Websites, SEO and Local Listings Named as Top Digital Marketing Solutions

Out of all digital marketing strategies, it turns out that websites, SEO and local listings are the most used and most recommended by industry professionals.

In a recent study done by Local Search Association (LSA) and Boostability called Scoring the Digital Marketing Stack , digital marketing agencies were surveyed to see which strategies were viewed as most effective. The services looked at in the study included the most popular and widely used digital marketing tactics:

• Content Marketing
  
• Display
  
• Email Marketing
  
• Listings Management
  
• Reviews and Reputation Management
  
• Pay-per-Click Advertising
  
• Search Engine Optimization
  
• Social Media Advertising
  
• Video
  
• Websites
  

Agencies were given this list of strategies and asked to rank each one on specified criteria. Each service was ranked on a scale from highly effective to not at all effective, based on the following criteria:

• Demand from customers
  
• Margins offered to the seller (the agency)
  
• Stickiness, or likelihood that the service is ongoing
  
• Return on investment (ROI) that the client sees from each service
  
• Ease of integration
  

LSA then compiled those rankings and gave each common digital marketing strategy a score of high, medium or low importance, according to overall results. Here’s what they found.

The top three strategies that digital marketing professionals agreed were most important across the board were websites, SEO and local listings. These were the elements most digital marketers found to be crucial to a successful campaign on all levels.

And we can’t say we disagree.

Let’s take a look at the results and dive deeper into why they’re the most important tactics.

Over the past several years, we’ve seen more clients coming to us wanting an updated website. Because websites have become the most popular way for consumers to find local businesses, companies are realizing the importanceof having a website that is visually pleasing and easy to use.

Plus, any of the other digital strategies you might consider using won’t do you any good if your customers are being directed to an outdated website. You could have the best content, social media advertising and emails, but without a well-maintained website, you’re wasting your marketing budget.

On the other hand, having a stellar website won’t do your business any good if no one can find your site in the first place. That’s why SEO is a key element to any digital marketing strategy. Optimizing your website for relevant keywords and locations will have a lasting impact on your search results, and will ultimately show consumers that you offer exactly what they’re looking for.

When it comes to local SMBs, your local listing is crucial to showing up in location-based searches. Any SEO efforts won’t do you any good if your local listing isn’t updated with as much information as possible. Especially because Google is now pushing local listings as a way for consumers to contact businesses directly, rather than sending them to the website first.

Digital marketers understand this importance, which is why we’re seeing an emphasis on this service.

Other digital marketing services are certainly worth trying—if you have the budget—but aren’t seen as having the same level of importance as these three strategies. Although, we do believe that reviews and reputation management should be included in that top three ranking (it evens out to be the next most important tactic).

Whatever strategies you include in your digital marketing efforts, make sure you’re focusing on your website, SEO and local listing above all else.