What is SEO for a Small Business?
Search engine optimization (SEO) aims to better communicate a business’s products or services to potential customers and search engines. A great small business SEO approach includes keyword strategy, competitor research, and actionable plans to improve the site’s digital presence.
Search optimization is crucial for a small business. Small businesses need to differentiate themselves from the competition and convince valuable buyers to visit its site rather than a corporate powerhouse like Amazon or Wal-Mart. One of the best investments a small business can make is in a strong keyword strategy that aligns its products or services with the people ready to buy.
Each business should have its own defined plan to get the right buyers to its site. For example, a Milwaukee-area retailer focused on foot traffic would want more SEO energy spent on building local traffic to the site with Milwaukee focused keywords. Whereas, an eCommerce site would want to focus on keyword specific to their niche and/or industry.
Does SEO work for Small Businesses?
Yes! Don’t just take my word for it, check out a real-world example of how SEO can elevate a small business to own a niche eCommerce market. This client – we’ll call them The Bug Guys – wanted to launch a new product in a niche space in pest control. There were competitors in this space but no one was really working hard to gain new buyers through search optimization. The site was launched in March of 2016 and since that launch, the site has grown to rank for more than 2,000 keywords with more than 180 in the first three positions.
Great. The site ranks for some keywords, but does it make money? Yes! Comparing 2018 versus 2017, the site increased its revenue by almost 100% and comparing 2016 to 2018, the site’s revenue increased by more than 160% year over year.
This growth was due to continuous SEO improvement, monitoring, and content growth. Each month the site has a health review to determine how key metrics are performing, optimization recommendations to ensure pages are targeting and adjusting to search behavior, and content recommendations to build out a strong portfolio of blogs and learning resources.
When Does SEO Stop?
Never! Search habits change, search engine algorithms update, and businesses evolve. Using the same client example mentioned before, we are continuing to work with them to advance their business. Our strategy has changed from entering a niche with only SEO to further elevating the business with product diversification, paid advertising efforts, and continued organic efforts.
Search optimization can be used to get a small business off the ground or raise an already successful brand to new heights.
Still not convinced that SEO could benefit your small business? Give us a call or send us an email, and I’ll walk you through how SEO could help you make more money.
