How SEO Can Help Your Small Business

It's no secret that small-business leaders are extremely busy.

Small-business leaders recognize search engine optimization (SEO) as a key marketing tactic, but most do not have the time or knowledge to do everything they need to do. Nevertheless, most small businesses do not have significant budgets for digital marketing.

Small businesses should take advantage of SEO to maximize their search efforts. Here are a few SEO tips to help them.

Benefits of SEO for small businesses

In particular, SEO can be a powerful tool for small businesses. Small businesses can benefit from SEO according to the following statistics:

Google searches for local information account for 46% of all searches (Source: GoGulf). You need SEO if you want to reach customers in your area, because it helps them find you.
A small business can be found online by 97% of people (Source: SEO Tribunal). If people want to learn more about your business (or products/services you offer), they will look at your website first. Therefore, you should appear on the search terms they use.
Over the past two years, "Near me" searches have grown by more than 900% (Source: Chat Meter). Optimizing your local search efforts is another important reason. There is a demand for small businesses in the area.
Google search results never go beyond the first page for 75% of users (Source: Hubspot). It is important to appear on the first page, but you also need to be intentional about it.

It doesn't matter what industry you're in or what size your business is, consumers are searching online every day for brands like yours. You can reach these potential customers by using search engines.

Small business SEO tips

How can SEO contribute to the growth of your small business now that you know what it can do? In spite of the fact that SEO can seem overwhelming, small businesses should consider these tips and principles.

1. Make your website SEO-friendly

Because small business websites were not developed with SEO in mind, they have difficulty with SEO. A beautifully designed website can lose out on a significant amount of search traffic if it isn't structured correctly.

Search engines need a solid website structure when crawling and indexing your web pages, so you should build your website with a solid structure. You may already have a website, but take some time to examine it with fresh eyes and make sure it has a logical structure. See if you can quickly and easily find all your important pages by starting at your homepage and working your way down.

Don't forget to fix broken (404) pages. The problem with such links is that they waste "link equity" by leading to a dead end.

Your website should also be mobile-friendly. Your SEO ranking will also benefit from a mobile-responsive website.

2. Keywords should be prioritized

To create an effective SEO content strategy, keyword research is the second most important step. Search phrases that people use should be ranked on your website. Having a high ranking for relevant keywords and phrases on your small business website increases your chances of being discovered by relevant customers searching for your products, services, or relevant topics.

3. Your page's metadata should be optimized

Ensure that all of your primary landing pages are optimized for the keywords you discovered next. To put it another way, you must optimize your titles, meta descriptions, and body content for each page. Meta descriptions and titles should be unique for every page on your website. Metadata descriptions should also not exceed the length Google truncates in search results in order to entice users to click through.

4. Share new content consistently by creating a calendar

Your SEO is also supported by content. Content marketing and SEO can help you climb the ranks, but you must maintain them consistently. Blog posts can't be published every once in a while and traffic will come. Publish consistent content around a precise range of keywords and topics to prove to Google you are an authority in the area. At least six months of content should be planned before starting an SEO campaign.

5. Create various backlinks to increase your website's authority

SEO also relies on backlinks. The term "backlink" refers to places that link back to your website. By linking back to an earlier blog post or sharing a link to a specific product or service on your website, you can increase backlinks.

Backlinks from external sources have the most value, however. You can get high-quality backlinks from local directories if they are also reputable. Your website can also be linked to through events.

6. Create a Google My Business page for your business

If you want to maximize the power of search, Google My Business should be a focal point for any small business. Google My Business can make a significant impact if you set it up correctly. If you own a small business, you should take advantage of every element of Google My Business pages, including images, videos, questions, reviews, and posts.

Want to learn more? Check out https://www.sirkle.com/ for more information.