Search engine optimization, commonly known as SEO, can be one of the most confusing areas of marketing for small business owners. If you’re not familiar with what the term even means, give yourself a break, because the strategy of what it means to have “good SEO” has changed significantly, even in the past few years. Put simply, search engine optimization is the process of making your website better so that it will show up well when people perform a search on search engines, such as Google. It’s different from buying Google Ads, which is commonly called PPC (pay-per-click). Search engine optimization requires brands to produce wise content, organize their site correctly, and build the site on a foundation that search engines like.
While Google gives a
window into how its algorithm works, the exact process for how to rank in search engines well is not a strict scientific formula. Small business owners are rightfully frustrated when they invest time, energy, and money into creating a website to serve their target market, only for the content to become the best-kept secret on the internet. The rise of AI-generated content from sites, such as ChatGPT, has presented even more confusion for marketers seeking to grow their digital presence. While the process of creating an SEO-friendly website for your business is not copy-and-paste, there are consistent principles that smart brands follow to help their site win and rank well.
We’ve seen 3 SEO mistakes regularly from small to medium-sized businesses that, when fixed, can make a noticeable difference in a brand's search engine ranking.
Mistake 1: Thinking You’re Done Making Content When Your Website is Launched
It’s so tempting to think a “website launch” means completion. However, smart marketers know that you’re just getting started! Rather than a one-time project, websites should be seen as your online hub to communicate with your customers and clients. Regularly updating content isn’t just great practice for keeping your market up to date with the latest relevant information– Google loves it too!
Beginning in 2011,
Google began giving preference to recently updated pages for time-sensitive and trending topics. This emphasis on relevancy has remained consistent, so make sure that you’re updating your site regularly with things like new service offerings, industry updates that are relevant to your target market, blogging, and more.
[If that sounds daunting to you,
we can help.]
Mistake 2: Writing for Google and not for People
It’s important to remember Google’s
overarching mission here: to provide users with the most relevant and useful information available. That means that Google search isn’t built to serve itself. Rather, it’s built to serve YOUR customers.
Don’t write content to try to please the search engine with things like keyword stuffing.
Additionally, using AI tools like ChatGPT to write content for you can come with risks. While Google doesn’t overtly claim to punish AI-written content, they do specifically say that they prioritize content that shows expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Google knows that AI-produced content that isn’t uniquely tailored to answering questions in the best way could easily frustrate your consumers.
Mistake 3: Not Understanding that Word-of-Mouth Means Online Too
Many companies become prone to falling behind in digital search because they believe that their business solely grows by word-of-mouth. While earned media like word-of-mouth marketing is powerful because it is so trustworthy, it’s also important to recognize that the modern consumer practices word-of-mouth differently than they used to. 88% of consumers look to Google reviews to determine the status and quality of businesses and 73% of consumers prioritize Google reviews in the last month alone.
Google recognizes how powerful reviews are and uses them to help prioritize businesses within the Google Map Pack. Driving regular, consistent, high-quality reviews can help your business come out on top. Pro-tip- make sure you respond to reviews of your business too, whether positive or negative!
Don’t wait to help your business show up higher in Google search engine results.
Just implementing these three simple tips can make a great difference for a small to medium-sized business’s SEO strategy. Need help with this? We’d be honored to chat with you and see if we’re a good fit to work together.
Feel free to get in touch today.