8 SEO Essentials Every Small Business Should Know

Post sponsored by Upwork

The digital landscape can feel overwhelming for many small business owners—even the basics, like a website. Sure, you have a site, but do consumers know your site even exists? Are you attracting clients and customers? With so much online competition, how do you get consumers there?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the obvious solution, but it too can seem like a complex beast, requiring technical expertise and an army of consultants.

Following, we’ll share some actionable tactics and strategies to elevate your SEO game, specifically designed for small businesses.

But first, don’t panic—you don’t need to implement these ideas yourself. You likely lack the knowledge, expertise, and time. And it would likely cost you a lot of money to hire an SEO specialist in-house.

The solution? Upwork. Go to the site and search for freelancers with the SEO skills and services your company needs. If you prefer to work with an SEO agency, you can also find those on the site. Working with Upwork makes it easier to find the people you need, learn about their skills, and see reviews of their work—all at a budget you can afford.

Before you tackle SEO or hire freelance experts, you need to know what you’re talking about. So, let’s review SEO basics.

Understanding SEO

Content rules

High-quality content is the core of effective SEO. This isn’t just about keyword-stuffed gibberish. It’s about creating informative, engaging content that genuinely resonates with your target audience.

Relevant, engaging content that educates and informs readers is essential for attracting both search engine traffic and potential customers. Whether you offer blog posts, how-to guides, product reviews, or videos, your content should solve your target audience’s problems.

Prioritize readability and user experience by making sure your target keywords (see next section) appear naturally within the content.

Consistently delivering valuable content helps establish your authority and position as a thought leader in your niche and attract organic traffic over time.

Keyword magic

While keywords aren’t the sole SEO factor anymore, they still hold significant weight. Here’s how to strategically leverage them:

• Keyword research is critical. Identifying relevant keywords and phrases that potential customers use to search for products or services in your industry helps you align your content with consumers’ search intent.

• Be natural. Don’t force keywords. Incorporate them strategically into your website copy, page titles, meta descriptions, and headings to improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Ensure that your content is understandable, free of jargon, and informative.

• Use tools. Utilize keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMRUSH, or Ahrefs to uncover high-value keywords with reasonable search volume and competition. Focus on long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) that reflect your target market’s intent.

The power of backlinks

Backlinks—links from other websites to yours—are a crucial ranking factor in SEO. Focus on building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites within your industry or niche. Contact relevant blogs, industry publications, and local directories to request backlinks or guest posting opportunities.

Additionally, you need shareable, link-worthy content that naturally attracts backlinks from other websites. Building a diverse portfolio of quality backlinks can boost your website's authority, credibility, and visibility in search results.

Think of backlinks as votes of confidence from other websites. When credible websites link to yours, it signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy and relevant.

Technical considerations

Beyond content, you need to pay attention to how your website is structured and operates:

• Site structure: Your website needs to be organized logically with clear navigation. Optimize your site’s URL structure, headers, and image alt attributes to provide search engines with the proper context. Search engines crawl site structures to understand content, and a well-organized site makes it easier for them to find and index your content.

• On-page elements: On-page optimization involves optimizing various aspects of your website to make it more search engine-friendly. Each web page should have a unique, descriptive title tag that includes relevant keywords.

• Internal linking: Link relevant internal pages within your website. This keeps users engaged and on your site and helps search engines understand the overall structure of your content.

• Need for speed: A slow website frustrates users and search engines alike. Optimize images, minimize plugins, and consider caching to ensure your website loads swiftly.

• Lure them in: Craft compelling meta descriptions that entice users to click through to your website from search results.

Local optimization

If your target market is local, optimizing for local search is essential. Start by claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), ensuring your business information is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews—they can significantly impact your local search rankings and visibility.

Optimize your site content for local keywords and phrases relevant to your location. Include your business address, phone number, and operating hours on your website to enhance your local SEO efforts and attract nearby customers searching for your products or services.

Measuring success

Implementing SEO strategies is only half the battle—monitoring and analyzing your performance is equally crucial. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track key metrics such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

Review your performance data regularly to identify areas for improvement and refine your SEO strategy accordingly. By monitoring your performance metrics, you can measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and make data-driven decisions to optimize your website's visibility and traffic over time.

Mobile matters

Your website is likely already optimized for mobile usage. This is important because Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its search results. Optimizing for mobile improves user experience and enhances your search visibility and rankings.

Changing algorithms

Search engine optimization practices are not static. New strategies are constantly being developed, and the search engines, led by Google, which boasts 91% of the global search engine market share, change their algorithms, often without explanation.

Should you outsource your SEO?

To succeed, small businesses need to embrace these tactics, stay informed about SEO best practices, and adapt their strategies to stay ahead of the curve. Sounds like a tall order, right? Admittedly, it is a lot to manage while also focusing on revenue-generating opportunities, leading your team, and investing in your company’s future.

As you can see from the above, there are many different aspects to SEO. That’s why it’s wise not to add search engine optimization to your already full plate. Outsourcing SEO to the experienced pros on Upwork who stay updated on the latest industry trends and strategies makes a lot of sense. You can quickly find SEO experts who specialize in the areas where you need the most help. And you can get the help you need at the budget you can afford.

Patience pays off with SEO

Remember, SEO is not a quick fix. It takes patience, time, and consistent effort. By implementing SEO strategies, you can take control of your online presence, improve your website’s search rankings, attract more organic traffic, and ultimately drive business growth.

About the Author

Rieva Lesonsky is the owner of SmallBusinessCurrents.com and has been covering small businesses and entrepreneurship for over 30 years. Get more insights about business trends by signing up for her free Currents newsletter.