At 808 Agency, our team of digital marketing experts dedicates their time to helping small businesses grow and break records. Recently, we shared five reasons you need a Hawaii marketing agency.

Do you know how to leverage SEO in Hawaii? As a business owner, you undoubtedly have Google and SEO on your mind… but do you use it properly? You might ask, “What keywords do I use for my business? What about images and copy? How do I optimize SEO for my Hawaii-based business?” Every business owner should ask these crucial questions, but you need more than keywords and backlinks. SEO in Hawaii can make or break your business.

Sadly, most small businesses don’t realize this. According to a 2020 survey, 70% of small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) do NOT leverage SEO in their marketing strategy. This essentially means most small businesses leave their success up to chance, like throwing a dart in a dark room. Maybe you’ll hit success once in a while, but you wouldn’t bet anything on it. This is the quickest way to close your business before 2024 ends.

Also Read: 3 Nonnegotiables for a Search Engine Optimization Company in Hawaii

Why Does SEO in Hawaii Matter?

SEO makes the difference between customers finding your brand… or not. When a potential customer wants a particular product or service, they probably use Google to find it, whether they plan to get it from an online or brick-and-mortar store. After they hit “Enter” on their keyboard, they browse the first few options. If yours doesn’t show up near the top of the first page, you’ll blend in with your competitors. 

In fact, only 6.6% of users go beyond the second page of Google. This means what you think it means: If your brand doesn’t land on the first page, you have a 6.6% chance or less of getting discovered by customers. 

But strategically optimizing your SEO for Hawaii means more online and foot traffic. You gain positive reviews and news about your business spreads by word-of-mouth. You build authority in your market and develop a following, so you also  gain credibility and influence. Your strategic use of SEO sets off a snowball of positive effects. 

What do you need to make this happen? Let me share more.

Also read: Use Local SEO to Make your Brand Famous

Six Pieces of the SEO Puzzle to Optimize Your Website

So how can you optimize your SEO for Hawaii? We’ll share six ways:

1. Set the Foundation

Before choosing any keywords, set the foundation of your SEO strategy. What main problem do you want SEO to solve? Have you defined the target audience for your business? What results do you want to see over the next three to six months? An effective SEO Hawaii strategy gets planned based on tried and true principles. Answer these questions so you have established goals to move toward as you strategize.

2. Refine the Technicals

Just like your customers, Google prefers websites that work well. To make your SEO in Hawaii effective for 2024, get your website in tip-top shape. It should function just as well on mobile as it does desktop. Routinely check it for bugs and inefficiencies. Finally, let Google know that your website exists and grab resources from the dozens of optimization tools and resources they offer. Sign up for Google Business to take advantage of their free business solutions.

3. Optimize What’s On-Page

When your future customer clicks on your website, what do they see first? Be 100% sure that your keywords, visual content, copy, and overall design utilize SEO. Every word, picture, and design element can be leveraged for SEO purposes. For example, fill your posts with meta descriptions that bump your website up in Google searches. Use descriptive file names and alt tags to optimize on-page images. Finally, make every piece of content valuable to your audience, and Google will reward you.

4. Leverage What’s Off-Page

What’s more important than what your customer sees? What they don’t see… yet. The key to building your SEO Hawaii presence comes down to working behind the scenes to build your profile. Do this with quality backlinks, where guest posts and directory listings build momentum in Google’s eyes. Google also favors websites that have a strong social media presence, so invest resources there. If you have a physical location, claim and optimize your Google Business profile. Encourage customer reviews and ensure consistent business information across online directories.

5. Measure Your Results

After you’ve put all this work in, measure it! Even if you optimize your SEO in Hawaii, you can’t replicate that success unless you can repeat the right steps. Our recommendation? Select a free or low-cost analytics tool to track your click rates, CTRs, bounce rates, abandoned carts, keywords, load times, and much more. Knowledge is power.

6. Hire a Pro!

Maybe you’d rather delegate SEO to a seasoned professional who lives and breathes it. Not everyone wants to set up and manage their own SEO in Hawaii, and most shouldn’t. Hiring an experienced marketing and SEO agency allows you to get results without all the worry.

If you want to work with a results-driven Hawaii marketing agency, reach out to us today! We help hundreds of businesses grow with marketing that drives incredible results. We even offer a FREE SEO audit to help you get started.

Further Reading: 4 Secrets to Effective Custom Web Design in Hawaii

Photos Courtesy of Elijah Hail, Merakist, and Kelly Sikkema