If you are an owner or manager of an SMB, you probably already know the importance of being visible online. However, you also probably know that being online is not enough, as you ideally want to be found first on search engine pages, and seem trustworthy by browsers.
This means implementing a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy, but the implementation can be costly. Luckily there are some free steps you can take to get your SEO off the ground, and we’ve listed them here for you:
The all-important NAP
The first thing you need to be sure about, is that your business’ Name, Address and Phone Number(s) are the same, no matter where you’ve had them listed. Also, be sure to spell out the names of streets and avenues, and don’t rely on abbreviations like St, or Rd.
Your Physical Address in an online world
Seeing as you will already be busy with ensuring that your NAP is consistent, you should also have your physical address included on your webpage (and Google My Business while you’re at it).
Having your correct physical address on your website will help boost your ranking on local searches, which is where a lot of your traffic will come from.
Long live content
Content is assuredly king of the digital world, and you should focus on two aspects of it when starting out.
First, be sure that your website copy contains the keywords that your customers or clients will be searching for. The caveat is that you shouldn’t overdo it, and stuff your content with keywords. Keep it subtle and make sure the keywords fit within the context of your content.
Secondly, is to have a constant flow of new content being published on your site. Getting a blog section on your site is probably the best way to do this, and not only gives the major search engines new content to crawl and rank, it also gives your customers extra info about the business and its services, which goes a long way in making you an authority in their eyes.
There are some other steps you can take, like ensuring you make it easier for your customers to review your business and its offerings online and having your business listed online. If you want to know more about these extra steps, be sure to contact us, and we’ll get you the help you need!