What happens when you grab your phone and search for the products or services your company offers? If you have to do a lot of scrolling to find your business, or if you can’t find your company mentioned at all, your company isn’t growing at the rate it could be. The good news is, you can take charge of that with search engine optimization – SEO for small business.
The thing is, when people experience a need for what you offer, they Google related words. Search engines provide them with possible matches, and usually, they click on the first few results. If those results don’t lead them to your business, they may never even consider giving your products and services a try. Small business SEO helps you move up in search engine results so you can capture their attention and win their business.
How Important is SEO for Small Business?
How can you stand out online and in your community when there are competitors with much bigger advertising budgets? SEO for small business levels the playing field because you can’t pay to be at the top of organic search engine results. Google, Bing and other search engines aren’t looking for who has the biggest ad spend, just the page or information that is most relevant to what the searcher is looking for. You don’t have to spend a ton of money, you just have to be the most relevant.
Search engines are basically answer-generating machines. They make a lot of money selling advertising opportunities on pages because consumers trust them to provide fast, helpful, relevant information. Small business SEO services position your business and your website so that search engines connect your business with the people looking for information that relates to what you do.
What You Need for Small Business SEO
Small business SEO is a game-changer, but it isn’t easy. It’s not just a matter of inserting the right code in the right place or making one-time changes to your website. Google uses hundreds of factors to rank websites, and its search algorithm changes thousands of times a year. SEO for small business is always changing, but there are basic components that will always be integral to your SEO strategy.
- On-Page SEO for Small Business
- Off-Page SEO
- Benefits of Using Our Small Business SEO Services
- Edge Out Competitors
- Waste Less Money Attracting New Business
- Establish Your Expertise
- Encourage Repeat Business
- Reach People On Mobile
- Use Data to Streamline Efforts
On-Page SEO for Small Business
On-page SEO is the process of making every aspect of your website as useful and informative as it can be for both search engines and people. It includes elements like the following:
- Well-written content that contains keywords people are likely to type into search engines when they’re looking for your products and services
- A search-engine-friendly URL structure
- Optimized HTML tags and images
- Your website’s user-friendliness
Web design is critical to small business SEO. If your web design agency didn’t make on-page optimization a priority, it’s time to get in touch with one that will.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is a little harder to control than on-page SEO because many of the signals can come from anywhere. Basically, it includes every place your business is mentioned or linked to across the web. When people leave your business reviews on Google or talk about you on social media, that signals to search engines what search terms you’re relevant for. When other websites link to your pages, those links act as a vote in your favor. Much of what’s involved in local SEO also happens off-page.
Links to your website from reputable sources are the most important part of off-page SEO. To get more of them, provide high-quality content on your website that people will want to link to and share.
Benefits of Using Our Small Business SEO Services
Is what you get worth the small business SEO cost? To answer that question, evaluate how much your business would grow if you could do the following.
Edge Out Competitors
A lot of business owners don’t understand how important search engine optimization is to business. When you make ongoing SEO part of your digital marketing strategy, you’ll start to see your pages climb in search engine results…and your competitors’ drop. Since you can’t pay for organic ranking position, you have the chance to stand out even when the competition is bigger and wealthier.
Waste Less Money Attracting New Business
If you’re frustrated with the results you’re getting from traditional advertising, that’s because consumer behavior has changed. People don’t pass a billboard, watch a TV commercial, or receive a direct mail coupon, then go buy what it’s trying to sell. They tune out that type of advertising.
When they want something, they grab their cell phones and type a query into a search engine. SEO for small business positions you to be there when they start looking. You have the chance to make a connection and earn their business. You don’t have to seek them out and convince them they need what you offer. Instead, you’re there when they seek you.
Establish Your Expertise
Most of the time, consumers search to find answers to questions or solutions to problems. Small business SEO services put you in a position to offer those answers and solutions, to show what you know. By doing so, you build trust. When they find themselves in the market for what you offer, they think of your business first.
Encourage Repeat Business
Well-written content helps you rank higher for relevant terms and makes it more likely other websites will link to yours. It also gives consumers a reason to keep coming back to your website. Create quality explainer videos, how-to articles, infographics and other material that entertains and engages and you’ll give first-time buyers a reason to become repeat customers.
Reach People On Mobile
More than half of the world’s internet traffic takes place on a mobile device. Mobile’s influence on store sales is in the trillions. Statista notes, “use of mobile devices before or during in-store shopping trips influenced or helped to convert” when those trillions were being spent. Part of SEO for small business involves making your site mobile-friendly so you’re ready when prospective customers do a smartphone search.
Use Data to Streamline Efforts
You can’t really know how many people heard your radio ad or opened your mailer, so it’s difficult to connect money you spend on that type of advertising with new leads or sales. Stoodeo’s small business SEO services provide you with ongoing data so you can see what you’re doing is growing your business.
When you know what terms people used to find you, what types of device they used to search, where they’re located, and what actions they took after they searched, you can refine what’s working for even better results. If something isn’t working, you can either fix it or stop wasting money on it.
10 Small Business SEO Tools
Search engine optimization isn’t something you just do once, then check off your list. It’s a big job that takes ongoing effort. These small business SEO tools make that job a little easier.
4 Free Tools from Google
Since more than 90 percent of searches go through Google, it makes sense to use Google’s tools to create and monitor your search engine strategy. Each of these tools takes a little time to learn, but they’re available for free.
- Google Analytics – Break down website traffic to see who visits and how they interact. View data on total site visits, bounce rates, how long people spend on-site and audience demographics.
- Google Search Console – While Google Analytics shows you how people interact with your website, Google Search console helps you better understand your site’s performance with search engines.
- PageSpeed Insights – Speed affects search engine ranking. PageSpeed Insights analyzes pages and offers suggestions for speeding them up.
- Google Trends – See what keywords are hot now and how trends have changed over time.
Answer the Public
This keyword research tool is easy to use, even for beginners. Answer the Public gathers search information from Google and Bing and displays it as an image it calls a search cloud. Use the tool to generate ideas for new content and refine what you already offer.
UberSuggest
The keyword idea generator UberSuggest is similar to Answer the Public. You type in your domain or a keyword you’re interested in researching, then get ideas and insights. The small business SEO tool also offers a traffic analyzer and SEO analyzer.
Ahrefs
This small business SEO tool helps you analyze your competitors so you can see how your efforts compare. You can also research keywords, view backlink data, and track desktop and mobile ranking from multiple locations.
Moz Pro
Keyword research is one of the most time-consuming aspects of SEO for small business. Moz Pro makes it easier to accurately target the keywords people use, compile keyword lists, then track your ranking for the ones you choose to use.
SEMRush
This paid tool is a good option if you want to track your small business SEO, paid ads, social media marketing, content performance, and market research all from one location. SEMRush lets you track your page position and generates ideas for drawing more traffic organically.
Hubspot SEO
Hubspot is a great destination for anyone who wants to learn more about SEO and digital marketing. Hubspot SEO is inbound marketing software that helps you plan your strategy then create blog posts and landing pages around it. The software also offers social media monitoring, analytics, lead management, and marketing automation.
Get SEO For Your Small Business
The best way to start seeing your business climb in search results is to hire a team with experience. Our SEO agency is passionate about helping clients attract new customers and grow their business online. Schedule your free consultation today.