Hello, small business owner!
Do you want more people to visit your brand new website, learn about your business, and buy your products?
Then you need SEO!
Why SEO Is Awesome for Your Business?
SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization”.
It’s a way to make your website appear when people search for things on Google.
If you do SEO right, more people will visit your website.
More visitors means more people learning about your business and buying what you sell.
Plus, once you set it up, it keeps working without you having to spend more money.
That’s a great deal!
Planning Your SEO
Finding the Right Words
First, you need to find out what words people use when they search for businesses like yours. These are called “keywords”. You can use free tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to determine which 3-5 keywords are most important for your business.
Learning from the Competition
Next, look at other businesses that appear when you search for those keywords. What do their websites look like? What do they talk about? This can give you ideas for your website.
What Do People Want?
Also, try to understand what people want when they’re searching. Google Trends is a free tool that can help you with this.
Setting Up Your Website for SEO
The Right Platform
Make sure your website works well and looks good on phones since many people use their phones to browse the web. WordPress is an excellent choice for this. Also, ensure your pictures and videos don’t take too long to load.
Easy to Navigate
Your website should be easy to get around. Focus on your main products and services.
Make Each Page Great
Each page on your website should have a clear title and headings. Try to include your keywords naturally.
Helping Google Find You
Create a “sitemap” and give it to Google. This helps Google find all the pages on your website.
Making Your Content Awesome
Write for Your Customers
When you write blog posts or other content, use your keywords. But also make sure you’re writing in an easy and fun way for your customers to read.
Make It Scannable
Big blocks of text can be hard to read. Break up your text with headings, lists, and pictures.
Link It All Together
If you write a blog post related to one of your services, link to that page in your post.
Getting Local Customers with SEO
Show Off Your Business on Google
Google has a special place for businesses called a “Google Business Profile.” Ensure yours is filled out with keywords, what you do, and pictures.
Ask for Reviews
Reviews can help your business show up in local searches. Ask your customers to leave reviews on Google and Yelp.
Talk About Your Area
Write about local topics. For example, if you have a coffee shop in San Francisco, you could write a blog post about the “Top 5 Cafes in San Francisco”.
Get Involved Locally
Sponsor local events or sports teams. This can get your business noticed.
Building Links
Swap Links with Local Businesses
Ask other local businesses if you can link their website to yours and if they’ll do the same for you.
Happy Customers Can Help
If a customer is delighted with your business, ask if they’ll mention you on their website.
Show Off Your Success
If your business gets an award or is in the news, link to it on your website.
Using Social Media
Share Your Content
Share your blog posts and other content on social media. This can get more people to visit your website.
Engage Your Followers
Interact with your followers. You could run a poll, offer a special deal, or announce an event.
Pay to Play
You can also pay to advertise on social media sites like Facebook. This can help more people see your business.
Keeping Track of Your SEO
Use Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free tool that lets you see how many people visit your website and what they do there.
Check Your Website’s Health
Google Search Console can tell you if there are any problems with your website.
Local SEO
You can also track how well you do with local customers in Google Business Profile.
How High Do You Rank?
Use tools like Pro Rank Tracker to see how well your website appears in search results.
Conclusion
Spend Some Money on SEO
Try to spend at least 20% of your marketing budget on SEO. It’s a good investment!
Be Patient
SEO takes time to work. Stick with it for at least six months.
Measure Your Success
Keep track of how much money you make from customers who find you through search. This helps you see how well your SEO is working.
Keep MakingYour Website Better
Don’t stop once you’ve set up your SEO. Keep adding and improving your content. Your website can always be better!
So there you have it! SEO might sound confusing, but it’s about making your website the best for your customers.
And the best part is, the more you work on it, the better it gets.
So why not get started today?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SEO?
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It’s the process of improving your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal is to get more organic traffic to your site by having it appear more prominently when people search for related keywords.
Why is SEO important?
Higher rankings in search results mean more people will find and visit your website. More traffic to your site gives you more chances to convert those visitors into customers. SEO is critical for small business success and getting found online.
How can I optimize my website for SEO?
There are many best practices for on-page and off-page SEO:
- Research and use relevant keywords in titles, headers, content, etc.
- Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.
- Create unique, high-quality content that offers value to visitors.
- Get backlinks from reputable external websites to boost authority.
- Leverage social media and local SEO techniques.
- Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
What are keywords, and how do I research them?
Keywords are the words and phrases users type into search engines to find information. You need to include relevant keywords in your content that people are searching for. Research keywords using Google’s Keyword Planner, looking at related competitor sites, and understanding search intent. Focus on three to five primary keywords.
How can I optimize my website content?
Your content must be well-written, insightful, and optimized for users and search engines. Break up text with headers, bullets, and images. Link relevant content together. Include keywords naturally. Write useful, engaging blog posts and pages that address visitor needs.
How do I get local customers to my site?
Ranking in local search results allows you to reach nearby customers. Optimize your Google Business Profile listing, get customer reviews, sponsor local events, optimize for local keywords, and build links from local sites.
What are backlinks, and why are they important?
Backlinks are incoming links to your site from external websites. Getting backlinks from authoritative, relevant sites helps boost your website’s domain authority and SEO rankings. Link building strategies include guest posting, partnerships, social media, and outreach.
How can I track my SEO results?
Use Google Analytics to monitor traffic. Check Google Search Console for indexing and errors. See rankings and keyword data in Ahrefs. Measure conversions and ROI from organic traffic. Set up tracking to connect keywords and traffic sources to purchases.
How long does SEO take to work?
It takes time for SEO efforts to be reflected in rankings. Most websites take 3-6 months of consistent effort before you see significant results. SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. Expect to put in steady work over an extended period.
What is the best SEO investment I can make?
Investing at least 20% of your marketing budget into SEO is ideal. Hiring an experienced SEO expert, creating high-quality content, and buying SEO tools are intelligent ways to allocate funding. SEO delivers results over time.
Glossary
Backlink: An incoming link to a website from an external page. Backlinks help boost authority and rankings.
Domain Authority: A score from 0-100 that predicts how well a website will rank in search engines. Higher is better.
Google Analytics: A free web analytics tool by Google that tracks website traffic and performance.
Google Business Profile: Free business listings on Google that allow companies to manage how they appear in local search results.
Google Keyword Planner: A free keyword research tool from Google that provides search volume data. Part of Google Ads.
Google My Business: See Google Business Profile.
Google Search Console: A free tool to monitor a website’s performance in Google search and check for indexing issues.
Google Trends: A free tool from Google that shows search volume patterns and allows keyword research.
Guest Posting: Writing content for publication on other websites, often including backlinks. A link building tactic.
Indexing: The process of Google crawling, processing, and adding web pages to its search index to make them searchable.
Keywords: Relevant words and phrases that describe a business or industry. Used for optimization and in ads.
Link Building: Strategies to gain backlinks from external sites to improve search engine rankings.
Local SEO: Optimizing a business website to rank well and attract local customers from nearby geographic areas.
Mobile-Friendly: Websites optimized for viewing on mobile phones and devices. Important for SEO.
On-Page SEO: Optimization factors directly controlled on a website, such as titles, URLs, content, etc.
Off-Page SEO: Indirect SEO factors of a website that can influence rankings, like backlinks and social media.
Organic Traffic: Website visitors who arrive from unpaid search engine results, not paid ads.
Page Speed: How fast a webpage loads. More quickly is better for SEO and UX.
Rankings: Where a website appears in search engines for a target keyword or phrase, from position 1-100.
ROI (Return on Investment): Metric used to evaluate the financial gains from investments or marketing efforts compared to cost.
SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages): Pages displayed by search engines in response to a search query.
Sitemap: A file that lists all the pages on a website to help search engines index the site.
Social Media Marketing: Using social platforms like Facebook and Twitter to promote a brand and content.
Yoast SEO:- A popular WordPress plugin for optimizing sites for search engines.
More Resources for Your Small Business
Remember that our co-founder, Matt LaClear, who has successfully managed over 13,277 SEO campaigns for clients since 2009, has also created these valuable resources to help you grow your business:
Why My SEO Isn’t Working: If you’re struggling to see the results of your SEO efforts, this resource will help you uncover potential issues and provide solutions to improve your SEO strategy.
SEO Company for Small Business: Explore how we help small businesses flourish with effective SEO strategies tailored to their unique needs and objectives.
Keyword Research Services: Our comprehensive keyword research services will help you identify the most relevant and profitable search terms for your business.
Link Building Services: Learn how our dedicated link builders work tirelessly to enhance your online visibility and improve your search engine rankings.
Algorithm Update Recovery Services: If your website has been impacted by a search engine algorithm update, we can help you recover and regain your rankings.
Conversion Rate Optimization Services: Discover how our expertise in conversion rate optimization can help you convert more visitors into customers.
SEO Audit Services: Benefit from our thorough SEO audit services to identify and fix any SEO issues that may be holding your website back.
Keyword Research Strategies: This resource provides insightful strategies to conduct effective keyword research and target the right audience.
Link Building Tips: Get practical tips and advice on building high-quality backlinks to your website.
SEO Low Hanging Fruit: Learn how to identify and target easy-to-rank keywords, or “low-hanging fruit,” to quickly improve your SEO results.
Tech SEO Checklist: Use this comprehensive checklist to ensure your website’s technical SEO is up to par.
Local SEO: Understand how our local SEO services can help your small business get found by local customers.
How to Get Traffic to Your Blog: Increase your blog traffic with these effective strategies and tips.
SEO Case Studies: Explore our case studies to see how we’ve helped various businesses improve their SEO and achieve their goals.
White Label SEO Services (For Agencies Only): If you’re an agency looking to offer SEO services to your clients, our white label SEO services are the perfect solution.
A Special Offer from the Author
Matt LaClear
As a small business owner, remember that the valuable SEO tips on this page come directly from our co-founder, Matt LaClear. Since 2009, Matt has successfully managed over 13,277 SEO campaigns for clients like you.
His extensive expertise and deep understanding of SEO make these insights highly beneficial for your business.
Matt is also offering a special opportunity for you to receive a free custom SEO strategy call.
This is a fantastic chance to discuss your business objectives, explore potential SEO strategies tailored to your needs, and learn how to maximize your online visibility.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to leverage Matt’s vast experience and knowledge to help boost your business’s success.
CLICK HERE TO CLAIM YOUR FREE CUSTOM SEO STRATEGY CALL WITH MATT