Lately, I have noticed a lot of overwhelming writings about SEO strategy on the Internet. There are a bunch of great tools and resources for search engine optimization strategy. In fact, many of those writing them are doing some pretty cool stuff with SEO. However, as a small business owner, sometimes those writings can be a bit intimidating. So what do you do? Well, I think you should make your SEO strategy simple enough that you can execute it every day even if you feel overwhelmed.
A lot of new blogs and businesses have been created. Small business owners start sites to promote online products or services or stage a project. The majority of those sites are too small to attract social network following. They have limited budget, so they opt for some cheap seo strategies for attracting less savvy users, who can be tricked into visiting their websites. In this regard, the primary field of activity includes articles. So as an entrepreneur you need to know how to write killer articles for increasing traffic. Writing articles can drive a lot of traffic to your site, which is the first step towards making profits with your business.
Do you have a small business website? Is your site ranking on countless pages of Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., making you tons of cash? Not so fast. You need to focus on your SEO strategy for small business.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is how you help customers find your site when they search on Google, Bing and Yahoo. By building your site the right way and optimizing your keywords, you’ll drive more traffic to your page and generate more sales.
Here are 10 tips to help you rank higher in online searches.
1. Find the right keywords
Think about the words your clients are likely to use when looking for your products or services on the web. If you’re selling appliances, for example, are your customers more likely to use a formal word like refrigerator or a slang word like fridge?
Make a list of 20 to 50 keywords, then go on Google AdWords. Once you have created an account if you haven’t already done so, you can validate that the keywords you chose are frequently used in online searches.
You can also use a Google AdWords product called Keyword Tool to find more keywords to build your list.
Use your keywords on each of your website pages to help them rank higher when prospective customers search using those keywords.
Start by using keywords in the URL—the address appearing in the Internet browser for each of your website pages. Also include them in your titles as well as in your metadata descriptions (the brief text that tells search engines what your content is about).
2. Focus on your unique offerings
Remember you’re competing against other companies for attention online from prospective customers. To rise above the pack in web searches for your industry, look for words that correspond to your market differentiators such as your unique offerings or geographic location.
Competition is also stiff for keywords you buy as part of a pay-per-click campaign, where an ad for your company appears above or beside the free search results. You pay the search engine company each time your link is clicked. Again, you will have to focus on niche keywords if you don’t have a big budget.
3. Don’t overstuff your site with keywords
As Google’s webmaster guidelines states: “Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.”
If you are just sprinkling keywords all over your content, you risk distorting the meaning and irritating readers, so don’t overdo it.
Your priority should be to make the text clear and easy to read.
4. Build links to your site
The more sites that carry links to your site, the higher you will rank on searches. Ask the owners of related sites to carry a link to your site. Offer to carry a link to theirs in exchange for a link to yours.
Focus on the quality of the links. One link directing to your website from a chamber of commerce or a university website will help you more than a dozen links from obscure blogs.
5. Publish high-quality content and lots of it
The main mission of search engines is to help people find answers to their questions. So your best strategy to get lots of traffic is to create compelling content—articles, videos and photos—that provides quality information to your readers. Make sure to update your content frequently so it stays relevant.
A good content strategy will also position you as a thought leader in your field.
Why Invest in an SEO Strategy?
Small businesses were reluctant to pursue search engine optimization even before the coronavirus pandemic.
We found that only 30% of small businesses use SEO to promote their company, despite the long-term benefits of organic search engine rankings.
Some small businesses might avoid SEO because they don’t often see immediate results.
“SEO is a long-term initiative that can take months to bear fruit,” said Matt Satell, SEO manager at venture capital firm Mechanism. “Companies often decide to prioritize other quick-win acquisition channels.”
Despite any preconceived notions about optimizing for search, most small businesses that invest time and resources in SEO (56%) are confident in their strategies.
Small businesses should invest in SEO for 3 reasons:
- Organic search rankings establish trust and credibility
- SEO is cheaper than paid advertising
- Search engine optimization is easy to learn
Organic Search Builds Trust and Credibility
According to SparkToro, organic search results get about 20 times more traffic than PPC ads. Top rankings in organic search results indicate Google values a business or website enough to rank it as the most useful for a specific query.
High rankings imply authority. Searchers know when companies have paid to appear in certain results pages so trust organic rankings more.
SEO Is Cheaper Than Paid Advertising
With capabilities such as audience targeting, paid advertising on search engines and social media might seem like a marketer’s dream.
Investing time in acquiring organic search engine rankings, however, might have a better ROI than paid advertising during times of economic downturn.
Almost two-thirds of businesses that invest in SEO (62%) rely on in-house employees to manage their SEO strategy, and 77% of those in-house employees manage SEO alongside other responsibilities.
Most small businesses are not hiring experts to manage their SEO, which shows they can still implement effective strategies by training in-house teammates.
SEO Is Easy to Learn
You don’t have to be a marketing expert or website developer to learn SEO. Some of the most effective SEO strategies are easy to learn and implement.
Most small businesses (53%) only began investing in SEO in the last 3 years.
SEO is an important long-term investment for small businesses. Here are 4 strategies small businesses can implement right now to improve their SEO over time.
Conclusion
Have you ever wondered if SEO is worth the effort? To be honest, I’ve asked myself the same question many times. There are hundreds of books, videos, and online courses about SEO tactics. Some are free, but most are expensive. Wouldn’t it be great if you could have an analytical tool that gives you an edge in your business? Join me in the next 15 minutes to discover how you can use SEO strategy to accelerate your business growth.
The Internet has grown so big nowadays. Every day, many people use it for various purposes. It is the ultimate advertising tool one can have today. It is important to note that internet marketing is not just about putting your products online.