8 Best Search Engine Optimization tips for small businesses; how to reach more customers

Having a website does not guarantee your customers will automatically get to find it on the internet. You can have the most beautiful website but still not rank high in search engines. The best question to ask is how to make your site stand out on the internet and make it the most sought after?

You can help reach your desired customers, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is your best bet. A lot of people go to the internet to find answers to a lot of questions that bother their mind. Working on your SEO gives you the edge over other websites in reaching your audience for which you’ve carve your website’s niche. When you are able to build your site on the right path and optimize your keywords, you’ll reach a larger audience and generate enough sales. Search Engine optimization should be your first priority in connecting large people to your business.

Not to waste much time, I have listed eight (8) best Search Engine Optimization tips for small businesses that can help rank your website higher;

• Publish high quality articles and plenty of it

Your niche or focus of your website could be sports, politics, entertainment, education, technology and so much more. Try to write interesting articles on the niche you have taken. A lot of people come online every single day to search for answers to their long-term problems. Captivating contents capture their attention and propel them to read. Short and scanty contents on a topic or set of topics does not generate the desire for people to read. Such contents are relegated to the background because it does not give a thorough idea of the subject matter it seeks to discuss. Your best strategy to get lots of people visiting your website is to create intriguing contents and always be consistent.

• Get the right keywords;

What kind of words will your customers search for on the internet when looking for your services? The main focus of your business is to find the right customers for your business. You only find the clients or reach your audience when you use the right keywords which will rank you higher in search engines and connect you to your customers. Whatever you are selling, what should come to mind is how to get in touch with them on the digital space. How best can my customers connect with me if for instance I’m selling electrical appliances.

Keyword tools can give you a fair idea about how some keywords related to your products rank high in search engines and also guide you when updating your status online. Use your keyword on your website to help rank higher when potential customers are in search of your goods and services. You can begin this by using keywords in the URL, titles and metadata description of your website.

• Have budget for promotions in mind;

Have a budget for your website promotions in mind. This helps your website rank higher in search engines. You can promote your website through Google AdWords. You can sign up if you have not and be rest assured that the keywords you have selected are frequently used in online searches. Getting your website promoted gives you an upper hand over other websites because you will connect more customers and have the right audience to advertise your products to.

Facebook advertisements help to connect with the right audience on the social media platform. Getting such a promotion connects your business to a large audience. It is possible to grow your reach on the digital space and it is an important social media KPIs to measure the success and engagement of your posts. Facebook gives different options to reach a target audience.

Also, there is tight competition for keywords you buy which forms part of pay-per-click, where an advertisement for your company appears above or below search results. This has to do with an agreement with search engines and you pay anytime your website link is clicked.

• Not advisable to overload your website with keywords;

It is good to have enough keywords for your website but it is best not to overload your website with too many keywords that will make your website look boring.

When you use a lot of keywords on every single content, you risk distorting the meaning and it irritates readers because they do not get the focus of your articles.

• Build more links to your website;

Get a lot of links to your website and it can result in your site ranking high in search engines. You can request from a different website to exchange backlinks which means in your articles, you will put an article link of the different website in your content and same will be done to your website. And this can be in the form of guest posts in which a person i’ll give you an article to publish on your website and when publishing the content you backlink his or her website.

Focus on the quality of such links. A link to direct to your website from a big brand such as a tertiary institution or an ecommerce chamber will give your website a boost in search engines.

• Be on social media;

Get on the digital space and let your business be recognized. Social media has become the lifeline of many people where they transact business, go on dates, have fun and a whole lot more. Being visible on social media helps you reach a lot more people and generate good sales. People go online to search for products of their choice and should products be part of the searches, then you have hit a jackpot. Social media be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn or any other, connect your business to potential customers. Social media can also serve as a search engine option for your products because when people search on items related to your products for instance on Facebook or Instagram, your business will appear.

• Your website should be user-friendly;

Users should be able to navigate through your website as freely as they want. It should be clumsy. A person should explain what your website stands for and the services it provides. Use a lot of headings and subheadings since it boosts rankings on search engines.

The speed of your website is good for SEO. Make sure your website loads faster. How do you do this? Do not stuff your site with unnecessary contents and make sure not to use too many plugins which will make your site run slow.

• Have patience;

It is not every time we get the desired results after putting in much effort. Just be patient as with time, you will start experiencing the results you wished for. It takes months to move higher in search engine rankings. Also remember to be up-to-date on every detail about Search Engine Optimization. What might work today, might not work in two to three years.