The opinions expressed by the collaborators of Emprenderos are their own.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is, of course, an existential marketing consideration at this point: without it, you’re screwed. That said, many owners find the associated strategies confusing and complicated, and inevitably very technical. But don’t worry—there are simple but effective SEO techniques that reliably produce more traffic for smaller and/or new businesses.
Create product-specific landing pages
A common mistake is to consolidate all of a company’s products or services onto a single web page, but this means missing a vital opportunity to optimize product or service-specific landing pages for target keywords.
Take a Los Angeles-based family law firm, for example. Many companies list all of their services (divorce, child support, child custody law, etc.) on one page. But these terms, independently, carry a lot of search volume and will therefore be better optimized for individual web pages and targeted content.
So, consider all your services or products and then use keyword research tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to determine the organic search volume of each. Once you’ve determined a keyword objective for each page, optimize its content, which includes using a keyword(s) in the page title, subheadings, and body content.
Related: How to Create an Effective SEO Strategy in 2023
The Power of Guest Posts
Another simple and effective way to generate more traffic is through guest posting – partnering with other publications, websites or blogs and writing or publishing content on their site.
Contact colleagues or websites whose work interests you and ask if they accept guest posts. You may need to submit some topics for approval and make sure you meet each site’s guidelines (although many will accept content without any restrictions).
Posting this way can help gain backlinks to your website, which increases your domain authority and in turn, your SEO. That said, backlinks are rarely guaranteed, so also focus on the benefits of getting referral traffic through another website’s audience and promoting your content to their marketing channels.
Related: 12 Secrets to Delivering the Perfect Guest Message
Optimize local Google and directory listings
This strategy is especially useful for small businesses that target a specific geographic area (whether it’s a city, county, or state), because people often use a variety of search engines to find services or businesses close to home.
The most obvious is Google, of course, which has its own online listings platform: Google Business Profile. Start by creating your profile, then select your category and be sure to include business hours and contact information, along with high-quality photos. Also keep in mind that the more 5-star customer reviews you earn, the higher your ranking on Google Maps.
Other online directories like Bing Places for Business, Yelp, The real yellow pages (aka YP), Better Business Bureau, Foursquare i MerchantCircle can be used to attract local customers. Also consider industry-specific directories (eg Hello by lawyers and come in for home services).
Related: Boost Your Local Listings and SEO with These 5 Tools
Generate effective content
One of the best ways to increase traffic for a small business is to post engaging, SEO-friendly content. Even if you don’t have a huge market, you’ll get practically unlimited reach if there’s content on board that people are actively searching for.
For example, let’s say you have a small beauty shop. Local reach used to be more or less limited to foot traffic and traditional media, but now you can reach a large audience with informative content on topics like summer skin care, the best face oils for on dry skin and favorite brands of organic makeup.
Again, a good way to start would be to use a keyword research tool to generate topic ideas relevant to your business and audience, and then craft material accordingly (keeping in mind that non-writers can always use ChatGPT or other AI solutions). Include links to your product or service pages to draw even more attention.
Related: 6 Tricks to Optimize Your Site for Search Engines
Take advantage of search-based platforms
Google isn’t the only search engine in the game, of course: there are plenty of others, including Pinterest, LinkedIn, Bing and YouTube, that use search-based algorithms to connect users with brands.
Pinterest can be especially effective for fashion and beauty brands, small retailers, artists, designers, and marketing service providers. Similarly, YouTube and LinkedIn allow users to search for topics or content creators. On YouTube, someone might search for “helpful marketing tips” and be directed to a marketing agency’s channel, while on LinkedIn a prospect might search for “business coach.”
On all of these platforms, small businesses can regain traction by providing valuable and relevant content to audiences. Each will have their own “SEO best practices” that you can apply to help your content rank higher (see YouTube SEO, SEO Pinteresti LinkedIn SEO).
Related: How to Explode Growth on Pinterest
[ad_2]
Source link
