The number one marketing and business development problem all small- to medium-sized businesses have in common is visibility: How to get your business name across to the right type of clientele.

Just typing your business name into a search engine – and getting results – is not proof you’re visible. “See, there I am. I’m popping up. I’m on the internet, so that should be enough.” I’ve heard this line, phrased and rephrased too many times over the last year alone. And then small business owners wonder why they’re not getting business. I’ve said it before, social media engagement isn’t enough to get business. You need to draw in the customers who are actively seeking your services or products, rather than waiting to hook the customers you’re already engaging in social media.

Of course you’ll pop up in search engine results if you search for yourself – but is that how a potential customer (who doesn’t know about you) will be searching? No. Of course not. No one can search for something they don’t know exists, so the idea that you’re popping up in results under your own search is one of the most fallible and crippling business beliefs.

What business owners need is an intelligent search engine marketing campaign. However, most people don’t know what this is nor what it entails – and clearly nobody wants to pay for something they don’t understand.

There are plenty of freelancers that offer this service, but they’re not always reliable or ethical. Unless you get a direct and reputable reference, this is a fishy route to take and you’d essentially be placing one of the most important aspects of your marketing into the trust of a total stranger. That’s why it’s essential to spend a little more and go with a reliable source, like top-rated iProspect.

Founded as the original search marketing firm, iProspect provides:

  • Keyword Research – So you can make sure your content has the right type and amount of keywords that will help your posts and pages pop up in results.
  • Content Enhancement – Better content means increased rankings and more relevant result yields.
  • Site Optimization Tag Development – To make it easier for crawlers to recognize your content.
  • Search Engine Submissions – People are searching on channels other than just Google or Yahoo, plus search engine popularity varies by country and even cities.

Users also get relevant content endorsement, global search engine content service, search engine leveraged press releases, social search strategies and optimization, and cross channel marketing.

iProspect competitors include SEO Moves, Optimization Inc and Streamlined Fusion.

SEO Moves offers a variety of services beyond SEO services. They recognize that digital marketing lines blur quickly and can require extending SEO into website architecture and link building. It also emphasizes competitor analysis – which I always say is key.

Optimization Inc, on the other hand, focuses more on content strategy, which is also incredibly critical to a strong SEO campaign. You have to make sure what you’re saying on your static pages, on your social pages and especially in your blogs and public newsletters/press releases, is relevant and keyword savvy. Everyone knows that speaking isn’t enough; it’s what you say that matters. The same principle applies in the digital world.

A newbie DIY marketer may like the simplicity offered by Streamlined Fusion. They extend their services into distinguishable packages sorted by websites, graphics and marketing – though I always say websites and graphics fall into marketing as well…