Why SEO Is Important for Small Business

Digital marketing can be an extremely useful tool for small businesses. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the most effective digital marketing practices that a small business owner can implement to see results. 

But why exactly is SEO so important for small businesses? 

In this blog, we’ll detail why SEO is vital for small businesses, the key SEO benefits and much more.

How Search Engines Work

Search engines are extremely important for businesses that want to be found online, therefore it is important for small business owners to understand how search engines work. 

The basic idea behind search engines is quite simple – when you type a query into the search box, the search engine looks for websites that are relevant to that query. However, the idea of relevance is quite subjective and very difficult to quantify – how do you define what exactly makes a webpage relevant to a query? 

This is why there is no single ranking factor – instead, there are hundreds of different signals which all influence your website’s ranking.

These signals are pulled from a variety of different places, including: on-page elements, off-page factors (links pointing to your site), user behavior, etc. 

The goal of SEO strategies is to identify ways for you to influence these signals in order to make it more likely that your website will appear high in search engine rankings.

What Is SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a core part of content marketing and digital marketing strategy on a wider scale. SEO is the process of making your site easier to find in search engines for keywords that are relevant to your business. To do this you implement on page SEO strategy, creating optimised content that targets your industry and niche keywords.

Other on page SEO practices include tasks such as keyword research, optimising key web pages for mobile and tablet devices and creating optimised meta descriptions. Good SEO also includes implementing effective off page SEO such as guest blogging, link building and brand awareness practices.

For example: let’s say you run a restaurant. It’s likely that your target customers will search for “best restaurants near me”, or other relevant keywords on search engines. Optimising the content on your web pages to fit this keyword allows your web pages to rank in local searches and acquire more local clients, as well as build authority on a wider scale.

What is Organic Traffic? 

If you rank well in the organic search results, potential clients find you naturally. This is called organic traffic. Organic search traffic is usually more stable than paid traffic (such as PPC ads) because it comes with more targeted visits directly from people who are interested in what your business has to offer.

Good SEO helps you generate more organic traffic as search engine users find content that they are more likely to value and engage with, whether that’s an SEO optimised blog or landing page. If these web pages are ranked high on the first page for certain keywords and google searches, you are likely to get a huge amount of free traffic, engagement and potential customers.

Why SEO Is Important for Small Businesses

With these basics of SEO in mind, we can start thinking about how to use it effectively for small businesses. Quality SEO is extremely important for small businesses as without it bigger competitors and other local businesses will always outrank you in search engine results.

If you run a local business like a restaurant or a shop, then getting on the first page of Google (or other major search engines) is vital for your business. Search engines are where the majority of people search for products and services that they need. You can find more small business SEO tips here.

You can think of SEO as a key player in the online visibility of your small business – the first step towards converting people who find your site into customers.

Read More: The Best Marketing Channels For Small Businesses

How Can Small Businesses Utilise Search Engine Optimisation?

Once you have identified keywords that are relevant to your small business, you should create compelling content that uses those keywords. This will then allow search engines to see your site as one of authority on the topics related to those keywords.

Soon enough, people searching for information about those topics might end up clicking your listing in search engine result pages (SERPs).

If you want the best possible results it’s always better to work with an experienced digital marketing agency specialising in search engine optimisation for small businesses!

There are a lot of SEO companies out there so you want to make sure you pick the best one, so do your research.

Look for reviews and case studies etc. Make sure they have a good SEO package that contains everything you need, and is reasonably priced for your type of business.

Key Benefits of SEO for Small Businesses

SEO Helps Build Brand Awareness

One of the most important aspects of small business marketing is brand awareness. When you successfully rank for your target keywords, your company will become a trusted source in your industry. Potential clients and customers who are searching for products or services that relate to yours will find you organically. Not only does this mean that they are thinking of you whenever they need your industry’s products or services, but they are also more likely to trust your business. Building brand awareness is one of the many benefits of SEO for small businesses.

SEO Brings New Customers To Your Website 

If you rank well for certain keywords in search engine results, you can get a huge amount of free traffic from people who are interested in what your business has to offer. Revenue and Return on Investment (ROI) increases due to more leads and sales conversion. SEO-optimised content is also more likely to be shared across social media, which allows you to reach new audiences and potential customers.

SEO Improves Your Conversion Rates

Another one of the benefits of SEO for small businesses is that it can boost your conversion rates. User experience should always be top of your list when making any changes to your website or SEO strategy, and user experience signals are thought to be a key part of Google’s ranking algorithm.  As a small business owner, boosting your website traffic is important. However, if those users aren’t buying your products or services, you won’t see the full potential SEO benefits. 

Great SEO for small businesses will improve your conversion rate by utilising effective search engine marketing practices, as well as ensuring you have a user friendly website. This makes it as easy as possible to convert users into new customers.

Good SEO Creates a Positive User Experience

Once you have ranked on search engine result pages (SERPs), good SEO should make the rest of the user journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible. A positive user experience can be created with SEO by using features such as: clear and concise CTAs, well crafted anchor text, well presented business information and clearly structured content. This will improve bounce rates on your site and create more conversions, which can be tracked in Google Analytics.

SEO Effectively Competes With Competitor Marketing Strategies

Many larger companies have large digital marketing budgets, making them difficult to compete with. However, with great keyword research and effectively optimised content, small businesses can compete with their larger counterparts. Even if you are a particularly small business, if you find the right SEO and keyword opportunity, there is no reason that your small business website can’t outrank large businesses with some well optimised content.

SEO Is Cost Effective Digital Marketing Strategy

Simply put, SEO is a cost effective way to boost your online presence and traffic. This is because SEO is mostly the process of editing or creating written content to rank organically, so it can be done for an ultra low cost compared to paid advertising. This makes SEO marketing one of the most cost effective digital marketing practices small business owners can utilise.

Related Reading: SEO Prices: How Much Does SEO Cost In The UK?

Ready to Boost Your Small Business With Quality SEO?

At Dandy Marketing, we are SEO experts. We know exactly what goes into high quality content and how to rank on search engine results pages. Build on your brand awareness, generate more organic leads and convert users to customers with our expert SEO services.

Find More Marketing Insight On The Dandy Blog, or Why Not Check Out Our Other Marketing Services?