If you run a small business and want to increase the number of visitors who are finding your business online, this article was written just for you!

Here is a list of the SEO tips for small businesses we discuss in this article:

1. Use GSC To Optimize Your SEO

Once you have enough data in your Google Search Console, you will be able to see which keywords lead the most people to your website and which pages are ranking best on Google.

Use this data to optimize the SEO on your website. Be sure you are actually using the keywords bringing you traffic to the text on your website. If Google ranks particular pages very highly, consider creating other content that is similar. This is one of the best SEO tips for small businesses!

2. Set Up Google Analytics and Google Search Console

Google Analytics and Google Search Console are fundamental tools for tracking your SEO efforts and monitoring your progress.

You’ll need to first gain a baseline understanding of your current traffic and engagement metrics to know whether any SEO efforts are working.

You’ll also need to continue to monitor this data over time to understand how you’re doing, track your progress, and know which changes have had positive effects on your business.

3. Don’t “Keyword-Stuff”

It’s very important to include keywords in the copy of your content, but it’s equally important you don’t go crazy with your keywords as well.

In the early 2000s, Search Engine Optimizers began packing web pages full of keywords so they would rank higher on Google. This only worked until Google figured out what was going on and they then began de-ranking pages that were stuffed full of keywords.

4. Monitor Local Listings

The accuracy and consistency of your important business information (NAP, or name, address, and phone number) is vital.

If this information is inaccurate somewhere—say, on your website or on your Google Business Profile—potential customers won’t be able to reach you. And you’ll miss out on business.

Users will feel the pain, too. They’ll have found a business they like, only to be unable to reach it.

Google recognizes this and places great importance on the accuracy and consistency of your local listings—specifically your business name, address, and phone number.

If your business has two different phone numbers or addresses listed out there on the internet somewhere, Google will probably rank you lower.

5. Optimize Your On-Page SEO

When writing copy for your website or when writing blog content, don’t forget to include your keywords in the copy itself. This is one of the best SEO tips for small businesses to increase Google rankings.

Here are some SEO best practices to keep in mind for your on-page SEO:

• Include your focus keyword in your page title
• Include your focus keyword in your URL
• Include your focus keyword in the first 100 words of your text
• Include your focus keyword and other related keywords in the copy of your page
• Include 2-3 internal links on each page
• Include 2-3 external links on each page.

6. Do Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of any small business SEO strategy.

You’ll use it to ideate content, optimize your pages, build a site structure, and even curate your Google Business Profile listing.

Keywords are words and phrases users type into Google search.

Keywords are important for SEO because they tell you exactly what people are searching for and the words used to find them.

You can use these keywords to optimize your website so that both Google and your potential customers know that your business can provide what they are looking for.

To do keyword research, write down a list of terms that you would expect people to search for when trying to find a business like yours.

7. Incentives Reviews

The number of reviews on a Google My Business page directly influences how close to the top that business will rank. To increase your likelihood of showing up in the Google Map Pack, you will want to begin collecting as many reviews as you can. Reviews can be one of the most influential SEO tips for small businesses, to increase trust with customers.

At a minimum, you can begin requesting that your clients leave a review of their experience on Google. You may also offer some small incentive for them to leave a review as well.

8. Track Your Rankings

Tracking your ranking and performance for important keywords is crucial for properly attributing your SEO efforts.

Google Analytics and Google Search Console can provide a lot of valuable data.

But they can’t tell you how well you rank for specific keywords.

This information can help you understand which of your optimization techniques are working. And which needs further refinement.

To get started, open the Position Tracking tool and click “Create project.”

In the pop-up window, enter your domain name, give your project a name, and click “Create project.”

9. Use More Internal links

Most websites are not using enough internal links. Not only does the Google search algorithm look to see if you have internal links, but it also makes the site more user-friendly for people.

When you add links to related content on a blog or page of your website, it helps to decrease your bounce rate. This is good for two reasons.

1.) Your visitors are moving further into your website

2.) Google likes to rank pages with lower bounce rates higher in the search engine.

10. Expect SEO To Take A While

Advertising is a quick way to increase website traffic. You just throw some money at Google or Facebook and they send people your way. This is one of the most valuable SEO tips for small businesses to increase your website’s traffic. The speed is good but it also costs you financially to take the fast route.

On the other hand, there is SEO. Ranking well in Google and generating a lot of organic (free) website traffic can take a lot of time. If you’re putting out consistent and high-quality content, It still usually takes 6 months to see your effort paying off. In many cases, it can take a year to start seeing a good amount of organic traffic.

11. Analyze SERP Competitors

By analyzing your SERP competitors, you can find additional keywords, understand the kind of content your users want to see, and gain a broader understanding of the online landscape for your business.

Your SERP competitors are the websites you’ll be competing with for visibility on the SERPs.

you’ll need this information when it comes time to start optimizing your own site.

When analyzing SERP competitors for your target keywords, note the following:

• Are they ranking their homepage or a dedicated page?
• How are keywords used on the page?
• How do they structure their websites?
• What kind of content do they have?
• Who do they seem to be targeting?

12. Create Content to Connect With Your Customers

Creating content is a great way to bring more traffic to your website. It can help you reach potential customers and turn them into actual customers.

The idea is for users to find your content in the SERPs, engage with it, and keep you in mind when they are ready to make a purchase or become a customer.

But to create effective content for small business SEO, you need to understand your target audience and what they want to see.

13. Open A Google My Business Account

If your business is based in a specific location, creating a Google My Business account is key to creating positive local SEO.

Google My Business is the tool that also allows you to show up on Google Maps.

This means that when people are searching for “XYZ near me” they will also have a chance of finding you on the Google Map Pack at the top of the search results.

RELATED POST: Best 10 SEO Tips for Small Business Websites

14. Create A Google Analytics Account

A website with no analytics account is like a fish with no gills. Analytic data is vital to improving your SEO and your website in general. Go ahead and set up a Google Analytics account (or a similar Analytics account) to track SEO data from visitors on your website.

15. Add Schema Markup

Schema markup is specially formatted data you can add to your code to provide search engines with additional information about your page.

Using schema markup can also help you appear in special results in the SERPs called rich results.

These rich results are not only helpful for users, but they provide Target with more SERP real estate, as they push the rest of the results down.

There are schema types for:

• Local businesses
• Restaurants
• Dentists
• Florists
• Hospitals
• Hotels
• Nail salons
• Real estate agents