SEO Basics Every Business Owner Needs To Know
It is critical that every business owner understands the basics of SEO, as there are a multitude of SEO resources, companies, freelancers, platforms, and more available to hire. Prices for SEO services typically range from a few hundred dollars a month to thousands. Not understanding the basics could cost you dearly, and as a business coach, I want to demystify SEO for you so that you can make an educated financial decision.
Small businesses and start-ups fighting for customer attention in a crowded online marketplace need Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to increase visibility and drive organic traffic. SEO can help businesses identify and use specific keywords to optimize websites, strengthen online reputation, and improve customer engagement. However, SEO can be confusing for small business owners, and finding the right SEO company can be challenging. Let's demystify SEO to make it easier for small business owners to choose the right SEO strategy.
The Basics of SEO From a Business Coach’s Point of View
SEO is optimizing online content to make it more visible and rank higher in web search results. Here are some essential concepts that I can share from a business coach’s perspective:
Keywords:
Choosing the right keywords allows small businesses to rank higher and reach the right customers. Using keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush can help identify the best search terms for your business. For example, a few of our keywords are Business Coach, Business Coaching, Business Consultant, etc.
On-Page SEO:
On-page SEO refers to optimizing the content visible on the website itself. To optimize on-page SEO, it's essential to use relevant keywords in titles, meta tags, descriptions, headings, and URLs.
Content Quality:
The content quality of a website is one of the most critical factors to consider. High-quality content is more likely to generate organic traffic, be shared on social media, and lead to backlinks from reputable sources. For our business coaching website, we exclusively focus on backlinks for business coaching-related services and products.
Off-Page SEO:
Off-page SEO is about improving the user experience and making your business more authoritative and trustworthy. It includes link building, online reputation management, and social media engagement.
Tips From a Business Coach in Finding the Right SEO Company for Your Small Business
Here are some tips on what to look out for when choosing the right SEO company for a small business.
Assessing Business Goals and Budget:
Before engaging the services of an SEO company, it's essential to identify specific business goals and allocate a budget for SEO services. A business coach can help you establish your goals as they typically are with you during your long-term strategy.
Researching Potential Companies:
Do your research to find suitable SEO companies. Look for reviews and ask for case studies and references from their clients. A reputable SEO company should provide a detailed proposal that includes the level of service, the cost, and the expected results.
Communication and Reporting:
Clear communication between the business owner and the SEO company is essential to align goals and receive regular progress updates. A reputable SEO company should provide reports and metrics that demonstrate improvements in search rankings, traffic, and revenue.
DIY SEO for Small Business Owners
If you're on a tight budget and cannot afford an SEO company, you can still have a do-it-yourself (DIY) SEO approach. Here are some essential tips:
Optimize Content:
A well-optimized website should have a clear hierarchy of pages and titles, and each page should have a unique title and meta description. (Find more detailed explanations and some beginner-friendly tools and platforms for SEO following the conclusion section of this blog post.)
Build Backlinks:
Consider building high-quality links from reputable websites. This can be done by writing helpful blog articles and guest-posting on other sites that are relevant to your industry. It is important that the backlinks from other websites are related to your industry. For example, as a business coach, we want business-related articles, blogs, and resources. If we had backlinks from carnivals and weddings, it might be misleading to the algorithms as to what we actually do. (Find more detailed explanations and some beginner-friendly tools and platforms for SEO following the conclusion section of this blog post.)
Improve Performance:
Enhance website performance by using reputable web-hosting companies, reducing image file sizes, and reducing the number of plugins and extensions on your website. (Find more detailed explanations and some beginner-friendly tools and platforms for SEO following the conclusion section of this blog post.)
Conclusion
To drive organic traffic to your website, small businesses need an SEO strategy that can help them optimize their content, build backlinks, improve their online reputation, and engage more with their customers. Whether you're new to SEO or an experienced user, the right SEO company can help boost your online visibility. Alternatively, if you're a small business on a budget, you can use DIY SEO strategies to improve your online presence. Take advantage of these SEO tips and get the most out of your online marketing efforts. Your business deserves it!
If you would like a small business coach to help you with your SEO strategies, Click Here. Or call 405-919-9990 today!
Disclaimer: Our organization does not offer professional SEO services but can guide small business owners in uncharted waters. As business coaches, we are only sharing the basics so that small business owners can have a better understanding of what type of SEO services they should invest in for the growth of their company.
More detailed explanations for optimizing content, building backlinks, improving performance, and some beginner-friendly tools and platforms for SEO:
Optimizing Content
Optimizing content refers to making your website and its pages more relevant and attractive to search engines like Google. Here's how to do it in simple terms:
Use Keywords:
Research and identify keywords relevant to your business and target audience. Incorporate these keywords naturally in your page titles, headings, meta descriptions, URLs, and within the content itself. This helps search engines understand what your content is about and rank it appropriately. Google has resources for this.
Quality Content:
Create informative, engaging, and well-written content that provides value to your visitors. Write for your audience, not just for search engines. High-quality content is more likely to be shared, linked to, and ranked higher in search results.
User Experience:
Ensure your website is easy to navigate and mobile-friendly. Provide a good user experience with fast-loading pages, clear site structure, and intuitive design. This improves visitor satisfaction and encourages them to stay longer on your site.
Building Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. They are important because they act as "votes" of confidence and authority in the eyes of search engines. Here's how to build backlinks:
High-Quality Content:
Create valuable content that others would naturally want to link to. When your content is informative and unique, other websites are more likely to link back to it as a reference or resource. For instance, we have other business coaches' websites linking to this article to share with their readers on SEO-related topics.
Guest Blogging:
Reach out to relevant websites and offer to write a guest post. Include a link back to your website within the article. This not only helps with building backlinks but also drives referral traffic to your website.
Online Directories and Listings:
Submit your business to relevant online directories and business listings. These typically include a link back to your website and can help improve your website's visibility and authority.
Improving Performance
Improving website performance ensures that your site loads quickly and provides a smooth user experience. Here are some simple ways to do it:
Image Optimization:
Compress images to reduce their file size without compromising quality. This helps reduce the load time of your web pages. Not compressing images can lead to slow page loading, which Google frowns upon and will possibly keep the website from ranking high.
Minimize Plugins and Scripts:
Limit the number of plugins and scripts used on your website, as they can slow down its performance. Only use essential ones and regularly update them to their latest versions.
Reliable Web Hosting:
Choose a reputable web hosting provider that offers fast servers and good uptime. A reliable hosting service ensures that your website is accessible and loads quickly.
As a Business Coach, Here Are Tools and Platforms for Beginners That I Would Recommend Starting With
Here are a few beginner-friendly tools and platforms to help with SEO:
Google Analytics:
Provides valuable insights into your website's performance and visitor behavior. It shows metrics such as traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates.
Google Search Console:
Helps monitor your website's presence in Google search results. It provides data on indexing, search queries, and crawl errors, helping you make improvements.
Ahrefs:
A comprehensive SEO tool that offers features like keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor analysis. It provides insights to help you optimize your website and improve rankings.
Diib:
A user-friendly SEO tool that offers website analytics, keyword tracking, and personalized action plans. It helps identify areas for improvement and provides recommendations to boost your SEO efforts.
Remember to explore these tools and platforms to get a better understanding of how they can assist you in optimizing your website and improving its overall performance.
Still don’t know where to start?
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If you are ready to talk to one of the top-rated small business coaches centrally located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the United States, CLICK HERE to chat or CLICK HERE to call us at 405-919-9990 today!
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