We know one thing about small-business leaders: They are extremely busy.

Although many small-business owners recognize the importance of search engine optimization (SEO), most don't have enough time or knowledge to do everything necessary to optimize their websites for search. Moreover, small businesses often have very limited budgets for digital marketing.

SEO is a powerful marketing tool for small businesses. Here are some SEO tips small businesses can use to increase their search engine rankings.

SEO Benefits for Small Businesses

SEO is a powerful tool for small businesses. These are some recent statistics that show the importance of SEO for small businesses.

• 46% of all Google search results are for local information ( Source : GoGulf). SEO is essential for small businesses trying to reach local customers.
• 97% of people find out more about a small local business online than they do anywhere else ( Source : SEO Tribunal). Your website is where people will go first when they search for your business or the products/services that you offer. It's crucial to be visible on their terms.
• Over the past two years, "Near me" searches have grown by more than 90% ( Source : Chat Meter). Another reason to optimize local search results is this. These people are searching for small businesses within the local area.
• 75% of Google search users never get past the first page ( Source : Hubspot). It is crucial to appear on the first page, but it takes intention.

Consumers are searching online for brands similar to yours, regardless of your industry or business size. These potential customers can be reached via search engines.

SEO Tips for Small Businesses

What does SEO mean for your small business? What's the first thing you should do? Although SEO can seem daunting, small businesses should be aware of these principles and tips.

1. Use SEO best practices to build your website

Small business SEO often struggle with SEO because their websites aren't designed with search in mind. Your website may look great, but it can be lost on significant search traffic if it isn't properly structured.

It is important that your website has a solid structure to allow search engines to properly index and crawl your pages. Even if your website has been created, you should take the time to review it with fresh eyes. Make sure your website has a logical structure. Start with your homepage. See if you are able to find and navigate to all the important pages.

Make sure you fix any broken pages (404) that aren't working anymore. These links are harmful because they waste "link Equity." This effectively means that votes (links to your site) are not counted as they lead to a dead-end.

Your website should also be mobile-friendly. A mobile-responsive website not only improves the user experience but also contributes to your SEO rankings.

2. Prioritize keywords

The second key to developing a successful SEO content strategy is keyword research. It is important to ensure that your website ranks for search terms people use. Your small business website will rank higher for the relevant keywords and phrases. This will increase your chances of being found by customers who are searching for your products or services on search engines.

3. Optimize your metadata

Next, you need to ensure that all your landing pages are optimized for keywords you have discovered. You must optimize the titles, meta descriptions, as well as the body content of each page. Each page of your website must have a unique title and meta description. Your metadata description should not exceed the length that Google uses to reduce search results. This will encourage users to click through to your site.

4. You can create a calendar to help you share new content consistently

Your SEO is not complete without content. Good SEO and content marketing can help you climb the ranks, but it must be consistent. It is not enough to just post a blog once in a while, hoping that traffic will follow. Google needs to see consistent content that is related to a specific topic or keyword. It is important to create a content calendar that covers at least six months before you start an SEO campaign.

5. Backlinks can help you build authority on your site

SEO is not complete without backlinks. Backlinks refer to other websites that link back to your site. Backlinks can be used to leverage your website's potential by linking back to previous posts or sharing specific links.

However, backlinks are only as valuable if they come from outside sources. If they are reputable, local directories can provide great backlinks to your site. Another great way to get backlinks to your website is through events.

6. Your Google My Business page can be used

Google My Business is a must-have for small businesses, especially if you want the maximum impact of search. It is easy to create your Google My Business page. This can have a huge impact. You should use every aspect of Google My Business pages to your advantage as a small business.