7 Small Business SEO Tips | Link Building Tips

Google rolls out new SEO algorithm updates every year and often changes the rules for how to optimize websites. This can be especially frustrating for small business owners who don’t have the time or resources to stay current with all the changes. This is why people often decide to work with specialists who can stay updated for them while also helping to maintain their websites to match the SEO algorithm

But despite this, there is some basic SEO information that all business owners should know. Here are 7 small business SEO tips to be aware of to help you earn more business through traditional organic search rankings.

1. Don’t Obsess Over SEO

Yes, optimizing title tags, site structure (keeping it flat), maintaining high quality backlinks, and fast load-speed are important. Many experiments have shown these elements are in the Google algorithm. But, it is important to not obsess over it. Hire someone to perform a SEO audit and tune up the site, then move-on. Far too many small businesses get stuck at the starting line.

2. Website Content and Experience Is Critical

We have all read that “content is king,” but what does that really mean?

Your website must have engaging content for the end-user. The importance of this can’t be overstated. It will impact time-on-site, conversion, and SEO (engaging content is more likely to be shared and linked to). It is also critical because it orients the small business webmaster towards offering something of value. Thin content leaves a bad footprint, both onsite and offsite. Make sure you have quality content writing on your website to maximize engagement.

If you want to make sure your content is SEO optimized then you can get an SEO expert to take a look at your site and make a plan.

3. Use Content Marketing to Earn Backlinks

Most small business owners are savvy enough to know that 70 percent of their search engine rankings are the result of backlinks. Being a pragmatic bunch, they then ask “where can I buy some?”

Don’t buy all your backlinks – it can leave a bad footprint.

Small business marketers need to earn links, and content marketing is extremely effective for gaining earned links. The trick is in the trade. Something of value must be offered. Quality content containing humor, information, controversy, politics or training usually brings backlinks – and is definitely considered acceptable SEO.

4. Know Your Backlink Profile

There has been healthy debate recently about the changing role of anchor text in the Google algorithm. Even if the importance is fading, it is clearly still a factor. Small businesses should know their backlink profiles. A lack of branded anchors and brand mentions is a clear signal of manipulation, and therefore a rank killer. 

Healthy businesses market their brands through press releases and are discussed in forums by name. This all leaves a good footprint. Co-citation is also a sign of a natural backlink profile. Strong companies are mentioned in the same paragraph as other strong brands.

Articles with a single anchored link to a website with low domain authority sticks out like a sore thumb. Google can spot these insubstantial articles and will weigh the links accordingly, or worse. Do a backlink audit to make sure you don’t have any toxic backlinks, no follow backlinks, or competitor backlinks where you redirect a user to a competitor. For more link building tips, read this article by Cyberclick!

5. Create Buzz Through Community Building

While the term link bait is perhaps overused, it is considered an acceptable activity by Google. This is because the activity is aimed toward creating a positive end-user experience.

Without a community element, link baiting is hard to distinguish from content marketing. Developing a community (best if done onsite) is perhaps the best link bait of all because the community starts to develop the content in ways no SEO consultant could ever think of. This is truly organic, extremely natural, and helps SEO.

6. Quality Over Quantity

The SEO industry isn’t like the automobile industry where automation is praised as a gain in efficiency. Automation in SEO is bad because Google says it is. They believe it results in a poorer end-user experience, an argument that has merit. Small businesses may not like this rule, but they need to respect it if they want to see increases in rankings.

7. Review the SEO Reports

Small business owners are busy, but that is no excuse for not knowing what the SEO consultant is doing. It’s important to digest the monthly reports for a couple of reasons:

• The results should be moving in the right direction: Don’t expect miracles, just monthly progress.
• The monthly reports should demonstrate that the SEO team is executing with a disciplined process: Small business should not ask for experiments. There is enough risk facing small business owners already.

Conclusions

Google is a computer, largely, and needs to be thought of as such. The major elements in the algorithm are fairly well understood.

While it’s true that updates are frequent and the rules of the game do shift, the major elements of onsite SEO and backlinks have been the fuel for better rankings for years. Follow these seven small business SEO tips to earn better rankings and build a community around your brand while following the SEO algorithm. And ignore the rest as noise.

Want professional SEO help? Check out our SEO services at WittyCookie!