Search Engine Optimisation: An Alternative to Facebook Ads in 2022

The Nigeria Government released a publication in December 2021 stressing that the country will now charge the 7.5% VAT charges on Facebook and Instagram ads. As a digital marketing expert since 2017, I can guarantee this would affect advertisers in 2022.

A digital marketing expert will now pay 7.5% Value Added Tax on Facebook and Instagram adverts from January 1st, 2022. The social media company announced that as a result of the regulation of the Nigerian government, all advertisements on the platform whether for personal or business purposes will be subject to a 7.5% Value Added Tax.

Yes, I get it. Some advertisers may be able to afford the 7.5% VAT charge but what about those who may not be able to afford it? Research shows that only a few SMEs prioritises Facebook ads in the first 2 years of their existence. With this in mind, this regulation will obviously affect businesses that are still growing.

Now ask me, what then is the alternative? Yes! That is exactly WHY you are here. In this article, I will be showing you a low-budget alternative to Facebook Ads. When this is done right, you will be getting hot leads and might not have to run any social media ads at all.

If you are a digital marketing expert, this will be resourceful and valuable for you. Get your pen and notepad and let’s dive into it!

Search Engine Optimisation

In 2022, search engine optimisation will not be optional but a necessity. Businesses that want to get more leads that convert into paying clients/customers will now have to prioritise search engine optimisation. Compared to Facebook ads, all you need to start ranking in the search is just a WEBSITE!

You still don’t get it? Let me paint a quick scenario for you. Imagine you need to buy a new phone tomorrow. You probably will want to search on Google with the keyphrases “affordable phone stores in Lagos”. Correct? That’s right! Then you will pick from the first 3 results on the (SERP – Search Engine Results Page) and you will place your order?

Remember, this is imagination. Lol. Now imagine again that your website is among the first three results on Google’s first search engine result page? Imagine the number of RELEVANT LEADS you will be attracting per week without having to run any campaign at all?

Now, we are done imagining! The goal of this article is to expose you to the potentials of search engine optimisation. From my over five years of being a digital marketing expert, businesses that use search engines to attract their prospects have a higher ROI than businesses that only depend on Facebook ads.

In this next paragraph, I will be showing you what you can do in 30 days to start positioning your business (in this case, your website) to rank on the first-page search engine result page (otherwise called SERP).

Getting Started Search Engine Optimisation

• Create a simple website for your brand/company
• Create a blog section for your website and start writing content relevant to your market.
• Install Google Analytics tracking code and see if you are getting some traffic to your blog. Explore Google Analytics.
• Open an Adwords account and do some keyword research to see what customers/clients are searching for on Google.
• Write more articles and publish on your blog.
• Open a Facebook page dedicated to your market (apart from your personal page) and share the articles on your Facebook page.
• Get a Google My Business listing here.
• Get customers/clients to share their reviews on your Google My Business listing.
• Continue this process consistently for 30 days and see the magic!

Do You Need Help With Getting Started?

Search Engine Optimisation is straightforward. However, I am aware you may be reading this need help with getting started with all that I listed above? I run digital marketing called LBDIGITAL and we have helped many businesses rise from zero to 7 figures with just search engine optimisation in just 6 months.

My team and I would be willing to help you out. Need any help? Reach out to us at LBDIGITAL. I hope this article has been very helpful? Thank you for reading through and don’t forget to come back for more juicy articles that will change your business for good.