Google has become a household name in the last decade or so, rising from just one of many search engines to the very top of the pile.
Nowadays, performing well in Google’s search rankings is not simply a nice bonus for your website and your business — it’s a must. This is why it’s seriously frustrating when your small business SEO efforts just aren’t working, and you find yourself languishing low in the results.
Let’s make this frustration a thing of the past.
Our top 5 small business SEO tricks
Take a look at our top 5 small business SEO tricks and learn how to make your website rank higher on Google.
1. Fix the responsiveness of the website
Your users want to see a website that is quick and responsive. If you cannot provide this to them, they may decide to head elsewhere, to a website that can. Of course, this makes responsiveness important, but there is more to it than this. Honing speed and responsiveness are also great for SEO.
Google now operates a set of metrics known as its Core Web Vitals. These metrics are designed to measure the loading speeds and user experience factors of websites. It seems likely that Google will incorporate these into its search engine ranking algorithms, and this could be an effective way to boost your SEO performance.
2. Provide great content
Perhaps it’s not fair to describe this one as a trick. In fact, it might be better to view all of these small business SEO tips as strategies rather than tricks. This is because SEO is not really about tricks — it’s about a great experience for web users.
With this in mind, let’s consider your content. The blog posts, instructional articles and other pieces of content you craft need to be of ultra-high value to your audience. This means no fluff, no general articles, and no filler. Aim for actionable advice and useful insight. Consider Google’s E.A.T. guidelines, putting Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness first every time.
3. Understand small business SEO
What do we mean when we talk about strategies, rather than tricks and quick fixes? We mean gaining a solid grasp of what SEO is all about. Basically, Google is not trying to catch you out — they are simply trying to provide the best set of search results possible for their own users. With this in mind, don’t try to trick your way into the rankings, but focus on becoming one of those great results.
In practice, this means being careful with keywords. Don’t be tempted to try to rank for keywords that are not relevant to what you provide. For example, if you are selling parts for touring motorbikes, don’t attempt to rank for keyphrases such as “Melbourne tours,” even if they are seeing lots of searches.
You also need to be aware of links to and from your page. Don’t purchase or trade links — Google will come down hard on this. Instead, seek to build organic links with valuable partnerships and great content.
4. Build your brand
In order to rank well on Google’s results pages, you need a strong brand. This is because Google has its own Reviews platform, and these reviews are factored into the search engine algorithm. If you have bad rating on Google Reviews — or if you have bad ratings elsewhere that could influence these reviews — this is not good for your business.
But don’t despair. You can take action and turn these bad reviews into good ones, simply by engaging with them. If someone leaves a poor review of your business, reach out to them in the public comments. Offer support in a kind and empathetic way, and seek to turn this bad experience into a good one. Your other customers will see the lengths you’ve gone to to support your audience.
5. Leverage social media
Social media is an important part of your small business SEO strategy. If you are achieving high levels of traffic to your website, and these visitors are engaging with your content, these are signals to Google that you are providing your audience with what they want to see. By connecting with audience members on social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, you are garnering interest in your website and what you offer.
When your potential clients find you on social media, you will be proud to send them to your MyWebAdvantage website to get more information. By encouraging shares and crafting viral content, you are also expanding the scope of your digital marketing. Large numbers of social impressions alone will not help your search result ranking, but fostering a growing and highly engaged audience certainly will.
There is no single quick fix to improve your search result ranking. By using these five strategies, you can optimise your position on the results pages.
