Owning a small business website can be tough work. You have to take care of your website, keep up with your products, and figure out how to generate traffic.
You may be so busy that you’re neglecting one of the most important marketing tools of all — SEO.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the most important marketing method you have at your disposal.
But if you’re like many small business owners out there, you’re not quite sure where to start. Not to worry, while SEO is certainly a tough field, we’ve got you covered.
Keep reading for an SEO checklist containing everything you’ll need to get started.
A Complete SEO Checklist for Small Business Websites
1. Do Your Homework
Before you can begin implementing any strategy at all, you’ll need to set some time aside for research. Going into the SEO world blindly would be a huge (and costly) mistake.
Accordingly, you’ll need to do your homework and figure out a few key things. The good news is that most of this information you already have!
Here’s what you’ll need on hand to create a great SEO strategy:
- Your business information (i.e., who you are and what you do).
- Business goals for the future, including tangible numbers.
- Your demographics.
- Some knowledge of the competition and their tactics.
2. A Plan
So you’ve figured out the basics of the SEO checklist. Great!
Your next step is to come up with a plan. You can’t just say, “I want a great web presence” and will it into existence. You’ll need a strong plan.
Take some time to plan out how you want to achieve your goals. Are you aiming to increase traffic and overall awareness? Or perhaps you’re looking to increase your conversion rates?
Whatever your goals are, planning is a surefire way to succeed. There are tons of different avenues your small business could explore, but not all of them make sense.
3. A Great, User-Friendly Website
One of the most important aspects of a strong SEO strategy is having an easy to use website. In fact, Google deems it so important, that it penalizes poor usability by lowering SERPs.
And before you give up and demolish your site, we have good news — your website likely just needs some tinkering!
Focus on the following to make sure that users can easily navigate around your website:
- Beautiful images.
- Quick-loading pages.
- Strong, keyword-driven copy.
- A great menu system.
- Your business’s contact information.
4. Strong Content
Our next step on the SEO checklist is to start creating some content. Studies show that those sites that put out great, fresh content on a regular basis do better than those that don’t.
Plan to post at least 2 to 3 blog posts per week (depending on your market) and always stick to your schedule.
As for the content, you’ll want to come up with relevant topics and link out to trustworthy websites. This can include your own, and doing so will actually boost your ranking.
Think about some ways you can use content to spread the word about your own products or services.
5. Great Keywords
Truthfully, content is only half of the equation. You’ll want to make sure that your content is full of useful, relevant keywords.
Focus on keywords that your market will use when searching for your business. For instance, if you sell lumber, you’d want to make sure that your content contains keywords relevant to the lumber industry.
Do some research on Adwords and think about how you can use keywords in your content. And density matters. Be sure that you’re using your keywords in ways that make sense.
Get Your Business Back on Track
Here at RebelFish, we understand how important small businesses are to the world. You have a vision that only you can carry out!
But we’d love to help.
If you’re interested in creating a stronger online presence, get in touch today!
