One of the common reasons small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) refrain from marketing or advertising is because of a limited budget. But when asked what they would do with double the marketing budget, SEO and paid search (PPC) topped the list.

According to a new LSA survey, 50% of SMBs would invest in SEO if they had double their current marketing budget and 41% would invest in paid search/PPC. Websites (37%), social media (29%) and CRM Tools (28%) made up the rest of the top five channels.

The desire to invest more in search (paid and organic) and websites aligns with consumer behavior. While studies are pointing to a fragmented local media experience, these studies are still finding that search engines and websites are a dominant driver of local discovery for consumers.

Social media and CRM are often used as customer service and loyalty drivers. Outside of growth via search and websites, the data also suggests SMBs would like to deliver stronger customer service.