As you appreciate, SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the process of enhancing a website to boost its visibility across the organic (i.e. not paid) search engine results via the likes of Google and Bing.
And there are a number of ways in which various SEO activities can help smaller businesses in particular – here, we aim to provide an overview.
What can SEO do for a small business?
For smaller businesses, SEO can be effective in boosting online visibility and building brand awareness. Clearly, higher rankings with the search engine results pages (SERPs) creates greater potential for people finding your business before they find any of your competitors, while engendering trust and credibility.
Unlike paid advertising, SEO yields a higher return on investment (ROI), since it brings in organic traffic. In other words, people land on your website from unpaid, natural search results rather than paid ads. Users are typically looking for highly specific information, which means higher-intent traffic along with better conversion rates and lead generation. So you can look forward to consistently better long-term traffic without having to pay for every click.
At the same time, with local SEO efforts, your business shows up in ‘near me’ searches. So you are put in touch with customers in your area who are ready to buy.
Weighing up the cost of SEO against long-term value
While SEO builds long-term, organic and high-ROI visibility, paid ads are more about instant, targeted traffic which grinds to a halt when spending stops. There can be immediate and measurable results for short-term marketing campaigns, but SEO is more cost-effective over time.
So to reap the rewards of both speedy sales and visibility, a balance approach works well.
While it can take time to see significant results with SEO, typically between three and six months, it’s a highly sustainable process. Content created as part of it continues to attract traffic long after it has been created. Equally, users frequently place greater trust in the organic search results.
You should see your brand authority rise, with sustainable traffic and value-for-money, long-term lead generation.
When SEO works best for a small business
- If you’re established in what you do and want to build momentum over months, with consistent organic leads and enduring results.
- SEO is especially effective for small businesses like restaurants, plumbers, mechanics and solicitors who either operate locally or have a lot of passing trade.
- Where your website is optimised for mobile search, and you have a well-structured and user-friendly website with consistently strong content which is regularly updated.
- If you compete against larger businesses, SEO can help level the playing field, giving you the chance to outpace non-local, bigger organisations.
- When you focus on specific search phrases such as independent coffee shop in Bristol, rather than broad terms, this reduces competition and attracts those who are ready to spend money with you.
SEO Challenges Small Businesses Should Be Aware Of
SEO may not work so well for your small business if:
- You want instant results in the short term.
- You operate in such a specific market that few people are searching online for what you offer.
- Your site is slow, mobile-unfriendly or has poor content, you may struggle to see effective results.
- Giants of e-commerce such as Amazon dominate your industry – it can be hard to outrank these competitors for high-volume keywords.
- You’re unable to make a commitment in terms of effort and, often, financial investment, since this means you won’t be able to compete with those who have access to high-quality, professional SEO.
In short, you need to have realistic expectations, while setting sensible timelines for results and success.
How can small businesses get the best return on their SEO investment?
A professional SEO agency lets you see the benefits of the discipline – and you probably don’t have the expertise or resources (including time) in-house to get the results you want yourself. Equally, most businesses who try DIY SEO don’t see significant results even several months down the line.
Agencies can manage complex, constantly changing search algorithms, while understanding technical SEO and content strategy so that online visitors become committed customers. Ultimately, you save time you can plough back into your business, and achieve higher revenue with enhanced search rankings.
They use advanced tools to track metrics, analyse competitor strategies and tweak tactics based on data to guarantee consistent growth.
When working with an SEO agency, there are a number of things you should be looking for and thinking about, including:
- Experience with small businesses in your own industry.
- A proven track record of success – ask to see particular examples and case studies.
- Expectation management plus a customised strategy
- A willingness to discuss their approach to link building and content creation
- Regular reporting and communication, including easily understood reports on KPIs rather than raw data
- As ever, choose the agency offering the best value rather than simply the lowest price
You will also improve your chances of success if you define your goals, and identify what you want from your SEO campaigns, at an early stage.
Why choose Simply Search?
Simply Search is an award-winning, family-driven SEO agency and consultancy based in Hampshire. We take a white-hat or ethical approach to SEO and have different packages to suit varied budgets and requirements. And having worked with a number of smaller clients, we believe we understand the needs of these businesses, across a huge range of sectors, really well. We’re experts in helping those we work with to win more customers online.
Take the first step today. Get in touch and book your free website review.