We asked our network of marketing experts to share their best SEO tips for small businesses in 2022, and here’s what they had to say.
If you’re still scrambling to formulate a strategy, you’re not alone. The uncertainty of ongoing pandemic-related business interruptions and changes in consumer behavior are keeping marketers and SEO pros on their toes.
To help SMBs and marketing professionals, we asked our network of experts, “What’s your best SEO tip for SMBs as we kick off 2022?”
From business networking to sharing customer stories, here are the top tips for small businesses that want to improve their search rankings.
1. Tap Emerging Search Trends
Jeff Riddall, Senior Product Manager at OneLocal, advises all businesses to focus on optimization around topical groups of intent-based keywords at each stage of their customer’s journey, as Google continues to refine its algorithm and ability to determine what content searchers are really after.
“Small businesses should look for keyword opportunities and content gaps where they can add value by answering specific questions that their customers have,” he says.
In addition, Riddall advises small businesses that are introducing ecommerce via Shopify, Amazon, or other such platforms to become aware of what is necessary to optimize their product pages in these environments and the content required to complement and support their products.
“Modern SEO is all about optimized content marketing; and those who are able to provide their customers with timely, relevant content and answers to their product-related questions are most likely to improve their visibility in search,” he adds.
2. Plan Your Content Wisely
Clarentino Aduk, Managing Director at Clarini Online Marketing, recommends that local businesses start producing content on their website on a regular basis, if they aren’t doing so already.
“They need to start thinking less as a local business and more as a media company,” she explains.
SEO consultant Anatolii Ulitovskyi says, “SEO is a long game but it’s possible to increase the speed with the right strategy and implementation.”
“Go deep and not wide in your content strategy. Build authoritative content. Localization is key for discoverability,” says Sigharth Iyer, Head of SEO at resulta.
He adds, “Be the thought leader in your niche and showcase your expertise. Trust signals will be instrumental for dominance. Get those reviews, testimonials, and industry recognition. Prioritize accessibility, inclusion, and user experience in your messaging, sales process, and customer’s journey.”
Rebekah Conway, Content Executive at Sweet Digital, recommends that small businesses take a holistic approach.
“Link your email, social, PPC, and content strategies together to increase reach and engagement, and increase the chances of campaign goals being met,” she says.
3. Use The Right Keywords
Shiva Kumar Vogalaboyina, Sr. Digital Marketing Analyst (PPC Expert) at Visaka Industries Limited, suggests small businesses to focus on long-tail keywords when creating content. This strategy will help you earn more featured snippets that will drive a good amount of traffic to your website.
Ulitovskyi agrees and adds, “Content and links are still the main ranking factors. So, covering these keywords helps to get ranking positions faster. Paid tools provide a good job of finding such keywords. Then check out manually and filter out irrelevant topics.”
