In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for the success of any small business. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the effective methods to achieve a strong online presence.
But not all small business owners get it right. You don’t want to be among those who make simple local SEO mistakes and complain that their website doesn’t deliver.
You are at the right spot to be aware, informed and avoid these SEO mistakes by small businesses. Let’s get to know why SEO matters.
What is SEO for Small Business and Why Does it Matter?
Imagine you have a big address book with the addresses of all hair salons in the locality, but you want people to find your favorite salon quickly. SEO is like making that page stand out so that search engines like Google can find it easily and show it to others.
The common idea is people barely go to page two on a Google search. Statistics show it’s only 0.63%. Now that’s nothing. So what’s the goal?
Get to the top position of a Google search related to your business and a good SEO strategy helps you with just that. You can do this by using the right keywords, putting them in the right places on the page, getting other websites to link to yours, and making sure your website is user-friendly.
As a small business owner, you need more traffic to your website to get more sales, to build credibility and brand loyalty. If your SEO game is on point, your site will get a good number of organic visits.
The problem is, rookie SEO mistakes made by small businesses are harming your online presence.
Let me share the top 8 SEO mistakes by small business owners and how to fix them.
8 SEO Mistakes By Small Businesses And How To Fix Them
Let me cover the important mistakes that can hurt your local small business in the long run. These are not general points, I am sharing my personal experience with you. If you implemet these suggestions, you will be able to improve your seo for your small business.
1. First, Build A Better Website
When your boat is sinking, you shouldn’t think about fixing your oar. If you have a poorly designed website, complaining about your SEO won’t help in any way.
Source: GoodFirms
When you refer to the snapshot above, the top four reasons why people leave a website are related to web design. And those aren’t small numbers.
You have to build your website as effectively as possible which provides a seamless and user-friendly experience to visitors. Your site should be easy to navigate with fast loading time.
When users have a positive experience on your site, they are more likely to stay longer, engage with your content, and convert into potential customers.
Google likes to prioritize websites that offer a good user experience, leading to higher rankings in search results. Make sure that your website layout and design are fit for the content to be more SEO-friendly.
Don’t panic if website development isn’t your cup of tea. Get in touch with a web design company or check out this article to build an effective business website.
2. The Rule: Content Over SEO
When you’re making a cake, it doesn’t matter how well you decorate it on the outside. The structure and taste gets the final say. Your website is no different from a well made cake.
Users expect a personalized experience. I’m talking 80% of those who check out your website want something tailored for them.
Creating such customized and top-tier content requires time and capital which is why average websites don’t bother creating such content. Regularly updating and adding new content will keep your website relevant in the eyes of search engines.
You don’t have to always come up with over-the-top content, you can also repurpose your content whenever and wherever possible. Once your content game is on fire, focus on optimizing them with best SEO practices.
3. Stuffing Keywords Doesn’t Help
One of the common SEO mistakes by small business owners is stuffing keywords unnaturally in the content.
I get it. You got caught in the notion that more keywords equals better density and Google puts you on top. This sounds nice and easy on paper but that’s not how it works. Google is getting better at detecting keyword stuffing.
This can lead to serious penalties like drops in the ranking or even being removed from search results altogether. In contrast to popular belief, you will lose visibility if you overstuff keywords.
Overusing keywords can make your content appear spammy and untrustworthy to both users and search engines. You may lose your credibility and the quality of your content will diminish.
The fix for this mistake is very simple, follow an ideal keyword density. According to some SEO experts, having 1 to 2 keywords for every 100 words is ideal. Just fit the keywords naturally into the content and you are good to go!
4. Don’t Avoid Backlinks And Referrals
Backlinks are created when one website links to another website. Search engines like Google consider backlinks as a vote of confidence from other websites.
Not concentrating on backlinks can be a major SEO mistake by small business owners.
As backlinks from reputable websites can help in establishing your website as a leader in your industry or niche. Small businesses like you will need this kind of testimony to shine in your domain. The more backlinks you get, the merrier! Search engines will recognize your content as trustable.
“Okay, but how? What should I do? Who do I reach out to get backlinks?”
One of the easiest ways is to write guest posts for other websites. Find websites that welcome guest posts and offer your interest. This will create opportunities for new traffic to your website. Good quality backlinks will help your page to rank higher in the search results.
5. Neglecting Local SEO
If you are a small business owner that relies on local customers, ignoring local SEO is a no-go. One of the common SEO mistakes by small businesses is not using Geo-targeting keywords.
Let’s say you own a pet salon in Goa. You will need more local customers coming to your salon. So should be using Geo-targeting keywords like “Goa pet salon” or “Pet salon in Goa” instead of using generic keywords such as “Best pet salon”.
Always list your contact details in all your online listings. Inconsistency in contact information is another major local SEO mistake. Keep updating your contact info if you change locations or change phone numbers etc…
Never commit the local SEO mistake of not using the Google My Business tool. Create a Google My Business profile for your business. It allows people to check your address, working hours, contact number, etc…
Insist your customers on posting reviews on Google My Business. I recommend responding to the reviews because it shows that you care, especially to the negative ones.
Source: Kanojiya dry cleaners
Let me share an example: Kanojiya is a popular dry cleaning service company in Mumbai, India. Their Google My Business page has a 4.8-star rating from 258 customers. They respond to almost all the feedback, positive or negative. It builds trust and reassures their customers that they care about their feedback.
Start posting your customer reviews on your website too. Genuine and positive reviews have a great impact on your brand’s image. Combining Geo-targeting keywords and having customer reviews will do wonders for local businesses.
Check out the example of Wedding Aaha where they showcase the reviews they got. Placing this right below the contact details adds an extra reason to trust their business before contacting them.
Source: WeddingAaha
By focusing on these local SEO mistakes, you can gain a competitive advantage over larger national or international companies that may not have the same level of local relevance. In the long run, you may develop a community of local people who love your products/services.
6. Hire a Pro SEO Expert
Some business owners would get super hyped to optimize their SEO but they won’t have the money to spend right away.
So they choose the wrong shortcuts: they choose freelancers.
There are tons of reasons freelancers are bad for web design in general. When you look at it, it is a cheap way to optimize your website. You would’ve invested a lot in building your website and now you think, “Alright, it’s just content optimization. Why spend so much? A freelancer would be fine”.
The results would shockingly turn out very differently. There are other downsides which include not having enterprise tools to get more analytics, little experience with businesses, and not being able to maintain a long-term business relationship.
Well-established businesses would need to manage consultants with their internal marketing team. Imagine what would be the case for a small business owner like you: would you manage them or focus on growing your business?
All these issues can be rectified easily by hiring an SEO strategist from an SEO company. They’re experienced, can independently operate, have access to advanced tools, and offer top-notch services.
7. Build Your Personal Brand on Social
Another unsuspected SEO mistake by small businesses is not having a personal brand. Personal branding is creating a brand identity for yourself or your business. This helps your business to stand out in a crowd.
Social media handles are a great way to portray your personal brand. Start by creating social media handles for your brand on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc…
Only post content that is relevant to your brand ideology. Maintain a consistent look across all your social media accounts. Keep your handles clean and free from controversies.
Consider your social media handles as a marketing tool. Integrate them with your website and voilà! You get the best marketing strategy for your small business.
Let me share an example: Kiera is a Vancouver-based online tutor for English language learning. She uses social media handles like Instagram, to market her online class. She links her website to her handles which her thousands of followers can checkout.
The tips, tricks, and proven methods she shares to ace competitive English exams give her online classes credibility. She has built a personal brand for her coaching class, which sets her apart from other courses.
You don’t have to come up with different content to post on your social media handles. You can cross-post the content from one handle to another to reach the maximum audience and save time.
Research popular hashtags related to your business and incorporate them into your social media posts. Hashtags help increase visibility and reach on platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
You can also analyze the keywords and hashtags used by your competitors to gain insights into what is working for them.
8. SEO Results Take Time
When your website is live, you are one among the 2 billion websites online.
“My SEO strategy is flawless and is on point. When will I see the best results?”
Definitely not on day one.
First of all, when your web page is published, you are not in the top 10. In fact, not even in the top 100. Search engines take time to crawl and index websites. It may take weeks or even months for your website to be fully indexed and appear in search results.
This means, even after doing all the right things you may not immediately see the results. The most common SEO mistake by small businesses is stopping just because you did not notice any results yet.
Staying consistent is the only key to success in the world of SEO. Constantly update your local business strategy and in the long run, you will develop organic growth.
Making The Best Out Of SEO For Your Small Business
Almost all small businesses of today want a business website. Avoiding these local SEO mistakes is also one of their top priorities. So how do you compete with tough and hungry competitors?
Partner with an experienced local seo company in Toronto like GyanDevign Tech Services. We help you with a strong SEO strategy getting your website to Google’s front page. Instead of spending countless hours trying to understand the process and research, let professionals handle it for you.
Contact us today to discuss how we can optimize your search engine game to the next level.
