Delivering SEO for small businesses is a minefield of false hopes and unrealistic expectations.
There is a lot of confusion amongst businesses and marketing teams across the UK as to what search engine optimisation (SEO) means and what the implementation process should be.
SEO for small businesses starts with the hope that SEO is a magic wand that can be waved over a website as a one-time activity. Our role as consultants is educating potential clients on what SEO means to their business in a practical sense and the processes required for success.
What will be required will depend on the existing position of your business and what you are trying to achieve.
Three Focuses Of SEO For Small Businesses
When we speak to businesses that are enquiring about SEO we explain the process in relation to three areas of focus.
Technical Website Set Up
The first area we look at is the technical aspects of the website to ensure there are no issues that need addressing before analysing the SEO positioning of the company.
Areas that could be affecting the rankings include slow loading web pages, security issues or a site that has not been properly optimised for mobile devices.
Keywords and Content
The next area is to look at the target audience of the business and performing analysis of the keywords and phrases that people use that relate to the products and services offered.
This can be used to identified keywords to target and the content of the website reviewed and amended to reflect the research. This can include changes to the structure of the website and additional pages.
Ongoing Activity – Social Media, Blogging and Review
Unfortunately for most time starved small businesses SEO is not something that can be purchased, implemented and abandoned.
Google uses social indicators as important ranking factors and is continuously updating its algorithm with a focus on recent and relevant information. This means that effective SEO is a continuous process of creating and sharing content on your website and social media.
If you are unsure where to start on your social media email or call us and we will be happy to start the conversation on the next steps for your business.