SEO for Small Businesses: 10 strategies that really work
Most business owners have at least heard the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and know that it has something to do with drawing visitors and increasing traffic to your website. Beyond that, most people do not know much about SEO unless they are already actively working on a SEO for small businesses action plan. So, what exactly is SEO, and is it worth looking into for smaller businesses and mom-and-pop type shops? Those are the questions we are going to be addressing today.
Is SEO worth it for small businesses?
At the heart of the matter, SEO for small businesses is about generating free traffic and bringing in customers to the site. The benefit of basic SEO practices is that there are no expensive ads to make or fund, and no expensive marketing campaigns. It’s simply using the right words to increase how visible your brand and website are in search results. SEO for small businesses involves creating evergreen content that is informative to your customers and visitors, and that can be referred to and used over and over again, long after it has been initially shared. SEO, when done correctly, is a wonderful tool that small businesses can use to help boost visibility on Google and acquire more traffic without paying fees, which is why smart SEO analysis and application is a critical part of small business marketing. With these 10 strategies in hand, your small business can embrace the power of Search Engine Optimization and be ready for whatever lies ahead.
- Create a Google My Business listing
Securing your GMB listing is important, because it’s a common platform that tech-savvy customers are using to explore their options and to discover local businesses who can meet their needs when it comes to products and services. The first step is to see if your business type is supported by GMB—most industries are represented in some way on the platform—and then set up your listing. Just as you would optimize your own website with information like operating hours, prices, mission statement, and keywords, you will want to do the same for your listing on this platform as well.
You can find all you need to know about it on our blog post, “Google My Business SEO: How to optimize your GMB”.
- Build citations
Another way to boost SEO for small businesses like yours is to secure your profile and page with several important directory websites. Infobel, Yelp, Angie’s List and other similar sites, especially ones focused on local listings in your area, are key to getting the best traffic for your site. Finding other local or niche directories that could be relevant to your activities and your location can also boost customer traffic, and make it easier to market your brand to a wider audience without any real overhead costs.
- Create social media profiles
SEO for small businesses is all about getting out in front of your target audience. For many, that means appealing to the younger generations by venturing onto social media platforms to engage and promote. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Reddit, Tumblr and many other platforms are popular and can be great ways to market your business to the upcoming customer base, depending on the products and services you have to offer. Even if you only start with a few, being present on popular social platforms is a wonderful way to boost SEO power and increase your exposure.
- Create content optimized for search engines through your blog
Blogging is a great way to get good quality content out for your readers to find and enjoy. Using blogs and website content as a way to get keywords out and noticed is a key aspect of SEO for small businesses. Research applicable and popular keywords and use words and phrases that are easier to rank in, because getting on page two of the search results is better than not being seen at all. And you can always work to boost your ranking from there little by little as you go.
- Get reviews on your profiles!
Be sure you are working on asking customers, especially repeat and loyal customers, to leave reviews and feedback for you. These are valuable tools that help build your reputation and give your brand credibility among new customers. Do not be tempted to buy reviews though, as many people are wary of this and will still take online reviews with a critical eye. It’s best to put up with those few low star reviews and be honest than to try and cheat the system, only to be caught later on.
- Set up your website completely
Make sure you are creating good content that is unique, high quality, original, timely, and beneficial. Remember that quality is always more important than quantity when it comes to optimizing your blogs and websites. Good use of SEO for small businesses requires that you make use of metas, titles, subheaders, keywords, alt texts, image tags and more within your written content! Titles and subheaders are fairly straightforward. Meta descriptions are the snippets that show up on search engine results under the website name.
Alt texts, image tags and the like are brief descriptions added to the text and non-text items on the web page, allowing you to tag these items with keywords as well. All these little snippets and keyword drops add up and can make a big difference in the long run.
- Develop a mobile-friendly website
Mobile devices such as smartphones and iPads are far more commonly used today than laptops, and old school desktop computers are soon to be obsolete for most people. This means websites need to be specially developed and laid out so that they still look good and work well on these devices. When customers can easily view and navigate your site, they are more likely to visit and explore, and that usually results in more return visits or the ultimate goal—calls for more information or orders placed.
- Set up tracking tools to understand your strengths and weaknesses
Even a well-designed website can stand to be improved upon. Using Google Analytics and other tools can help you see what is and is not working and what areas need to be tweaked and improved upon. Small changes made on the go are often easier to handle and afford, and can help ensure there are fewer hiccups along the way. Being flexible and adaptable is key to making SEO for small businesses work for you.
- Optimize your Website
SEO for small businesses is a long-term marketing strategy, so even though it can take time to see a rise in customer base and obvious payoffs, if the optimization is done correctly and the SEO plan is followed for the long term, it will reap benefits for the business. This is why SEO for small businesses is absolutely essential to get a fully optimized, streamlined, and user-friendly website right from the start.
- Link to other websites with relevant content
The final step to make the absolute most of SEO for small businesses is embracing the concept of backlinking. SEO Backlink services: Guide 101 will explain this in further detail, but it is essentially working with other bloggers and business owners to make the most of shared linking and collaborations. Sharing promotions and partnerships benefit both parties and make it all more doable in terms of successful marketing and Search Engine Optimization.
Conclusion & tips for Successfully implementing SEO for small businesses
- Check your competitors’ websites regularly to see what they are doing and what works for them
- Check for high ranking keywords regularly to be sure you are hitting as many as you can
- See what works for others in the market and then do the same but even better
- Stay up to date with the latest trends, platforms and tools to keep ahead of the competition
- Work with LeadStream for services such as SEO for Small Business
- Work on the SEO service for small business you can apply to your daily business operations
