Small Business SEO – The Complete Guide 2020

Search Engine Optimization(SEO) has continued to gain relevance for anyone to have a presence on the online platform. Yet, many people continue to think that it is something that only applies to big businesses. This is not the reality, and there is a lot you can do to improve your SEO skills for small businesses. Our article will teach you how to optimize for SEO, thereby making your business more visible to the search engines. We will teach you how to do the same on your social media sites.

As a small business, you may struggle with trying to stand out above your competition. You will, therefore, benefit by finding a niche area to focus on. It could be about your brand, products, or services. It will help you compete against the larger, more established brands.

You must also determine what kind of words your customers use to describe what you are offering. With the right SEO, your business will become more visible anytime someone types in a particular keyword. Ensure you use a specific short and long-tail keyword. It will increase the chances of search engines finding you. There are many online tools you can use to your advantage when searching for keywords.

2. Think About Your Branding

Just like a big business, even a small company has to invest in the right kind of branding. You must, therefore, generate logos and taglines that aptly capture your brand. Anyone who looks at your branding should be able to understand what it is you are trying to communicate, without having to look for an explanation.

3. Link Your Business To Others

You will get more value when you link your business to those on the local directories. If you have a listing on such sites, they could also connect to your website. It also makes your site more findable, and it will especially add value if they are for businesses that are similar to yours. Do not be afraid to directly reach out to some of these companies and ask them to link to your website.

Near me, open, closest, nearby searches are also relevant categories, and you need to optimize for them.

4. Focus On How You Provide Value To Your Customers

A business that responds directly to customers’ needs has a very high chance of succeeding. You must, therefore, go into Search Engine Optimization by understanding what it is your customers need and how you provide a solution to them. It will help you know what kind of questions they ask when they are looking for a particular product or service. It will then make it very easy for you to come up with the relevant keywords when you are developing your content or even advertising material.

5. Pay Attention To The Competitors

Your company does not exist in a vacuum, and you can get to learn a lot by paying attention to what your competitors do. You must remember that they will also be checking what you do, so there is no shame in occasionally checking their pages.

If you, for example, find that a particular company keeps on coming up in the first pages of the search engines, it must be because they are doing something right. Invest some time in going through such sites. It will give you great insights into why the competitor websites are ranking so highly. Also, check out the pages they have indexed, the structure of their website, and the type of backlinks they have. See how fast their pages load, and what kind of experience you have on their platforms.

6. Take Advantage Of Schema Markup

Schema markup will signal search engines to the different components in your website. The signals can focus on phone number, business name, rating, company address, business hours, among others. Use the Google Structured Data testing tool to find out how you fare with regard to the schema markups.

7. Fix Any Technical Issues

It is all good to have a fantastic website design, but other factors could impact on your Search Engine Optimization. You must have an excellent website that has good loading speed. You must also avoid broken links, duplicate content, an optimized page, among others. Carry out our website audit to determine whether or not you have a good structure. You can use tools such as Google search console to give you valuable feedback.

8. Your Content Matters

You will benefit when it comes to SEO by the kind of content you generate. It requires that you spend more time in coming up with information around your products and how you describe them. Your clients will create an impression of you from what you share with them. You will find many online tools that can help with this essential marketing aspect.

You must be realistic because you are fighting for minimal space. Again it comes down to the kind of keywords you choose, and whether or not your audience can interact with what you share.

9. Optimize Your Pages For SEO

We have already talked about generating the right kind of content for your website. You must also pay attention to other elements so that you optimize your pages well. Pay attention to your titles and meta description by using the right keywords.

10. Take Advantage Of Your Social Media Platforms

It does not matter what kind or size of business you are running; you have the advantage of social media platforms. It generates a lot of brand awareness from such sites and gets relevant leads that you can convert into loyal customers. You must, however, take the time to understand the different channels and what they have to offer. What may work on Instagram, for example, may not work on Facebook.

Platforms such as LinkedIn are for professionals and require that you tailor your message appropriately. Instagram is visual, and you will need good quality pictures and videos to capture the right kind of attention. You get more leeway with the messaging you can push on Facebook and can target your audiences depending on age, income, and location, among others.

Final Thoughts

Coming up with the right SEO strategy is something that requires thought and patience. You will not get to see the results immediately, but you must not give up. Pay attention to what the other people in your industry are doing, especially your competitors. Work on generating relevant content that draws people to your website. The right use of keywords will make it easy for the search engines to find your company, thus sending organic traffic your way.

You must also utilize the fantastic potential of the social media platforms to elevate your business to the next level. Most importantly, you must continue to learn everything you can about SEO. That is why we have taken the time to come up with this fantastic article, that will give you the steps to take. Need help growing your audience and engaging your leads on social media? It may be time to partner with a SEO Company Arvada, Denver that understands the needs and challenges of small businesses.