What is SEO Anyway? Tips for the non-techie small business owner
You’ve heard it before, but really what is SEO and why does it matter for your small business?
Ahhh the million dollar question. I’m here to give you the down and dirty on SEO.
Here are the “Cliff Notes” for my super busy, small business owners out there:
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization
It really just boils down to when you Google something, what comes up? How does it look? And in what order?
^ and that is why you should care! If your customers can't find you OR you don't look great when they do, it really can hurt your business.
Be careful what you read, a lot of it is baloney.
Be even more careful with who you trust. SEO is big business and there are a ton of fly-by-night companies that are only there for #1.
How you rank (the order you appear for specific search terms) is partially in your control, but the rules of the game change on the regular.
You also can control your free listings! Things like:
Google My Business
Yelp
Trip Advisor
Local listings that are offered like, Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Associations, etc.
You can Blog:
This one still gets me. I thought that blogging was an outdated SEO tactic until I did a little experiment. I started blogging, authentically, offering useful and thoughtful information on my website and a client’s website. We both saw a traffic increase of over 50%. Please don’t blog for blogging’s sake - only blog if you have something valuable to offer your community and your ideal customers!
You can post on Social Media:
Yep! This makes a world of difference. Often, when I go to do a little SEO sleuthing on a new client, I can find out pretty quickly where they have put their energy online. Say Sally’s Salon in San Denveriego doesn’t have a website, and has never claimed any listings (like Google, Yelp, etc.). BUT, Sally posts as often as she can on her Facebook account. Guess what shows up when I search for Salon’s in the San Denveriego area? Sally does! And why you may wonder? The all-knowing algorithm knows that Sally cares about her business! It may also help that Sally’s clients just love her and her services and leave all the amazing reviews!
Did you catch all the not-so- subtle hints I just dropped for you? Be sure to download our new SEO for Small Business Owners Checklist. It will give you a huge jump on the holiday season that is just around the corner!