For small business owners, investing in SEO can be a great way to make sure their products and services are seen in the digital world. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of optimizing content to increase visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive more organic, targeted traffic to a website. SEO is essential for any business that wants to stay competitive in today’s digital marketplace. It can help you to reach more potential customers, increase your brand awareness, and improve your overall website performance. Investing in SEO for your small business can be a valuable investment that pays off in the long run. In this article, we will explore the many benefits of investing in SEO for small businesses, from increased traffic to improved visibility. By the end, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether it’s the right move for your business.

 

What is SEO?

 

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” While SEO is often associated with Google, it can be applied to many different search engines, including Bing and Yahoo. SEO is the process of growing your website’s organic search traffic by optimizing your content, structure, and other elements to rank higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO is an essential part of digital marketing for any business that wants to reach a wider audience. With more than 80 percent of people using the internet to research products and/or services, it’s critical that your business is where it needs to be.

 

Benefits of SEO for small businesses

 

Higher Traffic – An increased number of visitors means more people are accessing your products or services. With SEO, you can drive more traffic to your website, which could grow your business. SEO is responsible for over 85% of all online traffic, making it a highly cost-effective way to bring in new customers.

Higher Brand Awareness – SEO can also help to boost your brand awareness, giving you an advantage over your competitors. Research shows that an investment in SEO leads to a 26% increase in brand awareness. With brand awareness, you can reach more customers, both online and offline. This can help you to expand your business and grow your brand.

Improved Website Performance – A well-optimized site can have a positive impact on other aspects of your website’s performance, including conversion rates and average order values. With the right SEO strategy, you can use your website’s traffic to make more sales.

 

SEO statistics

 

74% of marketers say that content marketing is an important strategy for their businesses.

Hubspot:

• 93% of B2B marketers report using content marketing.
• 78% of consumers visit websites that are listed on the first page of Google, while only 19% go to the second page.

Content Marketing Institute:

• The average B2B company has an average of 550 pieces of content, but uses only 6 of them to promote their products/services.
• 83% of B2B organizations say that blogging has a positive impact on their brand.
• 70% of B2B companies with a blog report an increase in leads, while 66% say the same for website traffic.

 

Developing an SEO strategy

 

The first step in optimizing your website for SEO is developing an SEO strategy. It’s important to know what you’re trying to achieve with your SEO efforts before you get started. Once you’ve identified your SEO goals, you can create an SEO strategy based on the needs of your business. There are a few things to keep in mind when developing an SEO strategy for your business:

Audience – Before you get started, you need to know who your target audience is. Knowing your target audience will help you to choose the right topics to write about, as well as determine which talking points you should use in your advertising campaigns.

Competition – You also need to know how competitive your industry is and what your competitors are doing. To stand out against the competition, you’ll want to put a strategic SEO plan in place.

Keywords – You’ll also want to think about the keywords you want to rank for. You can use an SEO tool like Google’s keyword planner to help you identify the most relevant keywords and find out how competitive they are.

 

Creating an SEO plan

 

Now that you know what goes into creating an SEO plan, it’s time to get started on your own SEO plan. You can’t just start writing content and cross your fingers that Google will magically put you on the first page. Before you write a single article or create a single SEO-friendly asset, it’s important to plan ahead. Create an SEO plan that includes the following:

Keyword research – You’ll want to find out what your target audience is searching for, as well as which keywords are driving the most traffic to your competition.

Content creation – Once you know what keywords you want to rank for, you can start to create content that will help you to rank higher in the SERPs. You’ll want to make sure that your content is long-form, SEO-friendly, and solves your customers’ problems.

 

SEO tips for small businesses

 

Choose one or two keywords – Don’t try to rank for every keyword that comes up in your industry. Instead, choose one or two keywords and focus on ranking for those terms.

Write unique content – Make sure your content has a unique spin on it. If it’s something you’ve read on another site a thousand times before, Google is less likely to rank you highly.

Create engaging content – Make sure your content is engaging for your readers and is something they’ll want to share with their friends and family.

Use long-form content – Long-form content has been shown to get more shares than short articles, so you should try to write long articles as much as possible.

 

SEO tools for small businesses

 

All of your digital marketing efforts can be streamlined with the help of the right SEO tools. Whether you’re still in the planning stages of your SEO efforts, or you’re looking for ways to improve your current strategy, these SEO tools can be super helpful:

Ahrefs – Ahrefs is a great tool that can help you track your progress, see what keywords you’re ranking for, and make adjustments as needed.

BuzzSumo – BuzzSumo is a great resource for finding out what content is getting the most shares and engagement. It can help you to discover what topics are resonating with your audience and craft content accordingly.

Google Search Console – Google Search Console can help you to monitor your website’s SEO performance. It’s a great way to keep track of your website’s health, as well as get tips on how to improve your SEO.

 

SEO courses for small businesses

 

If you’re new to SEO, or you just want to make sure you’re doing everything correctly, you may want to take an SEO course. There are a lot of great SEO courses available online, such as SEO Master Class, SEO 101, and SEO for Marketing. These courses can walk you through the process of creating an SEO strategy, and offer tips and tricks for optimizing your content for search engines. If you’re looking to invest in an online SEO course, you can expect to pay around $100-$200 per course. While the upfront cost may be a little higher than other digital marketing methods, the long-term benefits of an investment in SEO far outweigh the initial cost.

 

SEO services for small businesses

 

If you’re not tech-savvy and/or don’t have time to focus on and/or learn about SEO, you might want to consider hiring an SEO agency. An SEO agency can help you to create a strategic SEO plan, and then implement that plan, bringing you results in a shorter amount of time. Before you hire an SEO agency, make sure to do your research and find an agency that offers the services that you’re looking for. You should also make sure that the agency you’re considering has experience with your industry and has worked with businesses similar to yours before. When hiring an SEO agency, you’ll usually pay a retainer fee upfront, as well as pay per result.

 

Conclusion

 

If doing your own SEO planning and setting up for your business is outside your scope, then Copper City Digital can be the agency you can call on to build a strategic SEO plan for your business.