The Benefits of SEO for Small Business
Just because you have a small business, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to SEO Search Engine Optimization. As an SEO expert through my agency Six Stories, I’ve seen many small businesses struggle because they didn’t have their search optimization in order. By utilizing common local SEO strategies and best practices, this type of online optimization can help your business get more visibility through better information and segmentation targeted to your ideal audience. Below are some of the ways that an SEO expert can help you.
Consistent Information Across Platforms
Consistent Information Across PlatformsOne of the first things many SEOs do when they get a new small business client is make sure all their online platforms are consistent. Then means checking to make sure things like website URL, hours of operation, email address, and phone number are correct. You’d be surprised at how many of your likely competitors don’t have their correct contact information on their online profiles!
Some of the platforms a local SEO review check entails are usually Google Places, Bing Places, Yelp, TripAdvisor (if in service industry), BrightLocal, social media, and other applicable review and business directory sites.
Instant Visibility Boost
By getting your online profiles in order, you are making sure your information is consistent across all online platforms your customers may be searching for your applicable services. This can give you an instant visibility boost, especially if you have online profiles that are tracked often.
Following other SEO best practices for small businesses can also bring about better visibility, often quickly. These can include:
- Rewriting meta titles and descriptions
- Revising and editing website content
- Proper sitemap(s)
- Better internal linking
- Verification in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
Good SEO also means fixing any errors that may be found after completing an SEO audit. An SEO audit is a complete review of your online presence and will give you a report of what needs to be improved on your website. After you and the SEO expert goes over it, they should then fix everything that they found during their audit. When this is tracked properly, it’s possible to instantly know when there are results from better optimization on your website.
Better Review Management
Having consistent information on online profiles is only one half of the puzzle. Local SEO can also entail online review management. While not all SEOs offer this service, online reviews are important for small businesses because many customers use reviews to determine which business they are going to patronize. These reviews as usually looked up via mobile and a decision is made on the go.
Small businesses should always be monitoring any platforms, like Facebook and Yelp, where they get reviews. If they receive a bad review, they should respond publicly and respectfully, attempting to solve the problem. Often, customers go to social media because they feel like they have no one else to turn and want to vent their frustration. They simply want to be heard. According to a BrightLocal study, 74 percent of users say that positive online reviews makes them trust a business more.
Because online reviews appear in search results, they are an important component when considering working with someone on your SEO. While most don’t consider this SEO, it is an important aspect of a small business’ online presence that shouldn’t be ignored.
Having a good SEO strategy can do more than just help small businesses get better visibility through more consistent profiles and managed online reviews. Simply focusing on search optimization may give small business owners a leg up on their competitors, since many local businesses don’t think much about their online presence. Give yourself an advantage by working with a trusted SEO provider to see more results online.
Author:
Cori Padgett Bukowski
Author:Cori is a wildly hire-able freelance ghost blogger as well as the creative brains and dubious brawn behind her blogs (yes, blogs plural) Big Girl Branding & Salt, Light, and Faith.
When she’s not engaging in dork shenanigans or writing words that matter for her clients, she’s on a rather absurd, misfortunately funny road to grace, bent on spreading a little salt and light to all and sundry. Well, that and being a mom of course.
In her spare time, (Wait, what? Spare time? What’s that?) she’s busy exploring the realms of urban fantasy and dystopian fiction under her pen name C.B. Stone and writing stories readers love to read.
She’s also convinced the mom thing should totally come with superhero powers, in her very humble opinion. Nutshell… she’s a dork by genetics, writer by trade, lover by choice. Word.
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