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Small business SEO is something that all SMEs need to keep in mind in 2025. The digital economy cannot be ignored, whether you’re a localised high-street staple or beginning your journey as an online seller.
Ranking within search engines is an essential facet of making an impact on your industry, with countless purchases and inquiries starting from Google and its competitors.
This article will offer insights into some of the core strategies small businesses should use to maximise their SEO. It should help guide some next steps, whether enacting a process independently or seeking out small business SEO services from a reputable provider.
Small Business SEO Marketing Should Take a Local Focus
Every business starts small, which generally means locally, especially if you have a physical storefront. Your goal shouldn’t be to rank as the number one “bowling alley” in the world if you’re only running one small operation in Scunthorpe.
Local SEO for small business owners should be the focus, ensuring you can capture the attention of a nearby audience and build the core following you need.
Enacting Local Keyword Research
SEO services for small businesses should include a significant focus on keyword research. This should consider what your potential customers are likely to be searching for concerning your business.
This could be anything from “dog grooming in Manchester” to “tailors in east London”. Research, using tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, needs to be followed by integration into website landing pages, blog content and other on-page content elements.
Extra tips for this process include doing competitor keyword research, listing long-tail (longer phrases) local SEO keywords and checking Google’s “People Also Ask” box.
On-page Small Business SEO
Once research is done, content and technical SEO need to be approached with proper on-page SEO techniques, such as:
- Ensuring mobile friendliness
- Hosting fast-loading websites
- Creating high-quality, informative and relevant content
- Never include duplicate or plagiarised content
- Ensure readability with keyword-rich headings, paragraphs and concise language
- Keep URLs short
- Create an internal linking system
- Image alt texts using keywords
These are essential practices for enacting any size of SEO strategy.
Creating a Google Business Profile
SEO and small business digital presence need to be supported with a Google Business Profile, which has been verified and established with accurate information like:
- Business name
- Address
- Website links
- Phone number
- Industry category
- High-quality photography
- Concise descriptions
- Operational hours
- Key product listings
You should further support your Google presence by generating and responding to reviews (which should be positive if you’re doing things properly).
Google Reviews are vital for local business visibility, as your nearby population isn’t going to seek out businesses without some sort of traceable reputation.
Off-Page Small Business SEO for Increased Authority
Beyond your on-page SEO, small business digital presence building has to be focused on establishing authority across multiple online channels.
This can include simple things, like ensuring consistency in name, address, phone number and other details across any online directories and listings that you show up on.
It can also include more expansive strategies like securing backlinks on other reputable websites, showing up on local news outlets or guest blogging on industry channels.
It can also be important to establish a clear social media presence, as this will help to drive traffic to your site and increase searches in general.
Begin Your Small Business SEO Journey Today
All of these approaches require continuous attention and consistency, which can be difficult if you’re a small business spinning a lot of plates.
If you’re in need, make sure to seek out a reputable agency with a strong history of supporting small businesses.
These seasoned pros should be able to generate the impacts that your business needs to thrive locally.