The Long-Term SEO guide for Small Business

SEO is the tool everyone knows they need to get right but knowing where to start can be a complex and overwhelming task. With as many as 68%¹ of online experience beginning with a search engine and 70%¹ of digital marketing agencies believing that SEO is the most effective sales-generating method, the importance is undeniable!

‍

The hard part can be understanding that SEO requires time, money, and attention now for future long-term gains. Of course, using specific keywords and building your domain authority will have initial effects, but the real results can be seen further down the line. For a small business, strategically using the SEO budget is important to ensure you get ample investment return. 

‍

On average, 64%² of consumers see or interact with two to three pieces of content before making a sale, representing the importance of building a structured library full of strategic resources.

‍

At Kopa Marketing, we specialise in SEO strategy for smaller brands as our passion is to help independent and local companies thrive when competing against big names. We believe there is space for everybody online, and with some cleverly formatted content and consistent posting, you can achieve domain success.

‍

If you cover these points, you are sure to create a competitive and thriving place for your business online.

‍

1. Don’t overcomplicate your website structure and user experience 

‍

Quality over quantity SEO is all about strategically using keywords and longtail terms to drive traffic to your site. With search engines becoming increasingly saturated, having a precise and easy-to-search site index is essential. Whilst the consumer buying journey will also benefit from this, focus on quality content and use of content instead of creating lots of under-performing assets. When time and budgets are strained, work smarter and not harder.

‍

2. Create a library of content and themes throughout everything 

‍

Further to the previous point, work to create a quality content library. Consistency of keywords on product listings, relevant blog articles, and supporting pages is important to achieve strong SEO positioning. Know your keywords and be strategic when using them as repeating content or not using it in the right way will not result in better results.

‍

3. Understand your niche

‍

A big part of SEO is knowing where your brand sits and who you are targeting. With 50%³ of search results being four or more words, consumers know that the best way to find exactly what they want is to use longtail search terms, so aligning your niche with this is essential if you want to be noticed. You may also find that what people are searching for within your sector is not what you initially may have thought of!

‍

4. Don’t ignore your consumer's other buying habits

‍

In a similar sense, also knowing what your consumers are looking for outside of your brand is important. Take time and research to understand their wider buying habits so that you are competing from every possible angle. In the short term, your main focus is, of course, going to be bringing in people for sales, but in the longer term you can more likely afford to split your time and budget across both immediate and wider competitive activity which this point encompasses perfectly.

‍

5.Meta and alt tagging needs to be your new best friend

‍

Our SEO service also include meta description and alt tagging optimise as it is not just the obvious words that make an impact on your search rankings. A strategic meta description has the power to raise your organic click-throughs and receive more targeted traffic. When coupled with paid campaigns and on-page content that has been optimised, you will see the results start to come in.

‍

6.Understand it can take a while and set realistic goals for measuring results

‍

Don’t be shocked, but SEO results can take at least 6-12 months⁴ to start making an appearance. This highlights the importance of planning now for the future. You will need to ensure that strategy is incorporated into every piece of content you create and that you align this with launch dates and business activities. You will start to see smaller gains before the 6-month mark, but you should also be carrying out a full digital marketing calendar alongside any action to ensure your brand awareness is increasing across the board.

‍

7. Build links, get listed, and work on your domain authority

‍

The written word is not the only way to enhance your search engine optimisation strategy. Backlinking, cross site-linking and getting listed on various directories is a great way to share your site initially. The activity of backlinking is how you can improve your domain authority score the quickest but as long as it is only carried out on sites that relate back to your brand. If you do not carry this out properly, you could risk negative brand perception and dilute your go-to-market message.

‍

8. Use social media wisely

‍

Social media should also be used to enhance your SEO work, as the on-page content will be available within search results once posted online. Whilst the platforms do not directly impact your results, the links you share will likely offer you visibility. Finally, a positive level of engagement on social media platforms can improve your likelihood of being searched for away from the site, improving your search results. 

‍

Whilst reading that SEO is a long-term challenge may fill you with dread, hopefully, we have showcased that the concurrent activity that you create means you can work strategically in the meantime to improve your chance of seeing results. We recommend outsourcing SEO tasks due to the reactive and strategic methods needed to create effective materials unless you have a full-time in-house resource. Our marketing agency aims to showcase that SEO should not be feared and instead optimised willingly to give companies of any size the launch they need to stand out online and attract desired consumers.

‍

Contact us today to find out more.

‍

¹https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/

‍

²https://www.agencyjet.com/blog/25-local-seo-statistics-all-small-business-owners-should-know

‍

³https://techjury.net/blog/seo-statistics/#gref

‍

⁴https://www.semrush.com/blog/how-long-does-seo-take/

‍