As a small business owner, you might think that SEO is an unnecessary expense. You might even think it’s not worth the time and effort you put into it because SEO is dying anyway, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.SEO is always gaining importance and expanding into new areas. . It used to play an important role for large and medium-sized companies. Now it is just as important for small businesses.
What is SEO?
Many people think they know what SEO is, but it’s much more complicated than it seems on the surface. For example, keywords and content are a big part of his SEO, but there are many other factors involved. All of these fall into two categories:
• On-page SEO. Any effort to improve individual pages to improve their ranking in search engine results is on-page SEO. This includes not just keywords, but formatting, URLs, navigation, loading speed, onsite blogs, and responsive design.
• Off-page SEO. You can also improve your SEO by taking action from your website. The most well-known aspect of off-page SEO is link building, but this category also includes social media, business profiles, and articles.
how to get started
It’s true that SEO can be complicated, but that’s no excuse to ignore it completely. A lot of SEO costs nothing more than your time and is much more effective than traditional marketing tactics. For example, according to Search Engine Journal, inbound leads (like SEO) cost 61% less than outbound leads (like cold calls). Implementing tactics is also easy – if you know how.
• Local SEO. Google prioritizes local content that has special value for users. For small businesses, their unique knowledge of their local audience can give them an edge over larger companies. A lot of local SEO is based on long tail keywords. By researching potential terms using tools like Google Keyword Planner, you can find phrases that describe what your business offers, including location. Simply create content based on these keywords and you’ll start ranking higher in search engine results.
• Social media. Social media is an ideal place to share your website or blog content to drive traffic to your site. You should post regularly and interact with your users.
• Link building. Another aspect to add to your initial SEO strategy is link building. Note that the size of your business doesn’t matter to Google. If you use black hat techniques, you will be penalized. Black hat techniques consist of low quality methods and spam. Instead, use link building to show your authority by creating guest blogs, submitting pages to high-quality and relevant directories, and creating content that others want to share. is needed.
To put the above into practice, I use what I call the BoostSEO method, which I created after realizing that traditional strategies for search engine optimization were failing small businesses. There have been many strategies that could offer comprehensive, high-quality or affordable service, but none could offer all three. Follow these 6 steps:
• Keyword researchDo even more keyword research than usual to create an exhaustive list. From this, only the best conditions can be selected. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to keyword performance.
• Keyword optimizationAdd keywords naturally and strategically throughout your website (code and content). We also create higher quality content for your business elsewhere on the web. This indicates that your business is related to your keyword term.
• Gain credibility and authorityWe promote and sell websites online to earn the trust of Google and our prospective customers.
• Monitor progressWe have a team in place to monitor keyword rankings and adjust strategies as needed.
• Maintain top rankingsWe continue to strive to maintain our number one position in SMB relevant search results.
• ResumeOnce step 5 is complete, go back to the beginning, optimize for new keywords, and repeat the process.
We can do this using our in-house software platform. This allows you to apply SEO methods to individual tasks and send each task to the right specialist.
You can use the same method for your own SEO. Start by brainstorming more keywords than you need. This helps you find the best performing terms in your niche. Then apply those keywords to your entire website (copy, blog content, guest posts, tags). Then use social media, reciprocal links, and Google Local Business to promote your website. Throughout the process, check your analytics regularly to see how your keywords are performing and make any necessary changes to your strategy. Once you’ve achieved top rankings for this first set of keywords, simply repeat the six steps.
How do you know your SEO is working?
One of the best things about SEO is that it’s measurable. Tools like Google Analytics let you know who is on your website, how they are and what they are doing. For example, if you notice that many visitors find you with a particular search term, you can use that keyword in more content.
Takeaway
To succeed and survive in today’s business world, you need SEO. Whether you’re a local business with a physical store or a niche company with a specialized audience, you’ll fail without SEO. Without SEO, you have no online visibility. This means that when consumers search for your business, they can’t find you and do business with you.
If your competitors still rely on outbound marketing, or if you expect the best results from your website, this is your chance. You don’t have to start big. Start with the basics and build up gradually as your company grows.
