SEO Strategies For Small Businesses: How To Compete With the Big Names
As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard of the famous Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — the secret formula that has the power to land you on the first few pages of Google. You’ve heard it’s super important, but you’re still just not sure if it’s really worth your resources.
When you think about all the work you’ve done to get your business up and running, the thought of another daunting marketing technique sparks questions and doubts in your head:
Do I really need to focus on SEO?
Can I actually win at SEO and land on the first few pages of Google, right next to my big-name competitor? Do I actually have a fighting chance?
The answer is yes!
So let’s talk about why and how.
The Importance of SEO For Small Businesses
increase organic traffic to your site.
Organic traffic is online traffic that finds you. It doesn’t come through paid ads, referrals, or shared links. Organic traffic is a direct result of a user typing a phrase into a search engine (Google), seeing your site in the results, and being curious enough to click on it.
Let’s be honest… does anyone really click past the second or third page of a Google search? Not really. So how do you show up as a top result in a Google search and land that organic traffic?
Good SEO.
Good SEO is extremely valuable for small businesses because your target audience doesn’t always know to search for your specific brand name. Your consumers already know that the big names like Amazon and Walmart exist, but how will they organically find you? Following SEO best practices and relying on good faith is the perfect place to start.
On top of that, more traffic to your site means a higher chance for conversion. Especially if your SEO is paired with a strong call-to-action. Think about it: when you proactively search a phrase in Google to find a product, you’re usually ready to buy… or at least compare search results and then buy.
You want your small business to be a contender in that comparison game.
establish trust and authority and promote brand awareness.
As the most popular search engine, Google’s top priority is providing top-notch results. Over the last few years, Google’s been working tirelessly to reduce misinformation and provide accurate, relevant results.
A recent survey revealed that 77% of the 1,400 participants use Google 3+ times a day. 75% of participants click on one of the results from page 1-2 or at least scan multiple sites from page 1. The majority of respondents trust Google results enough to investigate its findings.
So when a user searches a keyword or keyphrase on Google, and your site appears as a top result… it’s kinda a big deal! You’re declaring to them that you’ve established authority on the relevant topic, no matter your business size. This might be the first time they’re seeing your brand name (hello, brand awareness!), but they’re likely to trust you.
remain relevant to your target audience.
When it comes to SEO, there are a lot of factors at play. But here are a couple of factors that are especially important:
Producing regular, relevant content
Including keywords that your target audience would search to find you
Both of these factors boost your credibility in the eyes of your consumers and Google. Producing weekly content that’s relevant to your industry and your target audience and includes the right keywords requires staying up-to-date on hot topics within your niche.
One of the most common ways to provide fresh content is through the use of a blog (hi!). It’s not super obvious that blogs are critical for SEO, but they provide a channel to predict and answer the questions your target audience is searching for on Google. And as long as you’re staying on top of hot topics and potential searches, you remain relevant and valuable to your consumers.
As a small business, providing relevant info to your consumers is huge. Award-winning digital marketing entrepreneur, Neil Patel, confirms, “What small business owners need to realize is that 70% of customers would rather learn about a company through an article over any kind of advertisement. And a lot of customers are out there actively looking for that content.”
Specific SEO Tips for Small Businesses
count your current seo inventory.
It’s important to understand your current SEO situation before drawing up a game plan. You’ll be able to identify areas of improvement that’ll be necessary to address to put you in the running with your big business competition.
But you might also have a head start in the SEO game without even knowing it. For example, ask yourself:
When was your website created? Has it always used the same domain? A website with a domain that’s been active for years (without expiring) can hold more value than a brand new one.
Do you already have a blog? Since regular content is huge for SEO, having an existing blog puts you ahead of the game. You can always go back and update your old blog posts with more recent, relevant info and keywords.
Which pages on your site get the most traffic and user interaction? You can use tools like Google Analytics to measure the current success of your pages and make adjustments based on that.
Consider running a site audit to identify your sites’ SEO strengths and weaknesses. It will give you a great starting point for your SEO game plan.
niche down and produce more personalized regular content.
You might be thinking, “How will narrowly defining my niche expand my opportunities as a business owner? Won’t that just limit me?”
It’s tempting to give in to that mindset, but successful small businesses and startups actually show the opposite. Focusing on a defined niche gives you clarity, allowing you to fully serve your target audience instead of falling short for a larger audience.
Focusing on a well-defined niche has the following benefits:
Stronger relationships: you have the opportunity to build more powerful relationships within your niche. You can connect with other businesses in your niche, increasing your potential for networking and backlinks. Backlinks help establish authority in your niche and improve your SEO.
Focused content: you understand your target audience on a deeper level. This will allow you to use psychology to predict keywords and key phrases that they’ll search, so you can tailor your content marketing and SEO strategies around them. If your big-name competitor is a 3-star resource on that topic, you can strive to be the 5-star resource that’ll win over your target audience.
Unique value: you know the pain points of your niche audience. You have the opportunity to solve their problems with your product, services, and content, making your business uniquely valuable.
Larger companies tend to focus on a larger group because they have the brand-name advantage. But wandering around without focus has its drawbacks, and focused content creation can yield amazing client relationships and SEO results — no matter your business size.
hone in on your keyword research.
Small businesses get better results with out-of-the-box keyword research. You can focus on keywords that your big-name competitors haven’t or wouldn’t consider. Try the following list, based on your niche:
Long-tail keywords: longer keyword phrases that have a high search volume but low competition. Bigger companies are less likely to include these more specific phrases.
Keyword: sunscreen
Long-tail keyword: best reef-safe sunscreen 2020
Comparison keywords: big companies often can’t go after competitor names. But as a smaller site, you can focus on comparing your products or services to competitors. This will put you on the same playing field and allow you to show up in searches for your competitors.
Questions: what questions are people asking in your niche? Consumers are always going to Google to ask direct questions. Consider creating a blog or FAQ page to address frequent search questions.
Seasonal keywords: consider preparing content in advance that uses keywords for a specific season. For example, when the holiday season rolls around, you’ll be prepared when the search volume for seasonal keywords spikes.
Location keywords: interests and dialect vary a lot by region. Do some location-specific research to see what terms people use in different regions to cover all the bases or target a specific audience.
Take some time to find the right keywords that your customers are searching for. Once you’ve dialed them in and created the quality content customers need, you’re on your way to the top of Google searches.
These are all valuable keyword ideas that bigger companies are less likely to include and can push your small business to the top of Google searches.
optimize your website.
In addition to providing regular content with targeted keywords, another huge part of good SEO is providing a positive online user experience in all areas of your site. As a small business, the quality of your website plays a massive role in your success in the online marketplace. You can optimize your website by focusing on the following metrics:
On-page optimization: titles, headings, meta descriptions, content, etc.
Fast load time
Mobile compatibility
Use Google My Business
Avoiding duplicate content and broken links
Limiting pop-ups
Website structure / easy navigation
Overall aesthetic
You want to impress your visitors and Google when they visit your site, and that requires putting in the effort to optimize all the nooks and crannies of your site. But the good news is: by focusing on SEO, you’re also creating a better online experience for your consumers — it’s a win-win!
Consider running through an SEO site audit checklist for a more comprehensive list, so you can identify all of the specific areas of improvement for your site.
Final Notes
It’s true that SEO is a multi-headed beast. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember:
As a small business, SEO gives you the opportunity to compete with the big names. It takes time, but consistency and a little bit of faith will get you there.
See you on the first few pages of Google!
