[Infographic] Small Businesses: Your Simple Guide to SEO

SEO - search engine optimization - is a necessary part of getting your small business in front of online customers.

The reason why is simple: SEO helps your business’s website show up on the first page of Google results. And with up to 92% of people sticking to the first page of Google results, it’s absolutely critical you make the most of SEO so more customers can find you online.

But how exactly do you use it? Especially if you only have a certain amount of time available to you?

You don’t need a second career as an SEO specialist to figure out how to improve your business’s rankings on Google. Check out our infographic below for your cheat sheet on how to use SEO for your small business:

See What Your Customers are Searching

1. Research your keywords.

   There are plenty of keyword research tools that can help you figure out what customers are using to find your site. To start out, try Google’s free keyword planner.

2. Pay attention to the competition.

   Don’t jump on high-volume keywords as they can be competitive and difficult to rank for initially. Instead, consider targeting keywords that have low competition so your site can be more visible to customers sooner.

3. Ask them!

   Ask your customers what they searched to find you. It’ll give you a major clue as to what keywords you should focus on.

Create Lots of Unique and Engaging Content

1. Understand the value of content.

   Websites with high quality and engaging content - think topics that are interesting to your customers - tend to do better over time.

2. Stay relevant.

   Write about topics that are interesting to your customers. For example, if you’re a home renovator, an article about the latest renovation trends could be a big hit.

3. Optimize your content.

   Include your main keywords in your content, but don’t go overboard - it could be seen as spammy.

Get Advanced

1. Invest in mobile-first.

   Make sure your website is designed for smartphones AND computer screens.

2. Check your site speed.

   Sites should load in less than three seconds. Google loves fast sites, plus it provides a better experience for your customers.

3. Create a sitemap.

   Your website should have a sitemap that allows Google to “crawl” your website. This helps Google recognize what your website’s all about. You can verify your site on Google Search Console planner and submit your sitemap there!