Digital Marketing 101: Small Business SEO Tips for Owners
Search engine optimization is a great way to advertise your small business online for low or no cost. In fact, SEO.ai claims that almost 70% of digital traffic comes by way of local and organic searches. Yet when it comes to small business SEO, many owners don’t find that their efforts are successful.
The reasons why vary, but usually fall into one of the following categories:
- Limited knowledge of SEO. Many small business owners are not familiar with SEO basics, which can hinder their ability to optimize their websites effectively. Over 40% of small businesses use in-house SEO software and tools instead of hiring an outside party.
- Crowded with big businesses. Competing with big businesses that have equally large budgets can be daunting. Small businesses find it challenging to rank against well-established brands—if they decide to try to compete at all.
- Time constraints. Small business owners tend to wear multiple hats and may not have the time to dedicate to SEO efforts. Effective SEO requires ongoing attention and adjustments, which can be difficult to manage for solo business owners.
- Inconsistent content strategy. Creating consistent, high-quality content is essential for SEO success. However, many small businesses don’t understand how to create a structured SEO strategy.
Since boosting your online presence starts with understanding the core elements of SEO and how to leverage them effectively for your business, we decided to write an article about it. Below, we’ll explore actionable SEO tips for small businesses that any owner can use to help their company rank well. Ready? Let’s get started!
SEO vs. keywords—what’s the difference?
You may already know that SEO stands for Search engine optimization. However, you might get confused by the term “keywords” which you often hear associated with SEO—perhaps interchangeably! Keywords are the phrases and terms that users type into a search bar when looking for information, products, or services.
Let’s say you own a small landscaping company and you’re looking for an insurance policy. You might open Google and type in “small business insurance” or “insurance for my landscaping business.” Those are keywords, sometimes referred to as keyword phrases.
The results that pop up, such as biBerk, display on search engine results pages (SERPs) filled with websites optimized for those specific keywords. These pages have been strategically crafted with SEO techniques to ensure they rank higher on Google’s list.
As you may already know, the higher your website ranks for relevant keywords, the more likely it will get clicked. Websites that appear on the first or second page of results will get far more clicks than websites on pages 10 or 11 of the results.
Creating your keyword strategy
Now you know that keywords are the phrases people type into the search bar in their browser to find what they're looking for. The question is, how do you know what keywords your target audience is using to search for products or services like yours?
- Identify your target audience.
Understanding your target audience is the first step in effective keyword research. Who are they? What problems are they trying to solve? You may have created a Buyer Persona or Ideal Customer Profile before starting your business that can help you figure out the answers. Knowing the answers is what will help you predict the keywords your ideal customer might use.
From there, make a list of every possible phrase you can think of related to what someone might enter when searching for your products and services. There are no wrong answers! - Utilize keyword research tools
Now that you have a list of potential keywords, it’s time to find variations of them as well as uncover how effective they might be. There are many free and low-cost tools that can help you with keyword research. Keyword.io and SEMrush are a few popular ones. These tools can show you how often certain keywords are searched and how competitive they are.
Additionally, tools like Answer The Public can be helpful in determining untapped search demand.
SEO tips for your website
Your website plays a big role in your overall SEO strategy. That’s because an effective SEO strategy involves integrating keywords naturally into your website’s written content. This helps ensure that search engines recognize your site as a valuable source of information.
Written content on your website can be anything from the information on your homepage to the descriptions written for images that fail to load for users.
High-quality, relevant content that addresses the needs and questions of your target audience can boost your site's authority and relevance in the eyes of search engines. This includes resources like well-written blog posts, detailed product descriptions, informative articles, and engaging multimedia elements like videos with transcripts. By incorporating relevant keywords naturally into your content and regularly updating it, you signal to search engines that your site is active and valuable, which can improve your rankings.
That said, it’s incredibly important that you incorporate keywords naturally into your content. This means using them in your titles, headings, and throughout the body of your text. But remember, keyword stuffing, which is overloading your content with keywords, can actually harm your SEO—so don’t overdo it.
A general rule of thumb is that your keyword should appear once every 100-150 words, depending on the length and complexity of your content. This will help to ensure your content remains readable and engaging while still being optimized for search engines.
Always focus on creating valuable, informative content first and foremost, with keyword integration as a secondary consideration.
Tracking your keywords
As with anything in marketing, tracking your keywords is a must when it comes to small business SEO. Without tracking, you won’t know which keywords are driving traffic to your site and which ones aren’t performing as expected. Sometimes, the keywords we think will have a big impact don’t, either due to low searches or too much competition. On the other hand, other keywords can become unexpected successes!
Monitoring keyword performance also helps you understand what your audience is searching for and how well your content matches their needs. By using tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush you can track metrics like keyword rankings, search volume, and click-through rates. This data helps you identify trends and adjust your keyword strategy accordingly.
Regularly reviewing your keyword performance will help you to continually write content that is relevant to the needs of your customers and prospects, ultimately driving more targeted traffic to your business’s website.
Final thoughts on SEO for small businesses
For small businesses, SEO is a great, inexpensive marketing strategy that anyone can use. By implementing effective SEO practices, owners can increase their online visibility, attract more targeted traffic, and even increase their sales. That said, successful SEO requires upkeep like monitoring your performance and a willingness to post new content consistently—at least once a week.
Nonetheless, small businesses that embrace an SEO strategy and use the SEO tips above have the power to grow their business and brand for little cost.
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