How can small businesses compete with larger and more developed contenders? These big names are constantly sitting at the top of the Google Search results page, and it might seem like it’s completely unattainable to reach the same heights. You may even brush off the idea of achieving it altogether.
It doesn’t matter the size or success of a business, there is always a way to benefit from a solid SEO strategy. It’s something that can be implemented with ease and even low cost, depending on the scope of your projects.
Benefits of SEO for small businesses
An SEO strategy involves developing a plan to boost your ranking on the search engine results pages (SERPs) and in turn increase traffic to your website. SEO revolves almost entirely around organic traffic – the higher your site ranks in the SERPs, the more visible it becomes to your audience.
There are numerous benefits to implementing a sound SEO strategy for your small business. Here are some standout advantages:
- Access 24/7: Making your business information accessible online gives you access to an audience outside of a 9 to 5 basis, ensuring that your business is available no matter the time of day.
- Low cost: There are plenty of marketing strategies that can be incredibly costly for small businesses, however, SEO is something that can be implemented with low costs and the basics of SEO can even be implemented with no cost at all.
- Improved awareness: If your business is ranking at the top of the SERPs then this will increase audience awareness, ultimately resulting in an increase in potential leads.
Ways to implement SEO
The mechanics of SEO can be fairly complex, and the first hurdle is to understand what optimisations your site actually requires before delving into strategy. To understand what your business needs, you’ll have to establish a fundamental understanding of what your customers are looking for.
Some questions to consider could be:
- How do customers determine whether they require your product or service and where can they go to fulfil that need?
- What devices do they most commonly use to access your product? Does it typically involve them using their mobile, a desktop computer, or tablet?
- Is your product/service there to fulfil a personal desire or is it necessary for problem solving?
How you answer these questions will help you to paint a clear picture of how your audience discusses your product and the ways they might go about searching for it online.
For example, if you’re an independent local restaurant, you’ll find that your target audience are more likely to use Google to search for “places to eat near me”. In this case, your SEO strategy will want to implement localisation techniques in order to boost the ranking and visibility of your business.
This language will help to guide your keyword research so you can focus on search terms that your content needs to target. There are plenty of keyword research tools available online to help with this process. Once you understand the foundation of what will drive your SEO approach, you can look at tangible ways to develop your strategy:
Fix existing technical issues
You have to learn to walk before you can run. If you start adding new elements to your site without finding the root of any growth issues, then you may find that you’re taking one step forward and two steps back with each move. There are various online tools available that can SEO audit your site to give you an idea what needs improvement.
Alternatively, if you prefer to outsource the task, contacting a reliable agency is a viable option as they can help give you a good idea of what to focus your efforts on.
Improve your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a valuable asset that is completely free to use and update. It acts as a central repository for all of your business information including your business address, reviews, contact information and more.
Make sure to fill in as much information as possible and include photos and videos that can help your customer base get a good idea of what to expect from your business.
Get to know your competitors
Competitor research is one of the most important aspects of SEO. The best way to learn about ways to improve your approach is by looking at what your competitors are doing that’s working for them. You’ll be catering to the same audience and so if you want to reach the top, you need to stay ahead of the competition.
Make reviews a priority
It’s extremely common nowadays that a customer will look at the reviews of a business before deciding to spend money with them. If your business doesn’t have any reviews available online, this can deter a huge audience.
On top of encouraging customers to leave reviews, it’s important to acknowledge them. By responding to reviews you leave a positive impression on your audience by showcasing that their voice matters and improving customer loyalty in turn.
If you’re interested in SEO for your small business but aren’t sure of the best place to start then an agency may be just what you need. We offer optimisation services for businesses of all demographics, shapes and sizes.
If you want more advice on how to improve your SEO, check out the It Works blog. Alternatively, get in touch to find out how we can work our magic.