Many small businesses have found ways to thrive with little resources, whether those resources are funds or employees. Big ideas and the passion to pursue them with SEO for small businesses can help you win, as seen in the classic movie Ghostbusters on DIRECTV STREAM.

In today’s world, online presence can greatly impact all small businesses, even businesses that offer services to a localized geographical area. Customers looking for a specific product or service often go to search engines to find what they are looking for, and they look at the first few websites that pop up in their search. As a business that just started out or as a local business, it may feel impossible to get your own website at the top of search results without spending a ton of advertising money. That’s where smart SEO strategies come into the picture.

1. Understand Your Audience Using Analytics

SEO for Small Businesses sounds like an expensive affair, right? It’s not. If you have Google Analytics installed on your website, you can get an idea of your visitor’s geographic location, search terms through which they land on your page, the device that they use (mobile or PC), the time that they spend on your page, and much more.

You can install Google Analytics by placing the code for the Google tag on your site. You will not require much expertise (there are countless tutorials available) and can get detailed data on your customers through this tool for free.

2. SEO for Small Businesses Keyword Research to Optimize Your Pages

Search engines revolve around keywords to identify the correct websites for the respective search terms. While keyword stuffing will obviously not work, you need to ensure that your pages are having relevant high-volume keywords.

Consider typing in some terms relevant to your brand in a search engine, and then see what results come up. You can also use the free versions of tools such as SEMrush and Google Keyword Planner to get keyword ideas.

3. Organize and Simplify Your Pages

Search engines like pages that are easy to read and understand, and it is often the simplest pages that show up at the top of results. Consider evaluating your website's pages and simplifying them by breaking up big blocks of text, having clear header tags for each section, having the right images with alt tags, etc. to get better search performance.

4. Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Google’s free Business Profile option lets customers find you easier, especially if you are a business with a brick-and-mortar location. Be sure to add as many details as possible about your business including photos, certifications (if any), values, and year of establishment.

The best way to be highly credible and lucrative for customers is to have them review your business. The more the positive reviews, the more your customers will trust you. However, avoid the temptation of offering incentives or discounts to jack up the ratings. They may not be helpful in the long run.

5. SEO for Small Businesses – Quality Backlinks

It is no secret that search engines favor website pages with lots of backlinks. However, it may seem impossible to get backlinks from credible ‘biggie’ websites.

If you have connections to other small businesses with websites, consider asking them to link to your site. You can write guest posts for them, collaborate with them on an initiative, or run promos for their readers.

This method is not likely to deliver results in the short term. But, if you work consistently, you may find your website climbing ranks on SERPs in due course of time.

6. Try to Get Maximum Customer Reviews

As mentioned earlier, reviews are a great way to earn trust and credibility online. Everyone loves to buy an item that has been recommended by existing customers. Consider asking happy customers to leave a review for you on your Google listing, or write a testimonial that you can put up on your website. Photo testimonials work better!

7. Create Professional-Looking Media and Post Online

You do not need to hire a graphic designer to create stylish flyers, menu cards, or brochures. Use free tools such as Canva or Snappa to make them yourself.

8. Consider Adding Videos and Images

Some of your customers will learn about your business better by watching a video or by seeing photos. Search engines also know this and will often rank websites with lots of visuals higher in search results, so take advantage and add as much visual content to your site as possible.

You do not necessarily need a professional camera – just use your phone to capture high-quality photos and videos.

9. Track and Analyze Results

Whether you put in efforts yourselves or have an assistant do it, remember to track your website’s performance as you implement optimizations. After a period of time, you will be able to understand the kind of content your customers like and focus on delivering it to them.

SEO for Small Businesses Summary

While you can pay to get your website on top of search results (and consequently on people’s minds), you certainly don’t have to. Consider using the above SEO for Small Businesses strategies to improve your site’s search ranking for free or ask for help from a reputable web agency, such as QUIK Websites + Hosting.