SEO is the Marketing Tool for Small Business

Posted on 14th December, by Robert Rothe in SEO. 2 Comments

Times are tight in the travel industry, especially for smaller businesses. When it’s hard to make a dollar it is time to focus on the most trusted an effective marketing tools. According to a recent survey, SEO is the single most popular marketing channel among small business owners in the US. Learn more about the benefits of Search Engine Optimization for SMBs in this post.

A survey recently posted by Search Engine Land states it clearly: if small business owners in the US could use only one marketing tool it would be SEO. In the survey Search Engine Optimization grabs a thundering 32.9% of the pie, while traditional media such as newspaper ads, radio or direct email came in second at 19.7%. Other options in the survey were Social Media, paid search advertising and mobile marketing. So why do small business owners love SEO? The minimum budget for an SEO campaign is very affordable compared to other marketing options and offers great rewards, if done correctly. As the recession is leading to fewer bookings in the travel industry, we advise businesses in the travel industry not to withdraw their marketing budget, but to focus on SEO and their own website as this will generate bookings despite the current situation of the tourism market.

Survey by MerchantCircle

SEO for the Travel Industry

While the travel industry overall might be struggling, the percentage of online bookings is steadily increasing. In his recent presentation at the HAN congress in Windhoek Robert Bernatzeder of Biggestleaf made the point that 96% of all travellers start their research online. In 2011 more than 50% of all travel was researched and booked online. If you want to succeed in the travel industry online is the way to go. The benefits of using SEO in combination with a user-friendly website are manifold:

More than 60% of all travellers use search engines for their research
Get bookings directly on your website and cut the cost of agents
An SEO campaign can be launched on a small budget
Good search engine rankings will give you longer lasting results than other marketing options

If you want to start an SEO campaign with Biggestleaf get a quote from our consultants or read more about our SEO services.

About Robert Rothe

Robert Rothe has written 27 stories in this blog.

Robert is our in-house blogger and copywriter. Because great content is essential to Search Engine Optimization, he is a very busy man. When he is not racing his fingers over the keyboard, you will find him running through the mountains, paddling for waves or exploring the beautiful continent of Africa.

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http://twitter.com/SusanDiana2us Susan Diana

I agree with you. Thanks for nice article :)
Mars A

I agree with Robert about SEO, it is very important and one of the best ways to get your web page directly to the customers. You may also want to consider Social media marketing – Facebook, blogs, twitter etc. I realize it’s very time consuming and most serious business people don’t have the spare time to spend on online promotions but there is a company called Magicbuz that does it all for you at a very reasonable price. They do SocioViral marketing with a team of conversationalists – getting your company on the lips of everyone all over the net. They are able to reach your specific demographic and reach people where they are at.