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How to plan SEO for Small Businesses

Let’s imagine you had a serious toothache last night and you are new in the city!

You need a dentist! What is the first thing you would do?

Ah ha! You’re right… Type into Google – “Best dentist near me!”

Then you see a list of businesses. What’s next?

Yes, you check the images, review a few websites, and book the one that looks most trustworthy.

Did you know?
The latest data shows that Google processes over 99,000 searches every single second. Have you ever imagined how many times your business pops up or what the potential of your business to pop up is? If not… Now is the time to think!

NOW IMAGINE THIS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

No matter how small or big it is!

If you want to pop up like the dentist whom you visited this morning, the magical word that you are looking for is called SEO!

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1. What is SEO?

SEO – Search engine optimization is an organic tactic for businesses to repeatedly talk about their offerings and showcase their strengths so that people start recognizing, believing, and booking you!

And if you are wondering if it’s very hard to do in the pool of 100,000 websites which keep popping up every day, trust me, it is not, and half of them aren’t even doing it! Just like you aren’t…

So let’s take small steps in understanding and implementing strategies that can help you in the long term.

2. Why is SEO Important for Small Business?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for small businesses because it helps increase visibility online, driving more organic traffic to your website without the constant expense of paid advertising.

When you are working on your SEO you are working on the Top of your funnel (TOUF) as well as the mid-funnel (MOFU) because you are letting people compare your offering to others.
By ranking higher in search results, you can outpace competitors, attract more customers, and enhance credibility in your market.

3. How to Start Doing SEO?

Step 1: Keyword Research with tools :

Begin by identifying keywords that are relevant to your business. Tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner and can help discover both broad and specific phrases that potential customers use.

You can do this in two ways:

  1. Putting your competitor’s website link and getting the keywords from there
  2. Listing 10 keywords you feel your audience is searching for and putting them in the tool and letting the tool give you the search volume and suggestions.
Protip: If you are doing it for the first time, go for low or mid-competition but higher search volumes in long keywords (more than 2 words).

Step 2: Content Generation:

Create engaging and valuable content that addresses your audience’s needs is the base of SEO work. Tools such as Google Trends and Answer the Public can provide insights into popular topics and questions in your industry.

When you are writing any content piece, use your keywords in it to ensure alignment. The keywords can be used in website content, blogs, or even the hashtags on your social posts.

Step 3: Website Analysis & On-Page SEO:

You will require professional help in this, but for starters, you can get a free audit from SEMRush (Click Here) (https://www.semrush.com/features/site-audit/) , which will tell you where your website is lacking, then you need to make corrections on your website.

Ensure your website’s meta tags, titles, descriptions, and content include your targeted keywords.

Protip: Regularly update your site to improve user experience and site performance, which are crucial for SEO.

Step 4: Link Building:

You can either hire a third-party agency or do it on your own.

If you are doing it yourself – minimum aim is to build about 10 quality backlinks per month. This can be done by typing your keywords and checking what sites are ranking if they are other classifieds and directories, then you list your business in them.

If they are just competitors, then you go for more generic PR or blog sites to write and publish about your business.

Protip: Some of the free classifieds across all cities in India are: Just Dial, and Yellow Pages. Here is a longer list that you can try: 200 Free Ad Posting Classifieds

Does This Feels Exhausting!
But if you want to do something for SEO right now and feel good

4. Here Are 2 Goldmines of SEO To Dig Into:

1. Google Profile:

Make sure whether you have a website or not, you are listed on Google My Business. You just need a Gmail account and it’s almost like talking all about your business. Read how to do it here: How To Set Up and Optimize Google Business Profile in 10 Minutes
This gives instant recognition to your services make sure you are putting in complete information about your business, adding images, phone numbers, links, etc.
Ask your current customers to give you a review on this.

2. Quora Questions:

Did you know Quora gets asked up to ~47K questions per day now? And very few businesses are replying on it, especially if you are locally relevant this is a place to be. 

Make an account and start answering the questions—don’t forget to include your number, email ID, and website link in every answer you leave!

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5. Set Metrics for a Data-Driven SEO Strategy

No matter what stage you are in your SEO journey, remember that any marketing activity is all about driving better results. This cannot be done until you have metrics set that you can measure:

1. Organic Traffic:

Keep a record of monthly new users, bounce rate, and most viewed pages to understand the effectiveness of your SEO activities. You can also check your Google profile page views.

2. Search Engine Rankings

Use tools like Google Search Console to track your rankings for various search queries, see which pages are ranking, and understand how changes to your SEO strategy impact your position.

3. Click-Through Rate

This metric measures the percentage of users who click on your link after seeing it in the search results. A higher CTR can indicate effective title tags and meta descriptions. Google Search Console provides insights into the CTR for your pages.

4. Backlinks

The number and quality of backlinks to your website are strong indicators of its authority and trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines. Tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Moz can track the number of backlinks, assess their quality, and monitor your link-building progress.

5. Conversion Rates

Ultimately, the goal of SEO is not just to attract more traffic but to convert that traffic into leads or sales. Tracking how many visitors complete a desired action (like filling out a form, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase) helps assess the real value of your SEO efforts.

6. Wrapping Up: Focus on Organic Growth and Take Control

SEO might seem complex initially, but even small steps can make a big difference. Invest time in keyword research, create valuable content, and claiming your online presence. This way you can lay the groundwork to attract new customers organically. This ensures long-term growth of your business, without relying solely on paid advertising.

The good news? You don’t need a huge budget to get started with SEO. There are many free tools and resources available to help you on your journey. By following the steps outlined in this guide and focusing on high-quality content and user experience, you can establish a strong online presence and watch your customer base grow.

Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, but the rewards are significant for any entrepreneur looking to build a sustainable business. Just follow the above steps for Free & Effective Marketing - Get Started Today!



This post first appeared on HEN - Her Entrepreneurial Network, please read the originial post: here

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How to plan SEO for Small Businesses

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