How to scale SEO efforts for small businesses?
Updated: Aug 24, 2021
In today's world, every business owner is looking for ways to increase the visibility of their company online. SEO is a great way to do this because it can lead to increased organic traffic and higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). The problem with SEO, though, is that it takes time and effort. If you're a small business owner who doesn't have much time or money available for this type of project, then there are some things you can do to get started with SEO on your own without any outside help needed.
1) Use social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter
Your activity on social media is being observed by search engines. These "social signals" help Google understand you are an active player on the scene and the micro-content (eg. Facebook posts) all relate - and therefore reinforce - the relevancy of your brand for a particular topic. Additionally, some of these social posts will be displayed directly in the search results.
2) Create content that's optimized for search engines like blogs posts or infographics
New fresh and unique content plays an incredible role in your website's rankings, there is no question about it. As a small business owner, you may not be a marketer but you rather an expert in another field. This is what you should write about.
For example, if you're a mortgage broker, think about what your customers need or want to know. A good starting point is to try and remember all the common questions they ask you. This will give you a good hint at to some of the topics you can write about. Then take a moment and write what you know, just like if you were explaining this to one of your customers in person or on the phone.
3) Ensure your business is listed in local directories
There are many local business directories you can find online that will help you list your business. Make sure your NAP information (name, address, phone number) are accurate as well as the link to your website. In some cases, these links (called backlinks) have good SEO value in addition to sending you some referral traffic.
4) Register a Google My Business listing so you can show in local searches
This is an easy one. Head over to Google My Business and register your business there. This will allow your listing to show in Google Search Results as well as Google Maps. You can optimise it by adding relevant information, nice pictures of your premises or products, business hours, etc. You will need to verify the address after Google sends you a postcard so keep an eye out in your mailbox. Repeat the process with Bing Places for Business which allows for an easy import from Google.
5) Optimise your website
Some other important SEO tips for small business owners are to make sure they have a mobile-friendly website, use HTML tags such as headers and paragraphs so the content is readable for search engines, and keep their keywords updated on their site.
6) Track your rankings
Use tools like SE Ranking to track how your website is ranking for specific keywords relevant to your website and see how these evolve over time following the implementation of the above tips. While SEO takes time, you will hopefully begin to reap the rewards of your efforts in the next 3 to 6 months.
We hope these few tips will help your business improve its online visibility over time, get more of the right type of traffic from search engines and as a result, more enquiries, leads or sales. If you need help with your SEO activity, feel free to request a proposal and we'll schedule a free consultation with you.