Small business SEO is all about increasing your website's online visibility so that consumers and potential customers can find and interact with it effortlessly.

Maintaining a solid internet presence is critical for small businesses in today's society. Small business SEO is all about increasing your website's online visibility so that consumers and potential customers can find and interact with it effortlessly.

We have worked with thousands of business owners to help them expand their online presence and are specialists in Small Business SEO. We've created this Starter Guide specifically suited to your business' needs using data acquired from this customer base to assist you understand the essentials of Small Business SEO.

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a term that refers to the process of optimising a website for search engines. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a set of methods and tactics for increasing the visibility of a website or online property in organic search engine results pages (SERPs). 'Organic' search engine results differ from 'paid' search engine results, or advertisements, in that organic rankings must be earned rather than purchased. 'Ranking' is the term used to describe how well a website appears in organic search results.

Search engines are the most common way for users to find information on the internet. Your potential consumers are already utilising search engines to look for information about your company, so it's critical that you're visible to those who are doing so. How will they discover you if that isn't the case?

Google is the most used search engine in New Zealand. Google is responsible for around 95% of all online searches conducted in New Zealand. When customers search for your products or services, optimising your website for Google entails strengthening its structure and authority so that it appears near the top of the search engine rankings.

If potential clients can locate your small business online, you'll get more leads and, as a result, more customers.

Research your keywords

The foundation of SEO is keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases that your target buyers type into their preferred search engine. Search engines compare these keywords to your website's content to evaluate how relevant it is to the user's search query. Finding the correct keywords that your target audience uses and incorporating them into all major areas of your content is therefore critical. Keyword research is carried out by small business SEO consultants using a range of techniques.

Long-tail keywords are phrases that comprise more than three words and should be your primary SEO tactic for small businesses. Long-tail keywords, as opposed to broad short-tail keywords, are more precise and have less competition. When you're a tiny firm, you're up against a lot of competition. Less competitive keywords are often where the real money is for small business.

Instead of broad keywords like 'cleaners,' promote your product or service using specific phrases like 'cleaners in the north shore.' Although there are fewer people searching for precise terms, they are often closer to making a purchase because they know exactly what they want.

Hire a professional to designed and optimise your website

Is the copy on your website optimised for search engines? The material on your website should be well-written and incorporate relevant keywords from your keyword study. It should also be interesting, timely, succinct, and, most importantly, useful to the reader. To do so, you need to first figure out what your customers desire, which is where keyword research comes in.

However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and 'over-optimising' your website for keywords is a risky technique. You don't want to annoy your clients by using 'spammy' keywords repeatedly. This has a negative impact on the user experience, and Google is likely to penalise websites that adopt spammy practises.

You should include important keywords in key sections like as the title tag, headers, meta descriptions, image alt tags, and URL, in addition to carefully arranging them throughout your website content. On-page optimisation is the term for this method. Here's where you can learn more about on-page optimisation.

Content that is exclusive to each location

On-site and off-site content are two sorts of material that are critical for SEO.

Relevant blog entries and landing pages are examples of on-site content, whereas reviews and directories are examples of off-site content. Off-site material is vital because it aids in the localisation of your website and the identification of potential buyers. It also aids in the development of links (read more about link building below).

Make sure to include your location(s) in your keywords if you're a location-based firm. Optimising a page for the phrase 'cleaners in the north shore,' for example, will help you rank for such location-specific search searches.

Social Media with a Personal Touch

Personalised social media is the best way for small businesses to communicate with their clients. Because of their smaller focus and neighbourhood connections, small businesses have the flexibility to be more personal. Attract clients' attention with appealing photos, interesting Facebook postings, and timely tweets.

Allow your customers to participate more actively in your social media campaign by allowing them to repost photographs of their purchased products on your page. This will help customers feel like they've made a genuine contribution to the success of your company while also advertising your items.

Creating Connections

Growing your company's local authority and trust is critical, and link building is one way to do so through SEO. To create industry credibility, link building entails creating off-site material that links back to your website.

Search engines will determine that your website contains high-quality material that searchers are looking for if others are suggesting your services or skills by including links to your website on their own platforms. Consider a link to be a vote. In Google's eyes, the more votes your website has, the more authoritative and reputable it is.

There is one caveat: not all links are created equal. A link or 'vote' from a reputable website, such as the New Zealand Herald, will go a long way. A thousand low-quality connections from low-quality websites that link to hundreds of other low-quality websites won't help your website's trustworthiness or ranks at all.

Make the most of your great customer relationships by inviting satisfied customers to write product evaluations. There's a good chance you'll encounter clients who are already great fans of your company and will be delighted to submit favourable reviews on your social media platforms and business directory listings.

Make it mobile friendly

If you're a small local business, there's a strong chance your potential customer may use their phone to look for information about the items and services you offer. As a result, it's critical that your mobile website provides an easy-to-use experience with straightforward menu navigation, accessible site search capabilities, and prominent calls-to-action.

Implementing responsive web design – your websites should alter size and layout based on the device a person is using to access them – is one technique to optimise your website for mobile.

What Should You Spend on SEO for Your Small Business?

Investing in SEO is a must if you want your website to appear on the top page of Google. According to Forbes, between 80 and 90 percent of shoppers increasingly read online reviews before purchasing something. You will be able to control much of the information about your product or service that is available online if you participate in an SEO campaign. And keep in mind that if your potential clients can't locate you, they'll go to your competition.

Organic results produce 8.5 clicks for every one click on a paid search result

SEO is more cost-effective than other forms of internet marketing, such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and Google AdWords, because it gives a high long-term return on investment. The former may act as a catalyst.

The amount of money you set aside for Small Business SEO will depend on how much initial and ongoing SEO work you need. It's crucial to understand your audience in the early stages: are they seeking for online evaluations of your product, or are they looking for useful articles about your industry? Maybe they're on the lookout for both. The SEO strategy and the amount of labour necessary will be influenced by your audience's behaviour.

The cost of various types of SEO material, including as blog posts, off-site content, and landing page copy, varies. After you've considered all of your alternatives, invest in an SEO plan that's right for you. A typical Small Business SEO campaign with an agency will cost between $750 and $2,000 a month, depending on the services provided.

The bottom line is that you either get what you paid for or don't pay for. If you want to thrive in online marketing and be seen on the highly wanted first page of Google's search results, your small business will need to invest in a solid SEO strategy.

Common SEO tools

• Google Analytics: The most extensively used web analytics programme on the internet is Google Analytics. Webmasters and SEO firms can use this tool to learn how users engage with a website or online business (e.g. how many people visited it and from which locations). When it comes to developing an SEO strategy and determining its performance, this data is vital.
• Google AdWords Keyword Planner: Google AdWords is Google's internet advertising service for creating paid search engine advertisements. The Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool, on the other hand, can be valuable for SEO keyword research. It shows how many people, on average, search for a certain keyword every month, based on their location and device.
• Google Search Console: Another free web service provided by Google. It enables webmasters to identify and change how Google indexes a website's technical difficulties. It also shows the top organic search queries that are currently driving traffic to your site, which is useful for keyword research.
• MozPro: A collection of tools created by Moz, a well-known leader in the SEO software business. These tools enable SEO experts to collect and evaluate technical data connected to an SEO campaign, such as the number of links heading to a website and the authority or credibility of a website in Google's eyes.
• Ahrefs: Another popular web tool for SEO specialists is Ahrefs. You can use Ahrefs to analyse a website's link profile, brainstorm fresh SEO-friendly content ideas, and conduct keyword research.
• Screaming Frog: A desktop tool that scans a website's various aspects (such as links, photos, HTML, and CSS elements) in the same way that a search engine would. It's a popular tool used by SEO experts to assess on-site SEO and identify areas for improvement.

Summary

Small Business SEO is a burgeoning market in New Zealand, as more small businesses recognise the need of optimising their online presence. Unfortunately, the SEO landscape is becoming more competitive as a result of this expanding tendency. To stand out from the throng, you'll need to devote the appropriate resources to a long-term SEO campaign that follows current best practises.

We've helped many small businesses improve organic traffic, leads, and income. Since we were a small business ourselves not long ago, we know how to accomplish this successfully!

If you're a small business in need of SEO assistance, learn more about our search engine optimisation services or contact us for a free consultation.