In the current digital world, SEO is the lifeblood of businesses’ marketing strategies. SEO or search engine optimization is the process of adjusting a website to the algorithm of search engines. SEO is today the best and cost-effective way to bring customers to your website and generate organic traffic. It helps in ranking your website on top of the search engine.
SEO is necessary for small businesses to ensure their online presence. When small businesses utilize SEO in the right way, they can see a push in their website traffic, brand visibility, and revenue generation.
As an experienced marketing agency, here we are sharing some crucial information and tips about SEO and how small businesses and start-ups can make the most out of it.
What is SEO for small businesses?
SEO is the process of optimizing your business website so that it can be found and indexed by the search engine. Small businesses should leverage the potential of the internet and make their business SEO-friendly for better growth.
The main SEO areas for small businesses are:
- Website- a well-structured, fast, and mobile-friendly website is essential for small businesses.
- Copy-writing- giving users information about your products in the best way to improve your business visibility.
- Content marketing- a good content marketing approach involves writing a blog post, each focused on a specific keyword that informs and engages your target audience.
- Link building- the number of internal and external links is the indicator that SERP’s use to determine the quality of your site.
- Local SEO- local businesses can utilize SEO for better business growth.
Why Small Businesses need SEO?
If you are a small business owner, you need a strong online presence for better growth. Without SEO, your website will struggle to appear in the Google search results. Even for local businesses, online visibility is necessary. In the US, 93% of consumers used the internet to find a local business in 2020, with 34% searching every day.
Here are 15 SEO tips for small businesses:
- Set up My Business account on Google
Create a business account on Google and upload all the information about your business. Creating a business account is free and helps you appear in the local search result for queries specific to your operation area.
Even Google nowadays is showing local results in broad queries also, which you can take advantage of.
- Build a mobile-friendly website
The number of internet users has increased recently. So, your business needs to keep up with this changing consumer behavior. Opt for a mobile-friendly website design so that your visitors can access and use your site on their smartphones easily. Making your website mobile-friendly also helps in improving Google search ranking.
- Use internal linking to optimize your site
Adding internal links to your site ensures that you direct your visitors to other pages of your website. By this, they will spend more time on your website, and it will improve the SEO of your website. Internal links also help to make your website appear more organized.
- Do extensive keyword research
Do extensive research before implanting keywords into your web content. You should know what people are searching for related to your product and service. One of the easiest ways to do this is through Google AdWords. Keep in mind that the right keywords are not necessarily popular.
For small businesses with a growing website, it may be better to focus on niche keywords and bring a smaller, yet more specific, group of potential customers in.
- Claim your physical address on Google maps
Local businesses should add physical addresses and locations on google maps for their offline customers.
- Hire a Marketing Agency
SEO can be complicated and understanding your marketplace and the current situation can help you make the right decision. You can hire a small business marketing agency so that you can focus on your job and they do SEO for you.
- Create a blog and write engaging content
Content can help you rank for your keywords. Starting a blog will help you with marketing strategies. But creating a blog stuffed with keywords will not work. You need to write engaging content in the blog that brings the audience to your site again and again. Also, blog regularly and update it to ensure its freshness.
- Aim for evergreen content in the blogs
In your blogs, write content that has a longer shelf life. This type of content will keep the visitor coming to your site after a long time also. This type of content also ranks on Google for a long time.
- Add image and videos
Pictures and videos are more engaging than traditional text methods. They also help you rank better in the search engine. Ensure your images have alt tags on them and include keywords in the file name.
- Write a unique title for every page
Your title is the first impression on the potential customers, so make it unique and eye-catching. Titles also help Google crawlers know what’s your page is about.
- Encourage reviews
87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020. User reviews are helpful because they not only improve the conversions but also help in SEO. Make sure your customers review your services on Google.
- Leverage social media platforms
A great way to keep your content fresh is to use social media to get your keywords out there. Daily tweets or Facebook and Instagram posts related to your company will help you. Use the keyword in your posts as a link to your website to get user attention.
Small businesses can improve their online presence by using social media sites. You can set up pages and also interact with your customers.
- Keep an eye on your competitors
It’s important to find out what your competitors are doing and the reason for their success in the business. Find out what the site ranking on page one of your target keywords has done for their better ranking.
- Write your product description
It is highly recommended to write a specific copy describing each product you offer. This is great for your conversion rate and also gives Google unique content to crawl. Your product copy should be legible and shows the features of the products you are offering.
- Keep an eye on SEO trends
The algorithm of Google changes regularly. It might be possible the SEO tactics working currently might be obsolete in the future. So, keep an eye on the latest trend of SEO so that you can optimize your website according to the latest trends.
If you are a small business owner wondering whether to go for SEO or not, it is the right time to start SEO and leverage the potential of the booming internet. Use these tips to make your business reach your goals.
And if you want to hire a business marketing agency, get in touch with professionals at Bright Owl Marketing. Reckoned as the best digital marketing agency in Melbourne, we can help your business achieve all your marketing goals organically through surefire SEO tactics. For more information, or to discuss your requirements with us, call us on 1300 720 845.
