Are you just starting your business and feeling overwhelmed by the hidden world of SEO? Look no further! In this article, we’ll focus on general SEO principles for standard websites, blogs, and social media. E-Commerce SEO will be covered in a future article.
As a small business owner, you know that location is crucial when it comes to SEO. Think about it – you’re walking through Newcastle-upon-Tyne and you want to grab a slice of pizza. You open your phone and search for “pizza places near me” or “pizza places in Newcastle.” Google brings up the search engine results page (SERP) and you scroll down to the top results under the Google Maps snippet. The top results are the golden standard for any business with an online presence. In fact, ranking on the first page of Google is the ultimate goal. But let’s be real – there are some results pages that you just won’t be able to beat, like Amazon or TripAdvisor, depending on your industry. So how do you secure a spot on that coveted first page?
First and foremost, it’s important to establish authority in your field. This can be achieved through high-quality content, good customer service, and online reviews. Another factor to consider is local SEO. Ranking locally is a great way to build up your business’s presence in Google’s search algorithm. And don’t forget – with Google’s location tracking capabilities, you may not even have to search for “near me” when looking for a specific type of business. However, including the location name in your search terms can still be beneficial.
Now let’s say you’re in the e-commerce business, selling combat sports equipment like boxing gloves, MMA gloves, punching bags, and weights. The top listings for this industry are likely to be big brands like Sports Direct, Amazon, Venum, Adidas, Tatami, RDX, and Argos (in the UK, at least!). It can be intimidating to go up against these heavy hitters, but with a solid SEO strategy, you can still make your mark.
One of the first things you should do is conduct a quick Google search for your target keywords and see what the top results are. This will give you an idea of the competition you’re up against and what kind of optimization strategies they are using. It’s important to remember that good research into SEO is crucial, especially if your business has a lot of competition.
But don’t worry – we’re not advocating for plagiarism here! What we are advocating for is taking a look at your most successful competition and considering what they are doing. As a small business owner, you have to balance a lot more than just SEO, so it’s helpful to see what’s working for others in your industry. Of course, it’s important to stay true to your own brand and values, but there’s no harm in taking some inspiration from the big players.
What the big players have, however, is ‘Authority’….
In our next article, we’ll delve deeper into the first principle of SEO: establishing authority. Stay tuned!