For decades, having an online presence has been one of the easiest ways for businesses to promote their services and connect with customers. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, having an online presence is a nonnegotiable for businesses to succeed.
But with more businesses than ever competing for consumer attention online, simply having a website for your business isn’t enough. A 2019 study found that 93% of shoppers perform an online search before stepping foot inside a store. So if your digital marketing strategy doesn’t contain techniques designed to increase your authority in search engine results, all of the hard work you put into creating your website is virtually useless.
This is why SEO for small businesses is vital.
An effective SEO strategy makes your website more attractive to Google and other search engines. Considering that 73% of people never scroll past the first page of search results, investing in a robust SEO strategy could make or break your business.
Let’s say your business sells clothing in Durango, CO. The average consumer searching for a clothing store in Durango would most likely conduct a Google search for “clothing stores in Durango CO” or “clothing stores near me.” With over 500 clothing stores in the small town of Durango, you are competing with over 500 other businesses to have your business appear on the first page of the search results.
Fortunately, there are several SEO techniques you can use to boost your website’s online visibility and rank higher on Google. Keep reading for tips on creating an effective SEO strategy for your business.
What is SEO and how does it work?
SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of improving the quality and quantity of organic traffic to a website from search engines. An SEO strategy involves optimizing your website’s content to improve its chances of appearing in search results.
SEO for small businesses can be broken down into three main components:
In this blog, we will only be focusing the first component, on-page SEO. This type of SEO is vital to an SEO strategy because it helps search engines understand what the content on your website is about. The better Google understands your content, the higher you’ll rank in search results, which means more organic traffic and revenue.
Keep these elements in mind when crafting your SEO strategy:
Keywords
Search engine rankings are determined by an algorithm that evaluates how well a website answers a particular search query. A considerable part of that is keyword placement. From single words to entire phrases, keywords tell search engines what your content is about.
Meta titles and descriptions
Each page has a meta title, which appears as the headline in search results, and a meta description, which is the snippet of text that appears directly below the title. Meta titles and descriptions are important because they relay data about your page’s content to search engines and website visitors.
A compelling title and description can raise the click-through rate of your organic search results. That means more people who see your page in the search results will click through to your website.
Header tags
The header tag (H1 tag) is the main headline at the top of your website page. Header tags are important in an SEO strategy because, like metadata, they help search engines understand and rank your content. Additionally, they make your content more user-friendly. The header tag on a page should accurately reflect the contents of that page.
Content
Google wants to present users with high-quality content that successfully solves their search queries.
There are generally four types of search intent:
- Informational: Users are looking for information.
- Navigational: Searchers want to visit a specific website or page.
- Commercial: Users want to compare products or services before they make a purchase.
- Transactional: Searchers actively want to buy something.
If you’re planning to implement an SEO strategy for your website, you don’t necessarily have to write brand-new content. Improving existing content often drives quicker results than creating something new. An audit of your existing content is an opportunity to update it with fresher information and add in any SEO techniques that weren’t initially there.
Internal links
An internal link is any link from one page on your website to another page on your website. Search engines use links to navigate your site, just like visitors to your website. Your pages won’t appear in search engine results if there are no links to them.
There are several ways to create an internal linking strategy. In addition to navigational links on your homepage, you can also add links within your content. The more links a page receives, the more important it will seem to search engines.
The takeaway
An important takeaway from this blog is that there is no such thing as a perfectly optimized website. Search algorithms are constantly evolving. Google’s
Core Web Vitals are always subject to change as the company seeks new ways to improve searches and provide users with better solutions.
Just like routine dental check-ups, your SEO strategy should be evaluated regularly and updated when necessary.
What’s considered “best practice” in SEO today will most likely not be the same a year from now. However, putting a solid foundation in place by implementing these basic on-page SEO elements will increase your online visibility and provide a more positive experience for visitors to your website.
Hyport Digital offers
professional web design and customized SEO and SEM services to make it easier for your business to rise to the top of Google’s search results.
Reach out to us today to learn how!
