10 easy SEO tips for small businesses

You don’t need to spend a fortune to improve your website’s rankings. Just follow our 10 handy tips.

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1 Make your site mobile friendly

Content management systems, such as WordPress, allow you to configure your site to display accurately on mobile devices. You can also use plugins to increase your site’s load times, keeping search engines and visitors alike happy.

2 Open a Google My Business account

Completely free to use, this service ensures your business will be seen by local searchers.

3 Use the Google Search Console

Another free tool, this allows you to view valuable information about your website’s performance, and indicates areas where you need to implement improvements.

4 Research your keywords

Use the Keyword Planner tool from Google to identify appropriate keywords that your competitors have missed, and watch your profits increase.

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5 Choose your experts with care

Most agencies will make outlandish claims about their services, but take these with a pinch of salt. Quick fixes will never guarantee you top listings in search engine results, so look for agencies with a credible history in professional SEO services, and preferably with Google Certified Partner status, such as http://www.elevateuk.com/seo-services/.

6 Register your address with Google Maps

Every business which relies on local custom needs to claim their physical address and register it with Google Maps. This simple tip can increase your visibility dramatically, promoting your business to anyone looking for products or services in your local area.

7 Study search engine results relating to your industry

You need to understand your competitors and how they promote themselves in order to compete with them successfully. Do they tend to use videos? Could you benefit from altering your keywords?

8 Understand what your customers want

Research your customer base to ensure that your site and search terms are relevant to them and their needs. According to an article by eConsultancy, social media is a good starting point, as people are keen to report on their online experiences, both good and bad.

9 Use ScreamingFrog and Sucuri

These handy tools allow you to identify issues with your website, including security problems, which need fixing.

10 Trust your own judgement

Don’t cut corners, but if you can’t afford to pay for help, spend time researching the topic of SEO, and take small steps.

Connell
The author is an expert on occupational training and a prolific writer who writes extensively on Business, technology, and education. He can be contacted for professional advice in matters related with occupation and training on his blog Communal Business and Your Business Magazine.