Search engine optimisation (SEO) tips for small business

Key points

• SEO impacts where your business appears in search results.
• Ensure you have a robust SEO strategy and reporting framework.
• An SEO specialist can help.

A website is crucial for any small business, but it’s the power of SEO that turns it into a true marketing asset, driving traffic to your website around the clock.

SEO (search engine optimisation) determines how high your website ranks on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. The higher you appear in search results, the more likely users are to click through to your website. And because few of us look beyond the first page of search results, it’s important to rank as high as possible.
 

Build your SEO from the ground up

Good SEO requires a good home. And, ­it’s important your website is set up for SEO implementation from the start, it can be a lot harder and more costly to do it down the track. Your website provider and SEO specialist should work together, to ensure you’re set up for success.

Take the time to really understand who your audience is and work with a website provider who’ll build a seamless user experience. When customers land on your website, they should be able to navigate to the information they need quickly and easily. Your content should be useful and engaging and aligned with your business objectives.
 

Develop your strategy with an SEO specialist

As any small business owner knows, it’s a competitive world out there. Engaging an SEO specialist can put you ahead of the competition. SEO specialists are technical experts who will develop and implement best-practice SEO on your website, based on a customised strategy. Shop around and choose a provider who understands your business and suits your budget.

Bring your SEO strategy to life

Your SEO specialist will help you with the following activities:

• Ensure your business and SEO goals are aligned. For example, service provider businesses will require a very different strategy to product-based businesses.
• Set up a Google Analytics account.
• Set up Google Search Console, a free dashboard that enables you to monitor how your site is performing in search.
• Set up a Google Business Profile.
• Do keyword research to inform content production.
• Optimise on-page elements including: URLs, headers and page titles, alt text, meta descriptions and all content.
• Local SEO strategy: Is an essential tool for businesses targeting local customers. 
• Incorporate a link-building strategy:
  • Internal: Linking internally within your website enhances user experience.
  • External: External link building or backlinking involves getting reputable, high-quality websites to link to your website. This practice can be very successful when it’s done well. Note that low-quality backlinks may negatively affect your SEO ranking.

Keywords and content production

Put simply, keywords tell users what the copy on your website is about. In relation to SEO, they’re the words or phrases that users put into search engines to help them find content.

Keyword tips:

• Your SEO specialist will do keyword research and make keyword recommendations that are relevant to your business.
• Your website should include keywords that are aligned with what people are searching for; answering user needs and adding value.
• Include keywords that relate to your business’s location and area of expertise.
• Consider user experience and don’t try to ‘shoehorn’ keywords in where they don’t naturally fit.
• Avoid ‘keyword stuffing’ or using the same keywords over and over. The quality of your content will be compromised, and customers may lose trust in your brand. Google may also penalise you, affecting your search ranking.
• Tackle each page individually, with different keywords. Otherwise, your pages will be competing.
• Google’s Keyword Planner tool is helpful.

Keep the engine running

Once your website is up and running, regular reporting and maintenance is key to ranking higher in search, and to maintaining your position ongoing. Reporting will provide you with the relevant insights you need to make back-end technical (easier to leave this to your SEO specialist) and front-end content updates, including incorporating relevant keywords.

• Regular reporting: Meet with your SEO specialist who can provide an actionable insights report. Your SEO specialist can recommend a cadence to suit your budget.
  
• Don’t ‘set and forget’: Use reporting insights to update your website content regularly, including relevant keywords, to ensure you rank higher in search results.
  
• Want to upskill?: Your SEO specialist can teach you how to analyse the dashboard for a high-level view of performance.

Over time, your search results rankings are likely to improve, leading to increased web traffic. If you have the budget, we recommend bolstering your SEO work with advertising.