In the US, small businesses spend an average of about $500 per month on SEO. At the same time, the choice of contractors is based on online reviews, search results and recommendations through referrals. The study, conducted among 1,200 respondents, showed several interesting patterns.
Main results
- It turned out that there is a direct connection between the funds invested and the level of satisfaction with the results. When customers spend $500 or more, they are 53% more likely to be satisfied with the outcome.
- Only 8% of businessmen rely on online advertising. The rest pay attention to search results and user reviews. 74% of respondents focus on the reputation of the agency providing SEO services. Next in importance are the cost of services and the position of the agency itself in search engines.
- The agency's presence on social networks or case examples do not play a decisive role in making a decision.
- The main goal of SEO for business is to increase the customer base, which directly depends on the site’s position in search results. If the product you need can be found on the first link, why look further?
- Only 30% of respondents are completely satisfied with the agency’s work and are ready to recommend it. Most entrepreneurs change SEO contractor due to “unsatisfactory results” or due to dissatisfaction with managers (34%). Despite this, trust in freelancers is significantly lower.
- 35% of respondents worked with only one contractor, while approximately a quarter of businessmen changed three or more contractors in a short period of time.
What about in Russia?
One of the most popular services in Russia is work with reputation, and this is not surprising: the vast majority of potential clients are guided by reviews. Even if some of them may be custom-made, the authority of this source of information remains high.
There is a misconception that working with reputation is not entirely fair. But there is an important point: almost 50% of negative reviews are nothing more than fiction. This situation creates unhealthy competition, and in such conditions, companies are forced to take measures to protect their reputation and not allow competitors to “use” false opinions to discredit them.
If you have questions about SEO strategies or reputation management, write to the SEO studio "SEO COMPUTER". We will be happy to help you sort out any situation.
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