September 2023
What you need to know about the benefits of SEO for your small business
90% of online journeys start via a search engine.
65% of those searchers click on organic search results (vs. paid ads).
0.44% of everyone typing their query into the search bar ever makes it to the second page of a Google search.
Those stats should leave no room for doubt…
As an entrepreneur, you need to know about the benefits of SEO for your small business.
The less you assume and the more you base your choices on verified data, the more effective your results will be.
Why should small businesses invest in SEO?
Word-of-mouth referrals. Social media marketing. Networking communities.
All great ways for small business owners to create awareness for their services or products.
But the fact remains that the vast majority of people turn to a search engine when they need something.
By investing in SEO for your small business, you’re throwing your hat in the ring the next time someone hops on Google to search for:
“Leadership coaching for executives” “Reliable local real estate agents” “Local bridal makeup and hair”
Or whatever your target keyphrase is.
The bottom line is that SEO benefits your small business by:
Increasing your online visibility (you won’t rank in a Google Search without targeted SEO)
Giving you a cost-effective way to market your brand (no need for expensive campaigns)
Helping you gain the competitive edge over your competitors (so you don’t get left behind)
Providing you with measurable results (when you actually monitor for metrics like rankings)
Keeping you current with user behavior (so you stay relevant as more people move online)
And you do all of this so you can capture people’s attention THE moment they’re actively searching for your service or product.
This, in turn, improves your user experience, which improves your overall website engagement and conversions.
And ultimately, increases brand credibility and trust.
Understanding SEO for your small business
SEO is all about long-term results.
It can feel like it takes forever to see evidence of the benefits we covered above, but once you’re there, maintaining a strong online presence takes a lot less time and effort than actually establishing it.
Of course, that’s only true if you understand how to establish it in the first place.
You can get a good grasp if you start by learning one of the most overlooked aspects of keyword research:
Understanding search intent.
The 4 types of search intent are:
Navigational intent
This person is trying to head straight to a page they already know they want.
Ie. “YouTube Login”
You wouldn’t try to target a keyword that only has navigational intent.
Commercial intent
This person is in research mode and needs to learn more or make comparisons before taking action.
Ie. Best SEO small business packages
Commercial intent words/phrases will help you attract people who are in the middle of their buying journey. (Aka Middle of Funnel or MOFU)
Informational Intent
This person is looking for something they want an answer to.
Ie. What are the benefits of SEO for my small business?
Informational intent phrases will help you attract people who are at the start of their buying journey. (Aka Top of Funnel, or TOFU, if you’re into acronyms)
Transactional Intent
Transactional intent words/phrases help you attract people who are at the end of their buying journey. (Aka Bottom of Funnel or BOFU)
The reality is not everyone is ready to hit buy.
You want a mixture of search intent keywords to meet your audience at every stage of their journey.
Avoid the number one SEO mistake: Targeting the wrong keyword.
The number one SEO mistake you need to avoid
Now that you understand intent, you might be tempted just to choose a word or phrase that makes sense and go with it, right?
But not if you want to avoid the number one SEO mistake:
Targeting the wrong keyword.
Just because you think someone is searching for “boutique interior design” does not mean they actually are.
So how do you verify your keywords?
You validate them with real Google data.
To find the best keywords, follow these steps:
1. Go to Google (or your preferred search engine).
2. Type in your seed keyword or phrase (this is what you believe people are searching for).
3. See what type of content comes up on the first page (Blog Posts? Product Features? Is that the type of content you want to create? Or totally different?)
4. Check the Autocomplete, “People Also Ask,” and “Related Search” sections for alternatives (Is there something that makes more sense in those? Refer back to step 3.)
5. Choose a keyword search tool, like Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, or Google Keyword Planner, and check the stats. (How many times is the word/phrase searched for each month? Are there related keywords that perform better? What is the search intent behind it?)
The less you assume and the more you base your choices on verified data, the more effective your results will be.
Getting more mileage out of your SEO efforts
You aren’t done just yet.
Even if you find a great keyword with the right search intent that people are actually typing into a search engine, you still have a few more considerations to make:
Can you narrow it down?
Don't be too broad
“Interior Design” may seem perfect because there are 165,000 searches for it every month.
But unless you’ve been mentioned in Architectural Digest, that’s way too broad to rank. And you can bet you won’t see an increase in traffic or conversions from that word.
Instead, you might try “modern kitchen interior design ideas” or another more specific phrase that’s relevant to your audience.
Is there an opportunity to rank?
Sometimes there is no opportunity for you to rank for certain pages.
Take the time to evaluate the sitemap of your website and consider whether the intent and keyword you want to target will actually help you rank in the search results. This will depend on things like:
1. How many backlinks your site has (this indicates that other people find your site/content valuable)
2. How many words your page/article includes (although more is not better if you just stuff in extra words and take away from your reader’s experience)
3. How strong your website URL ranks (this is a score out of 100 that indicates how much “authority” your site has according to Google)
Does your keyword meet critical criteria?
If you really want to reap the benefits that SEO can bring to your small business, your keywords/phrases should:
1. Be highly relevant to that specific web page
2. Be aligned with the right search intent
3. Have a monthly search volume of 50+
4. Have a low keyword difficulty rating (ideally >30)
Pro Tip: 14.6% of all searches are questions. So you might consider choosing a keyword in the form of a question or phrase it as an answer to that question.
Explore more to maximize the benefits of SEO for your small business
If you’re just starting to dip your toes into the wonderful world of SEO and how it can benefit your small business, here are a few resources you don’t want to miss:
Read
- Explore this 5-part series on How to do SEO Yourself: A Beginner’s Guide to the Basics
- Dive deep into handpicked keyword research articles (curated from 250+ blog posts)
Stay current with 2023 search stats, trends, and tools to improve your SEO
Learn
- Use The SEO Keyword Research Master Guide as you search
- Take a course or get a certification through Hubspot’s famous academy
- Get your own SEO education with relevant training at Moz Academy
Book
A SEO Discovery Call
Book your free SEO Discovery Call with Grace Built Co. and start getting in front of your dream audience!