word of mouth. Most importantly they aren’t chasing the long tail strategy in regard to SERPS. I’ve seen on loads of sites NO CONTACT FORM – business suicide in my opinion, as people often dont have the time to open their email client to send an enquiry email, or they dont have time to enquire via the phone.
That’s all fine and dandy, but its not going to last. At some point your referrals are going to dry up, and your repeat business may go a little stale. These businesses are stuck in a rut, a comfortable rut, that is going to take quite a bit to get out of. I’d rather be spending 10% of my businesses time attempting to grow, than 100% spent making money. Why? Because making your business sustainable is of extreme importance. If you aren’t link building, article submitting and generally increasing the presence of your brand, then over time you are going to stagnate, and the work will dry up. I promise. Far too many internet companies are concentrating solely on winning business through tender and repeat business, which is fine, up to a point. If this is the only way you get new leads, then prepare for your competitors to sneak up behind you and hit you over the head with a competing SERP. Particularly the outfits who have time to spend researching and implementing marketing online.
Business in the next few years particularly for internet companies will be won and lost on the strength of Search Engine results and the faith put in them from potential customers. After all who would you trust if you didn’t know what was what in the web design field? If you aren’t posting on your company website regularly, then Google is going to reward the people out there that are. If you aren’t gaining links exponentially, prepare to fall from search engine grace. I can understand that companies have little time to dedicate to such matters, but using downtime, or Friday afternoons to chase links is time well spent. You might even want to turn it into a company league table, with some sort of reward for employees who get the most links.
Overall decreased importance in gaining businesses through traditional means and methods will happen over the next few years as more and more people become comfortable and trusting in the results they get provided with through Search engine results. If you are feeling comfortable with your search engine position – be afraid. Be very afraid.
