SEO is something your business must be doing. It’s necessary for competing in the digital world, for every type of business. If your customers are finding you via the internet – Yelp, Facebook, Google search, Google maps, etc – you have to help them get to you.
Search Engine Optimization entails a lot of actions. Here, we scratch the surface with 10 basic SEO tips for your small business.
- No SEO = No visitors from search engines.
If you don’t put in the work to help search engines find and scan your site, then they won’t list you. You have to optimize your site so search engine can categorize and rank you for keywords relevant to your business.
2. On-Site SEO & Off-Site SEO are required
A good SEO strategy takes advantage of every opportunity. On-site SEO, which includes blogs, writing meta tags, and optimizing the content, helps people understand what your site is about. Off-site SEO involves promoting your site across the web, building brand awareness and helping you improve your rankings. This is done in the form of links and mentions from a reputable site to your own.
3. Start doing SEO now
The longer you wait, the further behind you’ll be from your competitors. You need time on your site to start ranking for popular keywords and stand out from the crowd.
4. Know your competition
Find out what sites are ranking highly for the keywords you’re interested in. Figure out what they do differently, both on-site and off. The more knowledge you have, the more you can crack the SEO code.
5. Don’t just copy
Though you need to do your research, you can’t just copy someone else’s SEO strategy. No two websites are the same, and a strategy needs to be customized to your business, industry, and location.
6. SEO doesn’t have to be expensive
If you work smart and put your time and efforts into the best practices, you can get big results on a small budget. Focus on creating good content, building online relationships, and making your website the best it can be.
7. SEO results aren’t instant
Your hard SEO work might not be apparent for weeks or even months. It’s a long process that requires constant updates and work. As quick as the internet can move at times, search engines can be slow to categorize sites and recognize your efforts.
8. New website owners need to be patient
It takes time to build authority and trust. You shouldn’t expect to outrank older, more established sites overnight. Focus on building traffic however you can, doing great on-site SEO, and taking efforts to build links however you can.
9. Your website is never finished
If you want your business to grow, you always need to be updating your website. Add new content, make changes based on new industry standards, and optimize for new keywords. This work will help your site continue to rank higher, attract more visitors, and make more sales. Failing to update can cause you to fall behind your competition.
10. Adapt to search engine updates
Google is known for suddenly making changes to their algorithm or changing the way they rank sites. Stay up to date on the new rules and adjust your site accordingly, whenever possible.
SEO can feel overwhelming, but if you break it into small, digestible tasks, it isn’t so hard. If you need help creating a strategy and getting start on your SEO journey, contact us for a quote.