If you are a small business owner you might know the feeling of wanting to do a million things for your business but just not having the time, knowledge or money to do it all. One of the things that often falls to the back burner for small business owners is Search Engine Optimization. Many people don’t understand it or don’t have the time to learn it. Others feel it is too expensive or something that only larger, more established businesses need.
The reality is that if you have a business on the web, you need to implement SEO strategies to get your website seen by the right people. These days, having a website is just not enough. Businesses of any size can see the benefits of an effective SEO strategy and start getting ranked higher on Google and other search engines.
Let’s talk about why you need a Search Engine Optimization strategy and how an experienced SEO can help you reach your business goals.
Your website is often one of the first investments you make in your business. Between the design, copy and images, there is a lot of hard work, time and money that goes into the creation of your website. Too many sites just sit on the web without working for you the way they should. This is why having a well-thought-out Search Engine Optimization strategy is so important.
I’ve seen many small business owners over the years who attempt to do their own SEO only to give up quickly when they aren’t seeing the return on their investments. Implementing an SEO strategy takes time. You won’t be on the first page of Google search results overnight. And you probably won’t see customers banging on your door after the first week either!
On-site and Off-site SEO Services
An SEO professional will know the on-site and off-site SEO tactics that get results and help you build your authority with the large search engines. On-site Search Engine Optimization refers to strategies that are implanted on your website. On-site SEO might include:
- Cross-linking content with your own website pages
- Linking out to other authoritative sites already liked by Google
- Meta tags
- Alt tags
- Responsive web design
- Keyword research and use in your copy
Off-site SEO refers to strategies that are implemented off of your website and usually focuses on link building. Link building is a strategy that gets your website listed on other websites that Google already thinks are worthy. This increases your authority in the eyes of the search engines and drives more traffic to your site as a result.
The online space is competitive. New websites are popping up constantly and small business owners need to keep up with the latest SEO strategies to make sure that they are being seen by the right customers. Having a professional SEO help you get the most out of your website can help you get an advantage over your competitors. Search Engine Optimization should be a part of any small business owners marketing plan.