Cracking the Small Business SEO Code

A common problem that we encounter time and time again is that many small business owners don’t understand SEO and what it’s meant to achieve. Some think it’s one off and some think it’s pointless. And let’s be honest, not all SEO’s make it the easiest thing to understand (us included!)

The vast majority know that SEO is something they should be doing, mainly because they’ve heard about it from unsolicited emails, the marketing guru they met at a networking event or from one of the many business publications they get through the letter box.

Sadly, knowing you should be doing something, doesn’t immediately translate to knowing why you should be doing something. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the problems associated with Small Business SEO and what can be done about them to make the process who lot smoother for everyone involved.

What problems do Small Business owners face when it comes to investing in SEO?

• A lot of agencies with enterprise level pricing fail to understand what constitutes a reasonable budget for the typical small business. This makes it almost impossible for the business owner to foresee seeing a return on investment so they’re consequently put off the service as a whole.
• Too many companies treat SEO as a bolt on service with pre packaged deals – this approach, is obviously appealing at first glance, but 9 times out of 10 it’s not the best way to do small business SEO.
• Many business owners have been burnt in the past by previous companies that failed to deliver, which consequently makes them perceive SEO as incapable of adding value to their business.

What problems do Small Business owners create themselves when it comes to SEO?

• They don’t invest in it – SEO is a proven marketing channel for small businesses so overlooking it is a huge oversight.
• They invest in the wrong areas – ie. buying pre packaged low value, low quality services.
• They consider SEO after they’ve had a new website built – SEO should factor long before the site goes live.
• They take a policy of wait and see – “lets see how the website does on it’s own and if it doesn’t take care of itself we can have a look at SEO as phase 2 of the project” doh!
• They get too wrapped up in SEO and take it upon themselves to learn it inside, out. Blog after blog, Warrior forum posts, you name it, they’ll read it and take it as golden.

How can SEO companies help Small Business owners better understand SEO?

• Don’t just say what they think the client wants to hear to get the work – it only creates problems down the line.
• Help set realistic expectations – make it clear things don’t happen overnight, and the effects of good SEO can be extremely long lasting.
• Pitch it in a sensible, concise way, use analogies and rather than talking about technical details – talk about how it can help generate revenue for their business in the long run.

How can Small Business owners better understand SEO to get the most out of it?

• Educate themselves on the basics of off page optimisation – this can help not only in selecting the right company, but also allow them to see the value SEO can add to their business.
• Don’t rely solely on SEO for the success of their business – SEO is just part of marketing
• Read this list on what makes a good SEO client.

Whether you’re a small business owner, or an SEO – what problems have you faced?