SEO Principles That Are Important to Small Business Owners (Part 1)

Being a small business owner, everything is a struggle. You are the cashier, the accountant, the customer service personnel, and even sometimes the cleaning lady!

Oh, how can you juggle all the work? Remember, you still have to manage a business on top of that! You don’t need to go and learn everything about SEO. You just need to know how SEO works so you can apply it to your business. Read the SEO principles below…

• User Intent

  • Yes, content is important! However, if content does not satisfy the user’s intent, it’s pretty useless. If your content does not provide a solution, then, it has no purpose for the user.
  • I’m not saying that it’s okay to produce mediocre content. No, you have to continue to make high-quality content. At the same time, you need to ask yourself, “Will this content fulfill the user’s intent?”
  • Think of what the users may seek when they search a particular term. For example, some search for “Chinese food” so that would mean that the user is craving for something to eat.
  • Then, ask yourself, “How many websites could fulfill this intention to buy Chinese food?” Most probably, a lot, right? There are numerous websites where you can order food online.
  • You are up against thousands of websites having the same intent in mind. However, you have to remember that Google is not there to fulfill your intent as a seller. Google is concerned with the user’s intent.
  • Basically, a website that helps users achieve their intent will, most likely, rank higher than does that do not help users. So, produce more content with the user’s intent in mind.

• Local SEO

  • Since you are a small business, most probably, you are concerned with the local market. Local SEO is for you!
  • In case you are wondering, it is a different type of SEO. From the name itself, these SEO elements will cater to your local environment.
  • I will not go into specific details. However, I’m going to day that you need to push for local relevancy. So, you need to focus on the nature of links rather than the number of links.
  • Reiterate on your location and that you cater to a particular place. Add the specific location in the page title, heading, URL, and other key areas.

• What you need:

  • A personalized organizational structure for your business. It does not mean that a rival’s plan will also fit your business. So, make one that suits your business.
  • Add a Google Map of your business on your website’s contact page.
  • Verify your business pages on Bing, Google My Business, Yelp, and other web directories.
  • Know all your business listing and all these business pages should have a consistent NAP (name, address, and phone.)

Related: Importance of Having a Consistent NAP

You can also look into local newspapers, local producers. I’m not saying that you will just shrug off bigger opportunities. Start small because you will eventually get there. Every large corporation had its humble beginnings so be patient. Your time will surely come!