Demystifying SEO for Your Small Business
Did you start your business so that you could track analytics and please Google’s algorithms? No? Too many small business owners get hung up on the SEO things they think they “should” do. But the truth is that you probably can ignore some of it for now. Demystifying SEO will help you focus on the tactics that really matter to your business.
Creating content that fits SEO best practices is our thing here at Kristin Ratten Content Services. If thinking about words for your website, your blogs, or your email campaigns stresses you out, let’s connect. We can take this off your plate so that you can focus on the things you love.
What’s SEO Again?
Before we dig into the parts of SEO that you should care about, let’s make sure we’re clear about what SEO is.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It refers to the practices and tactics that help your website’s content show up higher in Google’s search results.
Ok, to be fair, it’s for ANY search engine’s results, and I don’t mean to discount that. But let’s be honest. Have you ever told your friend that you “Explorer-ed it” or “Yahoo-ed it” when trying to find some information? Probably not.
However, hundreds of millions of people use non-Google browsers, so ranking in those searches is also extremely valuable.
SEO helps search engines “choose” your content to show to searchers. It’s kind of like getting picked for a team in grade school PE classes, but with slightly less humiliation for those who don’t make the cut.
Google and other browsers seek to match a searcher’s query with relevant content. The more obvious it is that your blog or web page is applicable, the more likely you are to rank on the first page.
Demystifying SEO: What Really Matters?
Small business owners inherently wear many, many hats. And for a lot of entrepreneurs, marketing is one of the most stressful of these hats.
One time I watched a Pop Warner football game with a bunch of tiny kids in big football helmets. They had no control, as their now-too-heavy heads pulled them in all kinds of directions.
Kids were running into each other and never quite knew where they were going. Admittedly, it was hilarious to us parents at first. But it was frustrating to the kids and didn’t allow them to be successful.
Your marketing “hat” as a business owner can feel like that.
And SEO, in particular, seems to frustrate and overwhelm even the savviest of entrepreneurs. At some point, you’ve likely heard the following terms as things you should pay attention to in order to rank well:
Keywords
Blog Posts
Local SEO
Backlinks
Alt Text
Meta Descriptions
Does all of that make your head spin?
Well, there are two good things to know here. First, all of those things do help your website to rank. So if you enjoy doing it, that’s great! Second, you don’t have to do every single thing to make your site show up high in search results. So if you hate all of it, that’s fine, too.
Let’s look at some of the most crucial pieces of SEO for small businesses.
Proper Keyword Use
Keywords tend to be the most familiar part of SEO for entrepreneurs. Basically, a keyword is anything someone might search for online. It could be one word or a whole sentence.
Typically, the longer and more specific the keyword, the easier it is to rank for in search results. There are all sorts of stats that will tell you a precise ratio of keyword usage in a blog post. But those statistics just add more stress and confusion for most small biz owners.
To keep things very simple when you’re writing and publishing a blog article, aim to use your primary keyword in the following places:
Blog Title - The closer to the front of the title, the better, but don’t let that be a stumbling block as you name the article.
URL
One or Two Headings
Sprinkled Throughout Text - Don’t worry about ratios here. Use your keyword in the first paragraph and then a few more times as it makes sense in the article.
If you want to take things up a notch, there are a few more spots to add your keyword. These areas may seem nitpicky, but they don’t take much extra time, and they do help with ranking.
Most WordPress sites have obvious places to add this information. For other platforms, such as Squarespace, you may need to search for a quick tutorial.
Alt Text for Photos - You don’t need to use the keyword in every alt text. One or two is usually fine.
Meta Description - This piece is the brief description that displays under your page title in search results.
And each of these things applies to static web pages, as well. Keywords for those pages are generally shorter and broader than for blogs, but you still use them in the same places.
Not sure how to choose keywords in the first place? There are several free options that are perfect for small business owners as you get comfortable with this process.
High-Quality Content
It won’t matter which keywords you’re targeting if your content isn’t good. Google loves and rewards high-quality blogs and website copy.
Remember, their end goal is to match a person’s search query with the best and most relevant content available. And Google is sophisticated enough to know when something is poorly written or doesn’t match the searcher’s intent.
When trying to demystify SEO for your business marketing, focus on creating excellent content. It is crucial. You will do tremendous good for your website simply by producing articles that are worthy of a reader’s attention. Google is watching...
Consistency
This tip falls entirely under the “Do as I say, not as I do” adage because I’m terrible at it! But the more content you create, the more likely your site is to rank well.
Search engines need stuff to crawl and index for their algorithms. If you don’t have much for them to notice, it’s hard to rank.
Again, countless experts know the precise number of times you should blog or post each day, week, and month for excellent SEO. And they know their stuff! But if the thought of creating a set number of posts just stops you in your tracks, then it’s not serving you.
If you’re starting from zero blog posts a month, then aim for creating one each month. Eventually, you may want to increase that for even greater results, but one is better than zero. Consistent content creation will move your SEO efforts in the right direction.
Need a starting point to get your blogs underway? Grab your free guide, Write a Blog for Your Business in 10 Simple Steps, to get going.
Should I Hire Out My SEO Work?
This question is a biggie. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who will promise you the moon when it comes to SEO and ranking your website. But they can’t deliver.
Authentic, sustainable SEO is not a quick thing. It takes time. So make sure you avoid anyone who tries to sell you on fast results.
Someone who says that they can get you on Page One of search results in a month is fishy and may use black hat SEO techniques. One of my clients had her entire site tank in the rankings thanks to her “SEO guy” and his abysmal work.
Do your due diligence and get referrals before working with anyone who is promising dramatic results.
Having said that, there are also amazing people who work in SEO with integrity and excellence. And if your budget allows, by all means, hire them.
Some excellent SEO investments that small business owners should consider making include:
Website Audit
SEO Audit
Optimized Copywriting
Audits are a crucial starting point for any entrepreneur who wants their site to perform better. Because Google and other search engines seek the best possible experience for searchers, they are very particular in their criteria.
An audit can pinpoint problems such as slow-loading pages or broken links, all of which impact your rankings. Often, these issues require simple fixes that you can do yourself. So getting all of this information is highly valuable and worth the investment.
Just make sure you work with a reputable person or agency. I love the work that Uyo Digital Marketing does in this realm. Their website and SEO audits will give you so much excellent data about your site.
Getting help with the words on your website is another great way to demystify SEO by handing it off to an expert. If you don’t love writing or don’t want to spend your time doing it, hiring a copy or content writer is the way to go. Also, I know someone who does that. (It’s me. I’m Someone.)
Let’s Chat!
Running a business is such an enormous undertaking. It can be exhausting and exhilarating all in the same moment.
But honestly, most SEO “shoulds” that you’ve heard can probably drop off your radar for the time being. Don’t let them keep you up at night or stop you from moving forward with your content.
And if you’re ready for some help with all those words, reach out to me! I’m a super big geek when it comes to writing, and I love helping business owners feel confident in their content.
Our team offers support as you write your own blogs and website copy. Or we can do it all for you. Let’s talk and see what the right fit is for your needs. Grab a free time to chat here to get started.
