It has been a sort of tradition among people to reassess what worked and try to predict what changes need to be made every time a year ends and another one begins. This is true in the world of SEO as well. And as we welcome another year, it looks like the focus is on discovery for small businesses. You can, therefore, expect to start reading and hearing a lot of advice and tips on small business SEO.
In this article, we’re here to help you out. But first, let’s remember something important: SEO is always changing. Google, which is the biggest search engine, makes updates to its rules about 600 times a year. Instead of completely changing your SEO plan each year, it’s smarter to focus on getting good at the basics of doing SEO the right way.
Content Marketing
Keep making great content that’s aimed at the right people and is really good quality for your small business website. And always make sure each piece of content has a clear reason for being there. Before you start writing or making anything, know what you want that content to do. Maybe it’s to build up your brand, get people interested in what you do, bring more visitors to your site, sell stuff, or whatever else helps your business. This kind of strategy is key for small business SEO.
Keyword Research
This is still important for SEO. Even though stuffing your content full of keywords isn’t the way to go anymore, it’s still smart to look into which keywords could boost your search rankings. But here’s the trick: it’s not just about using the keywords themselves anymore. You’ve gotta be smart about where and how you use them in your content. Use your keywords and phrases carefully and in the right places, and the people who are looking for your stuff will find it.
Mobile SEO
Google has made a lot of changes to make searching better over the years. Now, they’re focusing on how easy websites are to use. That means it’s super important for your website to work well on all kinds of devices, especially phones and tablets. If your site isn’t easy to use on mobile, Google might not show it much love in search results. Sure, you might still do okay on other search engines, but Google’s the big one. Do you want to risk ignoring it? Make sure your site is mobile-friendly for better small business SEO.
Social Media Interactions
Social media will continue to be an important tool for SEO, and it is especially helpful to small businesses that can hardly afford traditional advertising strategies. The hashtag, in particular, will be very useful to small business SEO this year. It can help increase your visibility and even drive traffic to your website. The key is using the right hashtags for every post in the most effective way. Other than that, you’d also do well to work on such interactions as retweets and shares, as these can help boost your brand’s online reputation and authority.
NAP
Your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are super important for SEO success. If there are mistakes or differences in your NAP info across different places online, it can mess up all your hard work in making your site better for search engines. The most common mistakes are not updating old titles, addresses, or phone numbers that aren’t used anymore. Also, listing different NAPs in different places is a big no-no. If you have more than one address or phone number for your business, make sure they’re all the same everywhere online. Having mismatched NAPs can hurt how high up your site shows in search results.
And while it’s crucial to get these basics right, your SEO strategy should also be ready to adapt to changes.
Local Search
If you’re running a small business, especially if you have a physical store, you can’t ignore local search. Use words related to your location in your website content and use free tools like Moz Local to make sure your business info is correct on local directories online. It’s also smart to team up with other local businesses and local news outlets. This helps you get more links to your site from local sources, which is good for your site’s visibility.
Image and Video Optimization
You already know putting up pictures and videos on your website is a great way to show off what you offer. This year, it’s even more important to make sure these pictures and videos are easy for search engines to find. Sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and Pinterest are becoming more crucial for marketing. Make sure you use the right tags and keywords in your pictures and videos to help people find them. But the most important thing is the names you give your pictures and videos. Make them stand out and describe what’s in the picture or video. This will help more people find your content online.
Map Marketing
For small businesses, it’s really important to appear on Google Maps when people search locally. This is especially true if you have a physical store. Getting people to find you online is only part of the job; you also want them to come into your store and buy your products. Being on an online map makes it simple for customers to locate you. Plus, map marketing is a big deal for mobile users since more people are using their phones to find local businesses.
Meta Title
Simple things like Meta Title (the title that shows up in search results), Meta Description (a summary under the title), having your contact page set up correctly, using unique names for your images, and showing your business address at the bottom of each page are really important. They’ve been important for a while now and they’re still crucial. You’ve gotta make sure each main page on your website has all these things sorted out. Google looks at over 200 things to decide how high up your site shows in search results, so if you miss any of these elements, it could hurt your ranking. Even if your website looks awesome and you’re super active on social media, you won’t reach your full potential unless you take care of these basic things.
PPC-SEO Combo
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising services like Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, and Google AdWords have been popular in recent years, including 2014. However, PPC remains a valuable tool for businesses, especially when integrated with small business SEO strategies. Smart keyword selection, compelling ad copy, and aligning these elements on your landing pages are crucial for PPC success in the current digital landscape.
Schema
Since this tool is pretty new, most regular folks outside of the SEO and online marketing world don’t know about it. It’s called schema, which is a type of code that helps search engines understand your website better. It gives extra details about stuff like business reviews, contact info, products, and services. Schema was helpful for small businesses last year, and it’s expected to stay important this year too.
User Experience
This year, websites that prioritize excellent user experience are expected to rank higher, surpassing those solely relying on link-building techniques. Factors like clear on-site CTAs, site security, speed, and structure are gaining importance in search engine rankings. Therefore, it’s not just about getting links from trusted sites; ensuring easy navigation both to and within your site is crucial for small business SEO.
Remember, SEO isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process that never stops evolving. Continuously improving your site and striving for top rankings are essential. If you pause your efforts, you risk falling behind. Regardless of your business size, consistent SEO success requires long-term dedication and investment.