By Gavin Brooks on Nov 17, 2023
Search box optimization (SBO) grabs a customer’s attention before they ever get to a Google search results page. It is sometimes referred to as search suggest optimization or search autosuggest optimization.
SBO influences a search engine to autosuggest a company’s name, product, or service when customers type a search engine query using the business’s selected keywords. If the customer clicks, they are taken to a page with search results solely about that business. We explained SBO in depth with graphics in our blog post Search Box Optimization for Small Business: Why You Need It back in May. (If you are unclear what search box optimization is, you may want to review that blog post.)
These autosuggestions may be tied to a geographical area. After all, if you have a restaurant in Detroit, it doesn’t do you a lot of good for your restaurant’s name to come up in Google or Bing autosuggestions for searches performed in San Francisco.
But like any marketing tool, you need to be aware of the pros and the cons so you can use it effectively. This article offers insights to help small business owners navigate using search box optimization.
In a market where many small businesses may not focus on search box optimization, doing so will give you a competitive edge. It’s no small thing to have a customer click on your business or product keywords before the customer ever sees search results containing all your competitors. When users click on and autosuggestion for your business, product or service, they are taken to a page that is literally a billboard of links all about your business.
Users searching on Google use autocomplete suggestions 23% of the time. If you are using search box optimization and customers type in your keywords and click on your autosuggestion, your competition isn’t even in this picture.
When your business appears as an autosuggestion in response to users typing your chosen keywords, they see that your business, product or service is featured. This can go a long way to increasing brand recognition and increase top of mind awareness. This means they are more likely to respond to your business’s other marketing efforts in the future.
When your company, product or service appears in Google or Bing autosuggest, it not only increases visibility but also increases credibility. Appearing in autosuggest gives the impression of being recommended by Google. This recommendation can give users a more positive perception of your brand.
When your business, product or service is the only one that appears in autosuggest, users tend to click it because
Search box optimization gives a business a lot of bang for the buck. If you as a business owner have been unhappy with the amount of money you have to spend for SEO, lead generation and conversions, it makes sense to consider implementing SBO. It can supplement your other efforts and enable you to reduce what you are spending on them.
Despite the obvious advantages of SBO, there are things to watch out for as in most strategies. Here’s what to consider when choosing a marketing agency to do your SBO.
There is concern that SBO can be used as a black hat technique that manipulates search engines. But when done correctly, SBO does not manipulate search engines but rather provides content to help search engines find what users are looking for.
Be sure you choose a marketing agency that strictly adheres to ethical practices and is dedicated to providing real value to users.
Google and other search engines are constantly updating their algorithms. Autosuggestions are influenced by many things such as click-through rates and search volumes. In order to keep your brand front and center in a search engine’s autosuggestions, you must use a marketing agency that is constantly on top of your search box optimization efforts, always tweaking so your business gets visibility. SBO is not a one time effort. It’s an ongoing process.
To be effective, search box optimization requires technical expertise and experience. There is a lot to it including knowledge about search engine algorithms, machine learning and natural language processing. This is not the kind of expertise small businesses usually have inhouse. Be sure that you hire a marketing agency that has it.
Search box optimization can deliver advantages to your business that can help you significantly improve your market share. But you must understand it’s an ongoing process, and you need ethical, expert help to implement it properly. By thoughtfully integrating search box optimization into your broader online strategy, you can leverage this powerful tool to improve the online presence and drive growth to your small business.
To schedule a free consultation with an Umbrella Local Expert about how search box optimization can help your small business, go to our website or call (646)440-1426.
Use our free tool to get your score calculated in under 60 seconds.
