Small businesses now have a level playing field when it comes to marketing thanks to search engine optimization. It used to be that unless you were extremely fortunate, a small business had no possibility of competing with the industry’s major guns.
You can now force your way into your greatest competitor’s territory with a little strategy, a pinch of small business SEO, and some hard effort.
While huge organizations still have an advantage in SEO, with the appropriate plan, you may uncover flaws in their armor and beat them to the finish line. And one great aspect is increased organic traffic.
Additionally, there are many innovative ways to increase website visitors, but if you want a steady stream of traffic, follow these five tried and tested SEO basics to boost the trust, authority, and presence of your website.
But first, let’s understand…
Why SEO to Boost Organic Traffic?
Small businesses can utilize SEO as a cost-effective digital marketing method to expand their business organically. Because most small and medium businesses (SMBs) don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing, they can make use of Google’s free features like Google Search Console, Google My Business and Google Maps.
SEO has the highest return on investment of all the marketing platforms accessible (ROI). Even if a company does not have a website, registering with Google can help it rank in local search inquiries and attract new clients.
Let’s take a look at five SEO basics that can help a small business expand naturally.
1. Make a Google My Business account
Over the last two years, the number of online searches for “near me” has increased by as much as 900 percent. It’s critical to set up a Google My Business profile if you’re leveraging your online presence to bring visitors to your actual business location.
The process is free and takes only a few minutes, but it gives your company greater authority and provides users with more information. You should provide your name, address, and phone number at the very least.
The nicest part about setting up a Google My Business profile is that it doesn’t require you to be an SEO expert. You’ll get your profile set up in no time if you know your company’s information and follow Google’s directions.
2. Pay attention to local listing
Create a listing on the best US business listing directory, such as QRG101, Topspot101, etc., to send a positive signal to search engines about your website. Maintain consistency in company/business information across all online listings so that search engines aren’t confused by inconsistent information on different websites.
With a local listing, you have a better chance of ranking higher than your competitors
It can be difficult for a tiny local firm to create a reputation that competes with the next-door competitor. This is especially true if the other company has a lot of favorable ratings and accurate information on the internet.
Local listing services such as QRG101, Topspot101, etc., aid small businesses in competing against other small businesses, as well as huge corporations and chain stores.
Mom-and-Pop-up shops don’t stand a chance against giant corporations on their own, but when it comes to local listings, size doesn’t matter because search engines rank businesses based on other variables like trust.
3. Invest your time in On-page SEO
It’s all about the words on the page when it comes to on-page SEO. While the primary goal is to create engaging material that naturally combines your target keywords, it’s also critical to arrange your posts in such a manner that you may be found in a search.
Use correct header tags
Each portion of your post’s headers can be optimized to include relevant keywords. You’ll also increase those all-important time-on-site metrics by making your site consumable and straightforward for your readers.
Improve the titles and headings of your pages
Your headline has a significant impact on your click-through rate, which is an important aspect in how SERPs rank results.
The percentage of individuals who see your headline and click on it is known as the click-through rate. You’ll need a snappy phrase that’s roughly 60 characters long to avoid being cut off.
Clean up your meta tags
Meta tags, which are effectively just descriptions of your material, are available in every content management system. Search crawlers utilize these tags to ensure that your site’s description matches the information on the page.
Crawlers will know what your page is about if you include relevant keywords and descriptions in your meta tags.
4. Encourage customers to post reviews
Positive reviews for your small business have a lot of influence, as you surely well know. After all, 85 percent of clients read reviews before purchasing from a local business. You may not realize it, but these reviews have an impact on your SEO ranking.
While you want all of your reviews to be good, it’s vital to note that a few unfavorable reviews won’t affect your SEO if you respond to them promptly.
5. Concentrate on social media
In addition to on-page SEO, Google also prioritizes social media, social presence, social sharing, and user experience. As a result, make sure you’re social and that your website is social.
The ideal strategy is to include social media buttons in each of your posts and sites. If you use WordPress, there are hundreds of free plugins available to assist you.
Bonus tip: mobile optimized sites
The success of an online business depends on having mobile-friendly, responsive websites. As more individuals use smartphones as their major means of accessing the Internet, it’s become vital to optimize your website for mobile devices.
Customer engagement and conversion can be increased by creating mobile-friendly landing pages with actionable content. The design should be straightforward, with pertinent content that can assist the user in making an educated decision. Wherever possible, include a call to action to help the user along their trip.
Lastly, don’t forget to incorporate email marketing into your SEO strategy
Emails will not assist you in improving your Google SERP position. However, the email involvement may provide positive signals to search engines, which will help in the long term.
The most noticeable effect will be increased site traffic, which signals to search engines that your sites are active and popular. People will spend more time on your site if they don’t leave right away, which will lower your bounce rates.
Finally, the more visitors who browse around on your site, the more Google understands that users trust your sites to learn more about specific topics.
The Bottom Line
So, there you have it some basic SEO tactics that small businesses can use to increase their website’s exposure and organic traffic. Consistency is essential for a successful outcome. For the best outcomes, you should test and change your plan on a regular basis.
Remember that SEO is a long-term plan, so don’t anticipate immediate benefits from your efforts. Instead, wait for the findings and don’t dismiss it in the middle.