Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a technique utilised to ensure that websites appear prominently on the listings of search engines. The higher the ranking on the results page and the more frequently that a site shows up on the pages, the more visitors a site can accumulate. In relation to marketing for example, expert management of SEO can result in a myriad of visitors who could fast become loyal customers.
When the owners of small businesses think about diving into the world of SEO, they often become frustrated or intimidated. They can witness huge corporations and businesses taking the lead in search engine rankings and wonder how they can compete. Large companies may have a huge cash sum to spend on marketing, talented full-time employees who manage their campaigns and years of experience. As such, they’ve had time to cement their status on the internet.
Coming to this realisation, you may be under the impression that your smaller establishment, with its limited resources and new presence, has no chance to increase its SEO ranks. This is far from the truth though, as there are a number of distinct advantages that smaller companies have over their competiton. It is possible to make a really good impression and establish a beneficial position.
To begin with, as a small business, you are likely to focus on a much more specific niche. Larger business, such as Home Depot for example, may cater towards general homeowners that have general needs like repairs and plumbing issues, in order to target high-traffic but generalised key word phrases.
In contrast, a local hardware shop may offer more hands-on help and cater to specific businesses and homes that exist in its community. Because of this, it makes more sense for small companies to optimise for long-tail keywords that may not get as much volume, but are far more targeted and less competitive.
Since most small establishments are locally owned and operated, they can take advantage of local SEO. This operates on a different algorithm, producing three relevant results which caters to the user’s query. For a query, Google selects the top three relevant local businesses and lists their names in addition to options for websites, directions and a direct number.
While large companies have spent ages building their reputation around landmark key words and specialist areas, it leaves them with less flexibility if they decide to try something new. The smaller businesses, which possess more bite-sized key word targets and a fresh domain authority, can adjust strategies regularly and try new things.
As they try to make themselves known, small establishments have a certain amount of novelty attached to them, especially if they’re a start-up. When people find websites for places like Wal-Mart, they aren’t that interested or surprised and are more than likely just looking for something in particular. Once they find something more unique and local though, their interest peaks, which can lead to more user interactions, indirectly increasing the rankings as a result.
At Web Consultancy we have a lot of experience with local as well as national SEO and can provide support for a wide array of clients. If you have any questions please feel free to contact a member of our team for a chat.