Digital marketing. It’s as critical to your business as your product itself. The question is: what are you doing to maintain it?
It’s no longer enough for a small business to rely on an attractive website and social media presence to draw traffic. Times have changed and so has the digital landscape. Visitors have grown more savvy. More discerning. And they can tell within a matter of seconds whether or not they’re going to pay attention to what you have to offer. 8 seconds, to be precise.
8 seconds. That’s a shorter attention span than a goldfish.
It might seem like digital marketing is a virtually indecipherable language. But it’s less complicated than you might think. SEO marketing, for example. At its most basic, all it refers to is how to effectively optimize your content for higher search engine rankings. And optimal content demands optimal strategies. If you’re a small business owner, here are 5 easy SEO tips you can start implementing right now to boost your traffic—and your sales.
Small Business SEO Tip # 1: Content Demands Consistency
In digital marketing, it’s not cash which is king. It’s content. And your content can only stand apart from your competitors if it’s consistent.
Consistent content means singular content. It’s what gives authority across all digital channels—mobile, web, social media and paid ads. If you’re trying to tailor each outreach to target a different demographic, don’t. Not only will it confuse potential visitors, but it sends a clear cut message you have no idea what you’re doing.
Small Business SEO Tip # 2: Make Certain Your Business Goals Are Aligned With Your Marketing Strategy
Alignment means carefully evaluating and reevaluating both your objectives, your strategy and its success rate.
Not every small business will benefit from a social media presence, for example. Specifically, businesses which skew towards an older, more traditional customer base. Spending hundreds of dollars on Facebook ads in an attempt to reinvent yourself is simply wasting time and energy if your industry has historically relied on word of mouth advertising and customer referrals. Which doesn’t mean your clientele aren’t digitally savvy. Simply remember: SEO is about optimization, not revolution.
Small Business SEO Tip # 3: Review How Search Engines Are Displaying Results
Not just your results. Your competition’s, as well.
If the scope of your business is geographically local but your primary keyword strategy results in large international companies ranking on the first few pages, you need to reevaluate whether your focus and your marketing efforts are fully aligned. If search engines pull image-rich content as opposed to text, pictures and video should be the focus of your campaign. Again, consistency is critical when it comes to SEO content.
Small Business SEO Tip # 4: Comprehensive Audits Bring Comprehensive Results
If the digital landscape changes every other week, then so should your marketing strategies. And the only way to keep up with changing trends is through effective and comprehensive SEO audits.
You need to discover what’s working for you—and what isn’t. SEO isn’t a static phenomenon. It’s as much a reflection of your customer base as it is of your competition. What works for you today simply will not work for you tomorrow. If you’re finding that your marketing efforts towards one specific channel are not drawing consistent traffic, reevaluate whether or not it’s worth your time and effort. Streamline, and realign your efforts accordingly.
Small Business SEO Tip # 5: Cheaper Is Rarely Better
If you’re a small business owner just dipping your toes into the unknown waters of SEO, you may be tempted to conduct your strategy in-house. And with luck, it may turn out to be initially successful. But initial success isn’t always long term. In order to develop authority, you need to establish an authoritative voice. And that only comes through time and evaluation. In house efforts rarely challenge you. They rarely point out your strengths and weaknesses.
In order to strategize effectively, you need an outside pair of eyes who are willing to work with you on a long term basis. A pair of eyes who can spot trends before they occur. A pair of eyes with a consistent track record. Everything else is second guessing. And in small business SEO, success is measured by results—not guessing.
And that’s what separates you from your competitors.
Need more SEO tips for your small business? At No Joke Marketing, we don’t just specialize in keeping up with digital trends. We make them. Whether it’s driving leads through strategic prospect targeting or maximizing your current outreach efforts, we’re as serious about your business as you are. Find out more at nojokemarketing.com
