Online visibility can make or break a business. That’s why mastering the art of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is so crucial, especially for small businesses. With countless websites vying for attention, standing out amidst the digital noise requires strategic planning and execution. This is where the power of small business SEO comes into play. Understanding the fundamentals of SEO and implementing the right strategies can significantly impact your online presence. Ultimately, a strong online presence will impact your bottom line. In this blog, we’ll explain the intricacies of SEO tailored specifically for small businesses. We’ll cover everything from uncovering the importance of SEO in driving growth to providing actionable tips and techniques. We aim to empower you with the knowledge and tools necessary to elevate your digital presence. Continue reading to learn how to use search engine optimization to succeed in the online arena. Lay the Foundation: Keyword Research and Strategy The first step in any effective SEO strategy is to identify relevant keywords for your niche. We call this process “keyword research.” According to the marketing experts at HubSpot, “Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing search terms that people enter into search engines with the goal of using that data for a specific purpose.” In our case, the purpose is SEO for your small business. During the research phase, it’s crucial to understand: The queries you should target How popular each query is (monthly search volume) How difficult it would be to rank for a given query Begin with broad themes relevant to your business and use the SEO software, app, or tool of your choice to research search volume. From there, break those broad topics down into smaller, relevant keywords. These should be terms your ideal customer is probably searching for. Many SEO research tools will help with this. Always keep user intent in mind when generating prospective keywords. Run a quick search for the keyword you’d like to target and see what sorts of questions are being answered. As a bonus, this process may inspire other keyword ideas. Once you have a list, it’s time to craft an SEO strategy. Crafting a Small Business SEO Strategy Once you have prospective keywords, it’s wise to look at the data. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends to help you. These will provide you with information on search volume and traffic predictions. You’ll want to choose a mix of low-difficulty keywords and more competitive keywords. It’s helpful to “invest” in keywords that are beginning to gain traction to establish authority early. Consider a mix of targeted and long-tail keywords. According to the team at SEMrush, long-tail keywords are “highly specific search queries that tend to have relatively low search volumes.” These may have a fairly low volume individually, but make up the majority of all Google searches worldwide. Their specificity means those searching for such terms are more likely to convert when they reach your page. Once you’ve settled on your keywords, you can begin the process of optimization and achieve the SEO boost you crave. On-Page Optimization Techniques Once you’ve completed your keyword research, it’s time to use them to boost traffic to your website. Most of the time, this means using them in your web copy, blog posts, product descriptions, and more. Below are the on-page SEO techniques that work best for businesses of all sizes. Crafting Compelling Meta Titles and Descriptions. The meta title (or title tag) and meta description are the first things that users see when your website appears in search results. Optimize this text with keywords and ensure its succinct and compelling. If it’s too long, it can get cut off, which looks unprofessional. Use a SERP simulator to help. While the length cut off is measured by pixels, 600 for title tags and 960 pixels for meta descriptions. The rule of thumb is to aim for 60 characters in your title tag and 160 characters in your meta description. Optimizing URL Structures for Search Engines and Users. A URL structure should help the search engine algorithm understand what a given page is about. Consider a clear, descriptive slug that reflects the headline (or main keyword) on a given page. Creating High-Quality, Keyword-Rich Content. Use your keywords naturally and organically throughout your content, especially in headers and titles. Avoid keyword stuffing, as search engines will penalize you for this. Incorporating Internal Linking for Improved Site Structure. Internal linking means linking to other pages on your website. This helps users understand where to find the information they are looking for and search engines understand what keywords are relevant to other pages on your website. Off-Page SEO Strategies and Technical SEO Enhancements There are a few SEO tips for small businesses that you can implement without writing new web copy or other content. Off-Page SEO Tips: Secure high-quality backlinks, or links to your website from other websites, to build popularity and authority through guest posting or asking to be a resource for a piece of content they are writing. Leverage social media to boost overall brand awareness Providing unique and shareable content on your website that other people would organically share on their website Technical SEO Enhancements: Optimize your website’s speed to ensure a better user experience Ensure your website is mobile-friendly because of Google’s mobile first indexing Implement relevant structured markup (also known as schema markup) to boost your visibility in search Monitoring and Analyzing SEO Performance How do you know if your small business SEO strategy is working? Begin by using free tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics, which can provide data-backed insights. You’ll be able to see whether or not your strategy is working in real time. Google provides interactive charts and graphs that allow you to compare traffic month over month, year over year, and more. Thus, you can easily make specific data-driven adjustments to improve your performance. Be aware that SEO is a constantly evolving organism, and algorithm updates happen constantly. It’s beneficial to stay up to date with the latest trends and changes so you won’t be penalized by search engines. Don’t be afraid of experimenting with new strategies and techniques as the algorithm shifts and changes. With that said, many professional agencies provide SEO help for small businesses. This “smart sourcing” allows SEO experts to focus on their core competencies while you focus on running your business. This may not be an option for every budget, but it’s worth investigating if you find you’re struggling. Are you ready for an SEO Boost? Learn more about running a small business by attending one of our Business Conferences near you.