SEO For Small Business Owners: The Beginner's Guide
Small businesses face a lot of competition, and trying to get your business seen and heard can feel like David battling Goliath. But, with the right SEO strategy, you can appear in the search engine results when people are actively seeking your products or services.
In this guide, I'm going to cover some essential small business SEO tips. Whether you're new to digital marketing and don't know where to start or your current SEO efforts aren't paying off, these simple - yet highly effective - strategies WILL deliver results.
So, what are you waiting for? Let's get straight to it.
What is Small Business SEO?
Small business search engine optimisation is the process of improving your website's visibility in search results. You can achieve this by optimising your content to ensure the right people find it.
Think of it like this: A house can be accessible, in a well-built area, and open to visitors - but without an address, nobody would find it! SEO ensures that people searching for information, products, and services can discover and access your website.
Example:
In this example, I used Google and typed "Cleaning Services". As you can see, the search engine returned a range of results, and I can now choose which services to explore.
Another cleaning service might offer better rates and a more professional service, but I won't be able to find them unless I know about their existence.
And that is the power of SEO.
The Importance of SEO for Small Business Owners
Small business owners have a lot of things to juggle, from building a business to managing their marketing budgets. SEO is one of the most affordable ways to improve your online presence, attract organic traffic, and attract new customers.
While larger brands can drop thousands each month on advertising, a solid SEO strategy essentially levels the playing field and helps you remain competitive.
By connecting with your audience at the right time in their journey, you can use SEO and content marketing to turn them into customers.
Statistics That Prove the Benefits of Small Business SEO:
Organic search accounts for 53% of all website traffic (Search Engine Land).
97% of people search online for a local business (Safari Digital).
88% of consumers searching for a local business will take action - such as contacting the business - within 24 hours (Engage 121).
B2B SEO campaigns can deliver ROIs of over 500% (DWI).
Top SEO Tips for Small Businesses
SEO can be a powerful tool for small businesses and a vital part of your digital marketing strategy. However, to improve your online visibility and generate lasting results, you'll need to consider your budget and leverage every available opportunity.
Here are the best ways to increase your ranking and turn your website into a conversion machine.
1: Claim Your Google Business Profile
I can't emphasise enough the importance of a Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business). It's the best way for people to find your business while searching in their area, a key component of local SEO.
The best thing about GBP is that it's completely free to set up and literally puts your small business on the map.
Let's say you're looking for an Indian restaurant in West London. When you type it into Google, the search engine will return a range of results, with optimised Business Profiles appearing first:
Once someone clicks on the result, they can see vital information about the restaurant's reviews, opening times, price range, location, and menu options.
Best Practices for Google Business Profile:
Make sure you choose an appropriate business category and type. Google offers a range of options for both service-based providers and product sellers.
Add your opening and closing hours and make sure they're accurate.
Provide contact details and make it easy for potential customers to get in touch with you.
Add high-quality photos of your business.
Provide clear descriptions of your products and services, using keywords wherever possible - but avoid stuffing.
Ask your customers for reviews.
Regularly update your profile with the latest company news, promotions, and other relevant information.
2: Get Listed on Directories for Local Search
Directories help small businesses get found by prospective customers, and they provide extra traffic to your website. It's important to remember that while Google is an incredibly popular search engine, some people prefer using online directories.
However, Google also displays directories, so finding the relevant ones for your business is important.
Take a look at this example. I typed in plumbing services near me, and Google returned results for popular directories:
Choosing the Right Directories
If you're looking for free directories, you can use a Google search to find the best options for your small business website. Popular general directories include:
However, you should also search for directories directly related to your industry. For example, if you offer pet sitting services, you'll want to ensure you're listed in the appropriate sector and local directories.
3: Make Technical SEO a Priority
Technical SEO ensures your website's behind-the-scenes elements work correctly and offer a seamless user experience. Even minor issues can significantly harm your rankings, so monitoring your website for them and fixing them ASAP is essential.
Due to the complexity of technical SEO, many businesses choose to hire an SEO service or an independent SEO expert, but you can also use online tools to assess your site for issues.
Popular paid options include SEMRush, Ahrefs, and Moz - but some free tools are also available. Unfortunately, many of these free solutions don't provide the same insights as a paid platform.
Important Technical SEO Issues to Check For:
Even the best content can struggle to rank if your website has technical SEO issues. Here are the key areas every small business should check:
Broken Links: Broken links can damage user experience and impact your rankings. Using tools to regularly scan and fix them ensures website visitors enjoy a seamless browsing process.
Slow Page Speed: Websites with slow-loading times can decrease your rankings and cause visitors to leave quickly. You can use tools to compress images and increase loading speed.
Mobile Usability: Small businesses rely on mobile searches, and your site should be fully responsive across all devices.
Indexing Errors: If search engines can’t crawl or index your pages correctly, they won’t show up in search results. Use Google Search Console to identify problems.
Duplicate Content: Repeating content across multiple pages can confuse search engines, impacting their ability to understand your business.
SSL Certificate: All websites should be secure, and HTTPS is an essential trust signal for search engines and users.
4: On-Page SEO and Keyword Research
People use Google and other search engines to find information, products/services, and brands. So, every single page of your website - including product pages, service pages, and blog posts should be optimised.
Keyword research can be challenging because it's no longer enough to find some high-volume terms and insert them into your content. Today, it's all about aligning content to search intent.
There are four primary types of search intent:
Keyword Research Tips
Every successful SEO strategy needs keyword research, and matching your content to search intent ensures the right people find it.
For example, imagine a pet sitting service is creating a new service page. They can use keyword research tools to find the best query. Service pages should focus on both transactional and commercial keywords - as you can see from this search result:
However, if you're creating a blog post that informs people about dog sitting, you'll need to use keyword research tools to find out what people are asking:
You can use free tools like Google Keyword Planner or an all-in-one SEO platform to find keywords relevant to your business and ensure your content matches search intent.
5: Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is about demonstrating your reputation and building authority in your industry. It's also one of the most complex parts of creating a consistent online presence.
Even online marketing specialists struggle with finding backlinks, but they're vital to any good SEO strategy.
Getting other websites to link to your website can be challenging, but there are ways to simplify the process and find link-building opportunities.
How to Secure Backlinks That Make Your Website Rank Higher:
Create Great Content: Never underestimate the power of excellent content. If you can provide helpful information, detailed reports, and statistics-focused content, businesses of all sizes will link to it.
Use SEO Software: SEO tools like SEMRush, Moz, and Ahrefs let you spy on your competitors and find out where their backlinks come from. You can use this information to create better content and reach out to the website owner.
Pitching: Services like Featured let you share your thoughts on topics in return for a website link.
Guest Posting: Research publications in your industry that accept guest posts and pitch your content ideas to them. It's important to note that some ask for payments, but plenty of high-quality publications exist.
Get Noticed: Sponsor local events, engage with charities, and get featured in local online publications.
6: Access Small Business SEO Services
SEO is a long-term process that requires regular evaluation and adaptation for small businesses to increase their rankings.
While many SEO agencies have expensive rates and long tie-in contracts, you can find affordable SEO services from small business marketing specialists.
Whether you want to appear higher in local search results or build a strong presence for your online business, an SEO expert can help you create a strategy that delivers lasting results.
The Bottom Line
SEO doesn't have to be complicated; the right strategy can help you get your business on Google and enjoy constant website traffic. However, search engine optimisation isn't an instant process, and it can take months to see results.
Small businesses should be patient and willing to put in the work. If you follow the tips in this post, your website and content will deliver lasting results.
And, if you need some help along the way, I support small businesses with their digital marketing strategy and will work with you to improve your website's SEO performance.
Please get in touch with me today for more information.
FAQs
What's the difference between enterprise SEO and small business SEO?
Enterprise SEO is the process of optimising large-scale websites, often with hundreds or thousands of pages. These websites can target international audiences and have complicated structures, while small business SEO focuses on fewer pages.
Independent SEO specialists and small business marketing agencies usually work on smaller SEO strategies, while enterprise brands often require a global SEO company.
What's the difference between small business SEO and local SEO?
SEO for small businesses is a broad strategy that increases visibility in organic search results. It could include e-commerce SEO, national SEO, and international optimisation for service-based businesses with global clients.
Local SEO is a subset of small business SEO, focusing on increasing visibility in local search results.
Is SEO the most effective online marketing strategy for small businesses?
SEO is one of the most effective and affordable long-term strategies for small businesses. Unlike paid ads and direct marketing, SEO helps you build a sustainable presence that attracts high-intent traffic without spending a fortune on advertising.
Once you create high-quality SEO content, fix any technical errors, and ensure your business information is up to date, you can enjoy lasting results.
How can I track SEO performance?
Track SEO performance using tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and the paid SEO platforms I mentioned in this post. Key metrics to measure include:
Keyword Rankings
Bounce Rates
Organic Traffic
Backlinks
Conversion Rates
Which are the best free SEO tools?
You'll find a range of effective SEO tools, but most platforms require a monthly or annual subscription. However, the following platforms have free tiers available and can help you refine your on-site SEO, website's technical elements, and monitor backlinks:
Some of the best free SEO tools include:
Google Search Console: Monitor everything from indexing, keyword performance, links from other websites, and site health.
Google Analytics: Track user behaviour, traffic sources, and conversion paths.
Ubersuggest: This platform offers keyword suggestions and a basic website audit.
Answer the Public: Provides content ideas based on real search queries.
Screaming Frog: Website crawling for broken links, metadata issues, and more.
How long does SEO success take for small businesses?
SEO needs time to work, and you won't get to the top of the search results in a matter of weeks. It takes time and effort to see lasting results, and optimisation is a long-term process.
You should begin to see results within three to six months, but securing high rankings can take over a year.
