Beginner's Guide: 11-Point SEO Checklist for Small Businesses
How can you possibly compete in Google Search results with brands and other large businesses? Begin with this SEO checklist designed for small businesses.
How would you rate the SEO performance of your small business, and what should you focus on next for greater success?
SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
The goal is to get in front of searchers who might become customers.
To maximize your visibility, your business should appear in a variety of search results, including Google Maps, organic, Featured Snippets, images and videos, and more.
Small business SEO is unique in that you probably don't have a dedicated SEO team or a lot of time to stay on top of all the latest search developments.
You're up against not only other small businesses, but also publishers, big brands, and a plethora of other informational sources that appear in search results.
You also don't have the budget that your larger competitors do.
What should a small business do?
This article includes an 11-point SEO checklist for small businesses to help you prioritize and focus on those SEO tasks that will truly move the needle for you, such as:
- What should be addressed?
- Why is it significant?
- The necessary equipment.
- The time commitment is required.
1. Define the issues you resolve for customers.
Before diving into SEO, you should first learn how people search. You can waste a lot of money in paid search by targeting the wrong people or sending the wrong message to the right people.
It's critical to know who you're trying to reach and what problem you'll solve for them.
Begin by asking yourself questions such as:
- When, how, and where do customers realize they require your product or service?
- Is it while they are away from home, using their cell phone? Is it done at home on a desktop computer or a tablet?
- Is it motivated by a personal desire, such as a desire for good food or a great place to spend time?
- Is it the result of a disruptive event, such as a home or personal problem?
These inquiries shape the language your customers will use to find your business.
This data will help you with keyword research and content creation, among other things.
2. Resolve Your Technical SEO Issues
On the surface, your small business website may appear to be fine, with great graphics, colours, and fonts.
However, if there are technical issues "under the hood," your rankings and traffic will most likely suffer.
Spend time laying the groundwork before launching a content or link campaign.
A solid website structure is required so that search engines can properly crawl and index your webpages.
Some of the most common technical SEO issues include:
- Speed.
- There is duplicate content.
- There are some broken links.
- Use of canonical link elements incorrectly.
3. Page Optimization
On-page optimization entails more than just strategically placing a target keyword on the page.
It is critical to creating well-structured, high-quality content written in natural language and incorporating your targeted keywords.
Use every reasonable (i.e., non-spammy) opportunity to incorporate your targeted keywords into your website.
Otherwise, you're overlooking crucial ranking signals. To put it another way, you must optimize your:
- Title tags & subheadings
- Images & videos
- Meta description
- Body Content
- Internal links
4. Enhance Your Google Business Profile
Any small business should prioritize its GBP strategy. It's free, simple to maintain, and has the potential to have a significant impact.
Your Google Business Profile should ideally provide all of the information a potential customer requires to call you, get driving directions, order online, or otherwise convert directly from the listing.
Claiming and verifying your Google business listing is the first step toward optimizing it.
Fill out as many fields as possible and include photos and videos to improve your listing.
Your category selection is critical. Make sure to select the appropriate categories for your company.
The primary category dictates which attribute and other features you have access to.
Take the time to create questions and answers if you want to get more advanced with your Google Business Profile.
What does this imply?
There is a section on your listing in local search results where people can ask questions and get answers.
It is critical for a small business to stay on top of these questions.
You can even create your own questions and answers to provide information that may help searchers convert.
5. Find out what your competitors are doing and outperform them.
Online competitors may differ from competitors in your local area.
We are most concerned with websites that appear in the top five to ten positions of Google search results for your targeted keywords.
These are the competitors you want to look into.
When conducting a competitive analysis, use the following tools to learn:
- What do those websites rank for.
- How many pages have they indexed?
- Their website design.
- Their backlink profile's quality.
- If they are ranking for long-tail keywords that you could target.
In addition, we know that Google's ranking algorithm takes page speed into account.
Use page speed tools to test their landing pages. Examine your weaknesses.
Page Speed Insights from Google is a great place to start.
For instance, are their pages loading slowly? Are there any keywords they overlooked that you could target?
6. Local Business Listings and Citations Management
You must control the accuracy of your local business data in addition to your Google Business Profile.
Consistency is essential.
Data aggregators (for example, Neustar Localeze and Factual) share information about local businesses, such as the name, address, and phone number (NAP).
Ensure that your company's NAP information is consistent and accurate. Local business listings and citations (online mentions of a company) can help you improve your local presence.
Signing up for a service or using a local citation tool that will distribute your NAP information and monitor for inaccuracies can be beneficial.
7. Obtain Links from Websites in Your Area
Most small business owners do not consider links.
Getting links to your site, on the other hand, can help you improve your rankings.
This can result in more sales and customers.
My approach to "link attraction" has always been more public relations-oriented.
What can we do to get the word out about our company, educate others, and become involved in the community?
8. Include Schema Markup
Schema markup assists search engines in better understanding various page components, such as:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Ratings
- Business hours
- Currencies accepted
- Area served
- The number of employees
- And many more
Check out all of the different types of schema for local businesses available here.
9. Concentrate on Obtaining Reviews
According to Whitespark's Local Search Ranking Factors report, local reviews were one of the top local search ranking factors in 2021.
Furthermore, you can improve your conversions by making an effort to obtain reviews and feedback from your customers.
Platforms can assist you in organizing and managing a review campaign.
Alternatively, you can simply ask customers to leave reviews on major online review sites.
Make sure you respond as well. Your response (or lack thereof) is visible not only to the person who asked the question but also to all future local searchers who see the review.
Even negative reviews provide an opportunity to connect with the customer and demonstrate your concern to others.
10. Create Images and Videos for Competitive Keywords
Websites require content, or words, in order for search engines to understand what they are about.
However, content should go beyond words and include images and videos.
In fact, if you're having trouble ranking for competitive keywords, why not try a properly optimized video or image?
11. To Get Started, Combine Paid With Organic
It can take some time to see results if you're new to SEO.
SEO is a great long-term investment, but there are times when you need to start generating leads right away. This is where paid search can be extremely beneficial.
Set aside a budget for paid advertising while you are building up your SEO work so that you can keep the leads coming in.
Even if you have a steady flow of organic traffic to your website, you should consider running a paid search campaign alongside it.
Pay Per Click (PPC) ads can supplement your organic presence by providing placement in areas where you may not have been able to break into the top organic search results due to competition.
Summary
Even if the list of things to do appears daunting, the important thing is to begin.
Begin with the first goal that you know you can achieve.
With time, you'll discover local SEO tools that can make the tactics that are working for you faster and easier.
You'll get more inbound links from reputable local sources.
You'll be adding new blog posts and other content to your website, which will help you rank for a wider range of search terms.
And, once you've completed the introductory items on this checklist, you'll be ready to advance your SEO strategy.
You can also contact BizzDesign, a team of digital marketing experts who will offer competitive SEO services pricing and other digital solutions for your new local business or small business. BizzDesign can be reached via email at