If you’re a small business owner, you’ve probably heard about search engine optimisation (SEO) as a profitable form of digital marketing.
SEO involves optimising and increasing a website’s online visibility through organic search. The goal is for more people browsing online to know about the business and its product or service offers.
As more and more consumers go shopping on Google and other search engines, small businesses can tremendously benefit from SEO as the main tool to attract and convert their potential customers.
Here, we tackle what exactly is small business search engine optimisation, its benefits, and how you can achieve genuine growth through tested-and-proven SEO strategies.
SEO for small business services are the ongoing process of enhancing a small business website’s online presence. The objective is to make it more attractive to both humans and search engines.
This means putting together a marketing approach where search engines like Google will recommend and rank a small website on Page 1 for specific keywords. As a result, more people will know about the business and consider buying from them.
Small business SEO is not the same as local SEO.
The latter is for businesses with a physical presence. While the former is for small and growing businesses, with or without a brick-and-mortar establishment.
Here’s why doubling down on your SEO efforts could be the best decision you’ll ever make for your small business.
With SEO, you’re refusing to be just another small business website in the vast ocean of the internet. When done right, you could even beat larger competitors with bigger marketing budgets for keywords relevant to your industry and business.
Optimising your site with the right keywords, quality content writing, and effective link building strategies can all dramatically increase your chances of appearing on the first page of search results.
This increased visibility translates to capturing the attention of more people actively searching for what you offer.
Many small businesses shy away from marketing due to budget constraints. SEO flips the script by being cost-effective.
Unlike PPC campaigns where you pay for every click, SEO offers a more sustainable approach. Though the initial investment might seem a bit high, the long-term benefits far outweigh the costs.
What ultimately matters is whether your visitors are genuinely interested in your products or services. SEO makes it possible to target specific audiences who are on the hunt for similar products based on their browsing activities online.
It’s a targeted approach that paves the way for higher conversion rates and a better return on investment.
Appearing on the first page of Google search essentially translates to the search engine recommending your site as the most relevant result for a specific query.
High-quality content, positive user experience, and strong backlinks all contribute to this perception. Over time, it establishes a solid foundation of trust that can lead to more customers patronising your business.
While your competitors are busy pouring money into short-term ad campaigns, you’re investing in a strategy that provides sustainable digital growth.
A well-optimised website can outperform competitors who ignore SEO or are not using it to its fullest potential as a sales and revenue driver. Over time, you’d become the new competition to beat, thanks to SEO’s proven online marketing power.
Unlike traditional advertising methods that offer fleeting results, SEO is a long-term solution. The efforts you put in today will pay off for months, even years, down the road.
The benefits of SEO compound, wherein your visibility, traffic, and leads will keep growing as you maintain and improve your ongoing strategy.
For small local businesses, being the go-to option in the community and driving heaps more foot traffic is the primary target.
Before you scale and aim for a national and even global reach, you need to dominate your local market first. And SEO builds towards that direction.
Localised SEO strategies ensure that your company appears on top and stays there in the Local Pack, where prospects could prominently see you and your business information.
Here’s your detailed guide on best practices to effectively manage the SEO campaign of your small or local business.
The best and more realistic way to gain better visibility online is to first optimise for local search.
And the key is to craft local SEO strategies that get your business found by the people who are just around the corner, often adding ‘near me’ in their search queries.
First things first, claim and optimise your Google My Business (GMB) listing. This is non-negotiable. Your Google Business profile is essentially your company’s homepage on Google.
Fill out every section. From business name, address, phone number, to your operating hours. Adding high-quality photos, updates, or unique selling propositions would be highly beneficial.
The more information you provide, the easier it is for potential customers to find (and choose) you over others.
Importantly, maximise your local citations. Ensure your business is listed in local directories (e.g., Yelp, Yellow Pages), industry-specific sites, and review platforms.
Keyword research is hands down one of the most important aspects of SEO. It’s about discovering what your target audience is really searching for, word per word, and how you can meet those needs.
Start with the basics and think like your customer. What are the questions they’re asking? What problems or issues are they trying to solve? Use SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to dig into these queries.
These tools will give you insights into search volumes, keyword difficulty, competition levels, and secondary keywords you can also optimise and rank for.
Then study your competitors. See what search queries they’re ranking for and how you can target similar terms. This does NOT mean copying them outright. It’s more on understanding the landscape and finding gaps where you can stand out.
Don’t forget about local keywords if you’re serving a specific area. Terms like ‘smash repair shop sydney’ or ‘emergency plumber near me’ can drive highly targeted traffic.
Integrate these keywords into your website pages, blog content, and guest posts for backlinks (more on this later).
This way, you’re not simply attracting visitors but bringing in people who are ready to buy (or hire, in the case of plumbers or electricians).
| Keyword research isn’t a one-off task. Keep revisiting and updating your keyword strategy based on performance and changing trends. Ensure you’re always aligned with what your audience is searching for to stay relevant and competitive. |
In 2023, 2024, and beyond, content remains king.
But most of all, it’s high-quality, relevant content that will help you attract, convert, and retain customers.
The first important step to content creation? Understanding your audience.
Create an ideal buyer persona and know their pain points, interests, what they’re searching for online, or even what keeps them up at night.
Use this insight to create content that provides real value, satisfies specific search intent, and hits the right writing style, tone, and language. Your goal is to solve problems, answer questions, and offer solutions that your target market is actively seeking.
Also, focus on creating content that’s well-researched and comprehensive. Skimping on quality is a no-go. Ensure your content is thorough, accurate, and up-to-date. Use credible sources and back up your claims with data and real-world examples.
The web is already oversaturated with the same types of content. Your audiences need and deserve something new and fresh.
This not only boosts your credibility but also encourages other sites to link to your shareable content, improving your SEO.
BEST PRACTICE: Readability is very important. Use a clear structure with headings, subheadings, and bullet points. Keep your paragraphs/sentences short and straight to the point. And ALWAYS proofread. Spelling and grammar mistakes can turn off readers and make your site look unprofessional.
Many businesses (or agencies handling their search marketing campaigns) commit the common SEO mistake of focusing primarily on keywords and backlinks, under-prioritising an indispensable ranking factor: user experience (UX).
Not needless to say, Google’s algorithms are getting smarter than ever. They’re rewarding websites that offer an exceptional experience to users browsing through them.
To succeed on your technical SEO efforts, address the following immediately:
Your website needs to be lightning-quick. Or at least fast enough that it will not prompt users to click away, irritated by more than a few seconds of unnecessary page delay.
It’s the age of instant gratification and short attention spans.
If your site takes ages to load, visitors will bounce, and Google will take notice.
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and rectify issues that are slowing you down.
Compress too-large images, implement browser caching, and minimise JavaScript. Every millisecond counts in keeping users engaged and on your site.
With a majority of digital shoppers browsing on their phones over desktops, a mobile-friendly site matters big time.
Make sure your website is responsive. Meaning it adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes, whether visitors are on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
Your website should be easy to explore. With a logical structure that helps users find what they’re looking for without scratching their heads in frustration.
Use clear menus, a search bar, and well-labelled categories. You want to make the user journey as straightforward as possible by reducing the number of clicks (as needed) to reach key information or products.
Visual appeal matters too. A clean, uncluttered design with plenty of white space makes your content more readable and your site more inviting. Aesthetics should never come at the expense of functionality. Prioritise usability over fancy graphics.
Enhancing on-page experience involves making your site a breeze and a pleasure to visit. When users are happy and are not inconvenienced by onsite issues, they stay longer, explore more, and are more likely to take a desired action.
Backlinks are essentially ‘votes’ from other websites to your own website, signalling to Google that your site is credible and authoritative as so ‘voted.’ But not all backlinks are the same.
Here’s how you can build high-quality backlinks that truly make an impact.
First, focus on crafting link-worthy content. This means producing high-quality, shareable, and valuable articles that others naturally want to link to.
Think: comprehensive guides, original research, compelling infographics, and engaging blog posts. The more useful and unique your content is, the more likely it is to attract backlinks.
As much as you want to attract natural backlinks, manually reaching out to other websites with high domain authority (DA) is also key.
Don’t just sit back and wait for the links to roll in. Actively seek them out. Reach out to industry influencers, bloggers, and authoritative sites within your niche.
Personalised emails explaining why your content would be valuable to their audience can go a long way. Build relationships, not just links.
Write articles for reliable sites within your industry. Aside from earning you a backlink, it exposes you to a broader audience. Make sure your guest posts are high-quality and deliver genuine value to the readers of the host site.
Other link building tactics you can leverage is reaching out to site owners with broken links found on their site. Then suggest your content as a worthy replacement.
It’s a win-win partnership wherein you helped them fix a broken link and they reward you a backlink for it.
TAKEAWAY: It’s quality >>> quantity when it comes to link building. Focus on securing links from relevant sites rather than chasing sheer numbers. Over time, these high-quality backlinks will boost your site’s authority, steer more traffic, and improve your search rankings.
Going hand in hand with quality content creation is optimising its on-page SEO elements. These include your title tags, headings, internal links, etc.
Let’s go on each important onsite SEO element below:
Start with your title tags. This is one of the first things both users and Google see. Make sure each page has a unique, descriptive title that includes your primary keyword.
Keep it under 60 characters to ensure it displays properly in search results. A strategically crafted title tag can increase your click-through rate (CTR).
Partnering your title tag is a fitting meta description. Though they don’t directly impact your SEO, they play a crucial role in CTR.
Write compelling and concise meta descriptions that accurately summarise the content of the page and include relevant keywords. Aim for around 150-160 characters to ensure it’s fully visible in search results.
I recommend using Rank Math’s meta tag analyser. The tool measures pixels rather than the number of characters.
That is because 150 characters may fit in desktop screens but not in mobile. It will tell you whether or not your title and meta descriptions exceed the maximum length.
Proceed on your headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.). Proper use of header tags helps structure your content for readers and makes it easier for web indexers to understand your page’s hierarchy.
Your H1 tag should include your main keyword and clearly convey the topic of the page. Use H2 and H3 tags for subtopics or sections.
This is where you apply best practices after doing keyword research.
Ensure your content is value-packed and relevant to your intended audience. Use your primary and secondary keywords naturally throughout the text.
Avoid keyword stuffing, or unnecessarily mentioning target keywords as many times you please to gain an unfair SEO advantage. Include synonyms and related terms to enhance context and make your content smooth to read.
Use high-reso photos with descriptive, keyword-rich file names and alternative text. It helps improve accessibility for users who purely rely on screen readers.
However, make sure to compress said images to reduce load times. You can add quality photos without making your site sluggish and unresponsive.
As opposed to backlinks, these are links from one page on your website to another page on the same site. They help users navigate your pages and enable search bots to understand the structure and hierarchy of your content.
Use internal links to guide visitors to related content they may be curious to know more about. It’s one way to improve user experience and also help distribute page authority throughout your site.
For example, if you have a blog post about SEO tips, link to other relevant articles or services you offer. It encourages readers to explore more of your content and gestures to search engines that your site has valuable, interconnected information.
It’s easy to get caught up chasing high-volume keywords. But long-tail keywords are a real game-changer.
These are longer, more specific phrases that may have lower search volumes but bring in highly targeted traffic. Two main things why this keyword strategy works:
Less competitive: Major industry players often dominate the high-volume keywords. This is tough for small businesses to rank for. With long-tail search terms, you’re competing in a less crowded space, increasing your odds of ranking better, and attracting more niche audiences.
For instance, instead of targeting just ‘electricians,’ go for ‘residential electrician [your suburb and/or city].’ Specificity helps you connect with users who are closer to making a purchasing decision.
Higher intent: When users search for specific phrases, they’re usually further along in their buying journey and in your sales funnel. They’re past the casually browsing stage. They’re ready to take action.
This means the traffic you attract through long-tail keywords is likely to result in conversion (whether that’s getting them to subscribe to your newsletter or buy from your ecommerce store).
PRO TIP: Integrate these keywords naturally into your content. Correct the grammar if it’s incorrect. Use them in blog posts, FAQ sections, and product descriptions.
The SEO value of customer reviews is often overlooked, even doubted.
But yes, having reviews published on your site builds trust with your audience. It communicates to Google that your business is legit, actively operating, and above all, values customer feedback.
What you should do: encourage your customers to leave reviews.
The more reviews you have, the more credible your business appears to potential customers and search engine bots. How to do it?
By sending follow-up emails after a purchase, including review links in your communications, and simply making it easy for customers to share their experiences. Positive reviews can improve your local search presence and attract more traffic.
You can also use your latest client reviews as a source of fresh content. Highlight positive reviews on your website and social media. This serves as your social proof and makes your content more dynamic and relevant.
Don’t forget about third-party review sites like Yelp and industry-specific platforms. Ensure your business profile is complete and up-to-date on these sites. Regularly monitor and engage with reviews here to maintain a positive online reputation and boost your visibility in local SERPs.
PRO TIP: Respond to reviews even if, or especially if, they’re negative. It shows you’re quick to address their complaints in a professional and timely manner, and that you actually value your customers’ opinions and are committed to improving your services.
Enhance how your pages appear in search results by adding structured data or schema markup to your code. This means richer, more informative search listings that can boost your click-throughs.
Practically, schema markups enable rich snippets—extra bits of information such as star ratings, prices, ingredients and cook times for recipes, or event dates—to appear alongside your search listings.
These snippets are proven attention grabbers and provide users with valuable information upfront, making them more likely to click through to your site.
For example, a recipe with a rating and cooking time displayed directly in the search results is more appealing.
Now compare that to this plain link:
Which listing format captures your attention more, and which results are you less likely to click on?
To be clear, adding structured data does not directly impact your SERP rankings.
But the benefit is just as advantageous, if not more: aside from letting Google understand your content better, it also increases the noticeability of your page compared to your competitor pages for a particular query.
The search term ‘homemade pizza’ above is a case in point.
In addition to that, many sites don’t seem to be keen on utilising these markups as a part of their on-page SEO tactics yet. Get ahead by adding one to your code in order to generate more clicks for your site, especially for commercial and transactional terms.
The worst thing you can do with SEO is to put it on autopilot. SEO is an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring and analysis. To truly succeed, you need to keep a vigilant eye on your performance stats and make data-driven adjustments out of it.
Here are some best practices:
If you haven’t yet, make sure to set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These free tools provide practicable insights into your website’s health and performance.
Google Analytics, for one, helps you understand where your traffic is coming from, which pages are receiving more views and visits, and how visitors are interacting with your site.
Google Search Console gives you detailed information about your search traffic, indexing status, and any technical and non-technical issues that might be jeopardising your SEO results.
Do you have toxic backlinks considered spammy or low-quality by Google? Use link audit tools to monitor your link profile. You can also utilise them to look for new link opportunities, check their quality, and ensure they’re from sites with a high DA.
Bounce rates, average session duration, and pages per session are all critical metrics to measure user behaviour, which you can use to make needed strategy adjustments.
For example, high bounce rates or short session durations might indicate issues with your content or UX (e.g., slow page loading times). Use this data to identify problem areas and make improvements to keep visitors engaged.
Keep your competition closer. Spy on their page-1 positions, content strategies, and link profiles. Understanding what’s working for them can provide you with workable insights and help you stay ahead in the digital marketing arena.
Regularly audit your keyword performance. Track which keywords are driving traffic to your site and monitor their positions in search engine results pages. If certain keywords are underperforming, consider updating your content or trying new variations.
Conversely, if some keywords are doing well, double down on them to maximise their impact.
Looking for a digital marketing partner specialising in SEO services for small businesses in Australia? Domain Bird is a results-focused SEO agency helping small and growing Australian brands since 2013.
We both work with tradies and corporate professionals who are wanting to achieve long-term and more sustainable growth at cost-effective prices. That’s Domain Bird for you.
To get started, grab your FREE site audit and schedule a consultation where we discuss your challenges, objectives, and how our small business SEO company can go about helping you hit them with a
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