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Q: Can you do SEO for free?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A: <\/strong>Yes! Affordable small business SEO does exist. In fact you can effectively manage your own SEO for free. SEO is a series of steps taken to optimize the content on your website (on-page SEO) combined with off page strategies that are completely free. For small businesses, implementing Local SEO strategies is the best use of your time and gives you the biggest value for your effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although we at Alliance Virtual Offices<\/a> do not provide small business SEO services directly, we do implement and maintain local SEO and global SEO strategies on a daily basis. We know what strategies work for us, and as a business-to-business provider, we\u2019ve seen what works for small businesses. Today\u2019s companies can no longer survive on bare bones business practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While taking out newspaper ads and having a static website featuring your basic offerings is great, it\u2019s not enough to thrive in today\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As more people stay at home and high-risk individuals want to continue purchasing their favorite products online, the digitization of our economy has never been more evident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pandemic is still part of our daily reality, and it\u2019s becoming more clear that the way we live, socialize, and purchase products will never return back to pre-pandemic normalcy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses no longer have the option but to adapt to the increasingly distributed nature of our world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And what does that mean exactly? Digitization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses need <\/em>an online presence to survive in this day and age, and the best way to stand out amongst the sea of competitors is to have the best search engine optimization (SEO) strategies on your side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related<\/strong>: Top Website Benefits for Small Businesses<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n But what is SEO? And how can it help your small business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEO is simply a process that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small business SEO is one of the key ways for companies to bolster their revenue in an affordable way, especially as people continue to do a large portion of their shopping online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s clear that businesses are taking notes and looking for new ways of adopting a more online-centric approach to ensure that they are still piquing the interest of local customers, while also broadening their reach to new customers outside of their market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if your company relies on walk-in business, having an online presence and proper SEO makes it easier to stay afloat during pandemic-related restrictions and attract potential customers when it\u2019s safe to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital adoption is inevitable, with research from McKinsey finding that society was catapulted five years into the future in terms of consumer and business digital adoption<\/a> in just eight weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although lockdowns won\u2019t last forever and in some parts of the world, we are seeing a slight return to normalcy as vaccines become more readily available to the public, the future of the economy will be anything but a return of what we once knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why SEO plays a critical role for the sustainability and longevity of businesses, no matter the industry or size of companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isn\u2019t SEO reserved for technologically-centric companies?<\/p>\n\n\n\n While some may be skeptical and think SEO is just excessive usage of digital tools, it can grow the exposure of your business in ways that can\u2019t be done tangibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEO has the ability to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without SEO, your company\u2019s website can easily get lost in the sea of the billions of websites that exist online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And this means more than standing out in the global economy \u2014 it can also impact how you stand up to competitors in your local area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, the importance of local SEO should not be understated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only do you gain the benefits of general SEO, you also have the ability to better cater to your community and compete with businesses that operate within the same niche in your geographic area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on your surrounding environment is crucial, as research from web design company Go Gulf has shown that 46% of all Google searches<\/a> are looking for local information and 86% of consumers used the internet to find a local business.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Even more staggering, 2019 research from Think with Google<\/a> revealed that \u201cwhere to buy\u201d and \u201cnear me\u201d Google inquiries shot up over 200% vs the two years prior. This shows that people are relying heavily on search engines to find local businesses that they can purchase from.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n But how do you guide those customers into your lap?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on your surrounding environment is crucial, as research from web design company Go Gulf has shown that 46% of all Google searches<\/a> are looking for local information and 86% of consumers used the internet to find a local business.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n Even more staggering, 2019 research from Think with Google<\/a> revealed that \u201cwhere to buy\u201d and \u201cnear me\u201d Google inquiries shot up over 200% vs the two years prior. This shows that people are relying heavily on search engines to find local businesses that they can purchase from.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n As you\u2019re probably aware, the internet is vast and can point searchers in various directions for their inquiries, so in order to grasp the attention of your potential customers, you need to give them instant access to your company\u2019s information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People are not interested in doing deep research or calling a business to find out the basics a company has to offer. Local shoppers want quick access to everything your company is about, such as business hours, address, location, the products and services you offer, your current stock, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they can\u2019t get that information in a timely manner, they are guaranteed to find another business that does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And in the case that they do show up to your store and don\u2019t find what they need, you are almost certain to lose them as a customer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Word spreads fast, and one poor customer experience can cause a domino effect that impacts your company\u2019s reputation in your community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m sure you understand the importance of SEO now. That\u2019s great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how <\/em>do you implement the most optimal SEO strategy? While it may seem complicated to improve your online standing, you don\u2019t have to be a computer whiz to enhance your business\u2019 virtual presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To execute the best SEO strategies, start here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure your website does not have any broken links or empty and missing pages. Using Google Search Console<\/a> is a great, free way to find these errors along with a multitude of other important data.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n A meta title or HTML title tag<\/a> defines the title of a page on your website. Titles are displayed on search engines as clickable headers. The title tag is oftentimes the same as the primary header (H1) on a page. Ensure your title includes the primary keyword<\/a> you\u2019d like to target for that page. There are free resources like UberSuggest, Moz Keyword Explorer<\/a> and Google Keyword Planner<\/a> that can help you conduct research that relate to your business and can help you identify the most commonly searched keywords to include on your website.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Create a separate web page for each product or service you offer<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n 200 words. Meeting this word count makes it easier for you to fit in primary keywords that help boost your web\u2019s presence on search results. Use a word counter <\/a>to easily track your content length as you write.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Proofread to make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors. Eliminating any grammatical or spelling mistakes shows attention to detail and fills out a reputation of professionalism.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n This helps direct the flow of traffic to other relevant pages, and helps search engines crawl your entire site. Additionally, any time another website links to your page, that \u201cequity\u201d will be shared through to the other pages you link to.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Utilize website design that is user-friendly and speedy. Find tools that can give you a better insight into how fast your website is running and whether it is mobile-friendly. Start a website blog that nurtures discussion about your company\u2019s products and services. Creating a blog is a great way to engage your customers and nurture a community of people who share interests.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n All of these methods can help you amplify your presence online, thus boosting your reputation and conversion rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that oftentimes, people are searching for products and services within their own area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want your company to appear as one of the top search results when someone inquires about services within your industry, it\u2019s important to narrow down your SEO strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you want to go further and enhance your local SEO, include the tools above, then focus on your direct surroundings to grow your reputation within the community and neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Admittedly, taking a more narrow approach to your SEO strategy could leave you thinking, \u201cHow specific do I need to be for optimal local SEO?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer to this requires you to focus on the three main aspects of local SEO<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to answer these questions, companies will need to submit NAP (name, address, and phone number) citations, which are simply just online listings of your company, to various online platforms. Doing so is a good starting point for optimizing your local SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Submitting accurate, updated information about your company not only increases your brand awareness<\/a>, it also can help your overall search engine rankings, like on Google Search and Google Maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you run a remote business<\/a> and operate from home, you\u2019re probably thinking\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This guide is your first step on a path that extends your brand\u2019s reach and drives leads to your small business website through free search engine traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat Makes SEO Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Focusing](\"https:\/\/www.alliancevirtualoffices.com\/virtual-office-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/24.png\" "\\"Focusing")
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nEasy Affordable Small Business SEO Strategies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Uh oh! <\/em>404 Page Not Found<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
\n\n\n\nMeta title and Meta description on every web page<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
A meta description<\/a> is a brief explanation of the content on the page. This is often displayed as the description you see on search engine results underneath the page\u2019s title. Include your primary keyword in your meta description, and entice searchers to click yours versus your competitors\u2019.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWrite High Quality, Keyword Rich Copy<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
\n\n\n\nProduct Pages<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
\n\n\n\nMaintain Minimum Content Length<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
\n\n\n\nSpelling and Grammar Check<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
\n\n\n\nLink Your Pages Together<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
\n\n\n\nUX and Page Speed<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
This is essential as research has shown that 40% of consumers<\/a> will abandon a website that takes three or more seconds to load.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFoster Connections & Engage Online<\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nGetting Started With Local SEO for Small Businesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/strong>Is the business close enough to the searcher to be the most optimal result for their inquiry?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Which businesses are the most prominent among the results the searcher was looking for?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Does this business provide or sell the product or service that the searcher is seeking?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n