A Small Business's Guide to Website SEO-Featured.jpg

A Small Business's Guide to Website SEO

Every small business needs a great website. It's your business's home online. It's where people go to learn more about who you are and what you have to offer. And, it's often the first introduction to your business for leads and customers.

However, your small business website won't do much for you if no one can find it online. That's where website SEO (search engine optimization) comes in.

SEO is the process of making your website more visible in search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher your website ranks in SERPs, the more likely people are to find it when they're searching for businesses like yours.

Unfortunately, SEO can be pretty complex. There are a lot of ranking factors that search engines, like Google, take into account when deciding where to rank your website. And, those ranking factors are constantly changing.

That's why it's so important to have a solid understanding of website SEO if you want your small business website to be successful.

To help you out, we've put together this small business guide to website SEO.

A small business's step-by-step guide to website SEO

Step #1. Do keyword research

Before you can do any real work on your website's SEO, you need to know what keywords you're trying to optimize for.

Keywords are the phrases and terms that people use when they're searching for businesses like yours online. When you know what keywords people are using to find businesses like yours, you can start optimizing your website for those keywords.

There are many different ways that you can do keyword research. One way is to use a free keyword research tool, like Google Keyword Planner.

To use Google Keyword Planner, head to the tool and sign in with your Google Ads account. Once you're signed in, click on "Find new keywords" and then "Search for new keywords using a phrase, website or category."

You can also use Google search results to find keyword ideas. Simply type a keyword into the search bar, and scroll to the bottom of the page to look at related searches.

Step #2. Optimize your website's title and meta tags

Once you've identified some keywords that you want to optimize for, it's time to start optimizing your website.

A good place to start is with your website's title and meta tags.

Your website's title tag is the text that appears in the search engine results pages (SERPs) when your website ranks for a particular keyword. Your title tags should be clear and concise, and should include the main keywords that you're trying to rank for.

Your website's meta tags are snippets of text that describe your website. They help search engines understand what your website is about. Your meta tags should include a brief description of your webpage, as well as any relevant keywords that fit naturally.

Pro tip - Optimize your alt image tags

Alt image tags are another important element of on-page SEO. Alt image tags are the text that appears when an image doesn't load on a webpage. They also help search engines understand what the images on your website are about.

To optimize your alt image tags, simply add relevant keywords to the tags when you're adding images to your website.

Step #3. Create quality content

Content is still king when it comes to website SEO.

Creating high-quality, keyword-rich content is one of the best ways to improve your website's SEO. When you create content that's informative and relevant to your target audience, you're more likely to rank higher in SERPs.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few tips for creating effective, high-quality website content:

  • Make sure your content is well-researched and accurate
  • Write in a clear, concise, and easy-to-read style
  • Use short paragraphs and subheadings to break up your text
  • Include images, infographics and videos to break up your text and add visual interest
  • Include relevant keywords naturally throughout your content

Website content isn't a one-and-done deal. In order for content marketing to work for you, it needs to be done consistently.

Step #4. Promote your content

Once you've created some great content, it's time to start promoting it. The more people that see your content, the more likely you are to rank higher in SERPs.

There are a few different ways that you can promote your content:

  • Social media - Share your content on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Make sure to use relevant hashtags, and tag any relevant industry influencers or brands that you mention in your post.
  • Email marketing - Send an email blast to your subscribers with a link to your latest blog post or video. You can also include a brief snippet of your content in the email to give people a taste of what they can expect.
  • Paid advertising - You can also use paid advertising to promote your content. For example, you can use Google Ads or Facebook Ads to run ads that specifically target people who are interested in your content.

The more you promote your content, the more visible it will be online and, therefore, the more visible your business will be.

Step #5. Monitor your organic performance

Once you've implemented all of the above SEO tips, it's time to start monitoring your organic performance. The best way to do this is to use a tool, like the Marketing 360® Content app.

The Content app will give you insights into how people are finding and interacting with your website. This data can help you fine-tune your SEO strategy and see even better results.

With the right SEO strategy, your small business website can rank high in SERPs, attract more website visitors and generate more leads and sales. Implement the tips above to improve your website's SEO and watch your business grow.

Originally published on 6/15/22