SEO for small business owners might seem like one more complicated task on an already full plate. In reality, paying some attention to your SEO set-up will help your website reach optimal performance with little more than quick updates from you. We’ve pulled together the Top 10 SEO optimization tips for small business owners. Each step in the process is free, and sets your website up for success. Let’s look deeper…

1. Set up your Google Business Profile and link it to your webpage.

Make sure that all the information on your Google Business Profile matches the information on your website. This is an important step toward signaling to Google that you are a legitimate Business.

2. Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console and link them to your website.

This will help you track how pages are performing and tailor your page to meet customer needs and expectations.

3. Perform Keyword Research

Your keywords should focus on a single primary subject or keyword cluster per page, and should follow the same search logic as your customers use to seek out your business. This involves some knowledge of your unique customers and their language and thought processes.

4. Streamline Website Structure

Navigate through your site like a visitor, and ask the opinions of others to ensure that your website is easy to navigate and your most important information is easy to find. This will go a long way toward supplying a great user experience for customers - one of the most important things you can do for your small business.

5. Update On-Page SEO Elements

Go through your page and ensure that your titles, meta descriptions and headers all include the target keyword for the page, and are clear and easy to understand. Pay attention to character count when updating on-page SEO, and try including a call to action in your meta description!

6. Update Technical SEO Elements

Run a scan on your page to ensure there are no issues with your pages. For example, look for things like 301 Redirects or slow page speed. Any page with a speed over 3 seconds deserves a second look.

7. Perform Market Research

Look at your biggest competition and make note of what they are doing right and wrong. It’s a great idea to take successes in marketing and build on them to make them your own. This will help you become aware of any subjects, opportunities or keywords that you might be able to take advantage of.

8. Create Content

The more content you have on your page, the more opportunities you will have to capture search volume from Google. For the best results, try to release content every day, ensuring that you focus on specific keywords for each piece of content. Content can be videos, social media posts or blog articles.

9. Confirm Page is Indexed on Google

Indexing is the process of getting your page visible on Google. If your page is not indexed, it will not show up on Google Search Results unless you search for the exact title of the page. While some websites claim to offer immediate indexing, this is a myth. Indexing is not immediate. You can access Google Search Console now, so it’s a good idea to ensure that all your pages are indexed.

10. Track Webpage Rankings

Use Google Search Console to track which pages or posts are doing well, and which are falling behind. When you find a bit of content is doing well, highlight it and make updates to lagging content to ensure it reaches the same goals. If you’ve done everything right, this should be easy at this point in the SEO process.

SEO Tips for Small Business Owners | End of Story

Many small business owners think that SEO optimization is the dominion of large companies with massive web pages. Up until recently this has been largely the case. Now, small business owners are in a position to take advantage of professional SEO services and free SEO tips like these, at their own budget and in their own style. Reach out for help getting started with SEO for your small or medium business website today, from a small business-focused StoryTime SEO Consultant.