In 2020, Google fielded 6.9 billion searches per day. Over the course of a year, this added up to 2.5 trillion searches.
With small business SEO, you can leverage search engine traffic to your site without spending a dime. All you need is a content strategy, a calendar, and a solid understanding of what search engines can do for your marketing efforts.
We’ve put together a short guide on search engine optimization for small businesses. Keep reading to learn how you can make SEO a key part of your business marketing efforts.
SEO stands for “search engine optimization”. This describes the different ways you can rank higher on the first page when people type certain phrases into Google or Bing. As a general rule of thumb, SEO falls into four broad categories:
And even then, there are subcategories. For instance, a small pizzeria in Cincinnati could get more orders by ranking for “Hawaiian pizza in Cincinnati”. This is what’s known as local SEO. However, depending on the steps taken by the company, local SEO could be considered on-page SEO or SEO content.
For this reason, local SEO can be an invaluable resource to a brick-and-mortar small business. And for e-commerce companies or traditional businesses with a broader market appeal, SEO can supplement ad spend while opening up a more passive advertising channel.
If you want to become an industry leader while generating more sales, you can’t go wrong with SEO.
We’ve explained what SEO is and we’ve covered the benefits of SEO elsewhere. Here’s how you can do small business SEO that gets results:
There are sites that could use new graphics or fresh copy. And then there are sites that are nearly impossible to navigate.
Technical SEO is about the user experience. Details like your metadata, your links, and the presence of broken pages can all affect your search engine rankings.
On that note, you’ll want to take a critical look at your site. Is it difficult to find the menu? Is your content a bit too superficial?
These details might not sound important in isolation, but you’ll need to sort these things out before you do anything else.
Have you ever noticed how WebMD and Mayo Clinic are almost always at the top of every medical search? The reason why WebMD can write about medications and have higher engine rankings than the medical manufacturer is quite simple:
That site has established itself as an authority over the years. As a result, they have all kinds of backlinks, or links pointing to them from other sites. This, in turn, makes it a little easier for them to rank for a wide range of keywords.
Now more than ever, SEO doesn’t end at hitting “publish” on your blog post. A sustained backlink campaign can boost your website’s credibility with Google and Bing.
Some people write guest posts. Others make YouTube videos and social media posts that link back to their websites. There’s no one right way to pull this off. Once you’ve built up backlinks and established yourself as an authority to search engines, however, you won’t have to wonder if your posts and pages will rank — it’ll be a question of “where” and “when”.
For most businesses, SEO keywords fall under two general categories:
However, businesses will often pursue keywords based on a combination of search engine volume and intent. Here’s an example of what we mean:
Let’s say you run a fitness gym for people who want to lose weight. A lot of people would be searching the keyword phrase “how to lose weight”. But with heavy hitters like Healthline, WebMD, and the CDC all appearing on the first page, your brand-new site will have a hard time getting seen.
This is where search engine intent can have a significant effect on your search engine optimization efforts.
In addition to the keyword being hard to rank for, someone looking for general advice on losing weight might not be ready to buy a membership at your gym. But phrases like “gym routines for weight loss” or “beginner-friendly gym in Your City” may point to someone on the verge of starting their fitness journey.
With the right keywords, you can get the attention of potential clients who are ready to purchase your products or services.
Once you’ve revamped your website, thought about your backlink strategy, and your approach to keywords, it’s time to focus on content. If you’re at a loss when it comes to making SEO content that drives results, we’ve got a couple of key tips for small businesses:
For many marketers, buyer personas are an essential part of the content creation process. Why? Because even though the search engines may want to see certain keywords put in, putting your content in front of prospects is only half the battle.
People still want to read engaging content that sells your business.
However, creating blog posts that balance search engines with the needs of the audience isn’t easy. Old blog posts can fall through the cracks and it can be difficult to ensure that you’ve hit every keyword and link requirement. If you put together a comprehensive checklist in the early phases, you’ll be able to bring an element of quality control to your SEO efforts.
Whether you’re an HVAC specialist, an online retailer, or a tax preparation expert, there’s no escaping the need to keep attracting clients. But for all the perks of owning a business, entrepreneurs are often short on time and in need of SEO that delivers results.
If that sounds familiar, we can help. Our team of SEO experts will optimize your website while helping you generate more traffic through small business SEO. Explore our SEO solutions today.
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