By Bruce Freeman
The Small Business Professor.
My colleague and search engine optimization content strategist Melanie Rembrandt of Rembrandt Communications, LLC, receives this question from many small business owners: As a small business owner, how can I use SEO optimization to help my business?
A: There is a lot of buzz out there about SEO. And while it may seem pretty technical, it’s simply a way of using content so that your customers and the search engines (like Google, Bing, Yahoo! and more) can find you online.
For example, if someone types “fruit gift baskets” into a search engine, that person will receive a list of links to websites where that keyword phrase appears. And if your business shows up on the top of the list, guess where that consumer is going to go to find more information … and possibly buy your fruit-basket products?
Being at the top of the search engines is important to small businesses.
However, most small business owners don’t have time to learn or conduct full SEO activities. To avoid wasting resources, here are a few tips:
OFFER UNIQUE CONTENT IN VARIOUS WAYS
Be creative and think of all the ways you can provide your customers with the information they want. Develop articles, newsletters, tip sheets, infographics, blogs, videos, Webinars, case studies, expert interviews and more on a regular basis.
USE KEYWORD TERMS IN YOUR CONTENT
When you write your content, include titles, subtitles, headers, and quotes that use your top, keyword terms. And what are these words? At first, keep it simple and think about the words your customers would use to find your products and services online. You can conduct more detailed keyword searches or hire a professional to help you later.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Use your keywords in your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social-media posts. Also, distribute press releases, and let the media know what you are doing. You’ll boost online awareness, links back to your site and word-of-mouth that can’t be generated in any other way.
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MONITOR YOUR CONTENT
Once your content is online, use a free service like Google Analytics to track the results. Are people clicking on your content? What is the most popular content? Use this information to give your customers what they want. SEO can significantly help a small business boost online awareness cost-effectively.
For further information, please visit www.rembrandtwrites.com.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Bruce Freeman, a small business consultant, is adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Seton Hall and Kean universities. He also is co-author of “Birthing the Elephant: The Woman’s Go-For-It Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business.”
Geri Otoki
January 11, 2015 at 2:49 pm
I would like to communicate with someone on how to acquire assistance with my business growth. I was watching the TV program – Working Woman Report. The show stated there is a program that help connect people with others who will help in assisting by supplying some experience for our company.
I would welcome the communication.
WWR Editor
January 11, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Hi Geri, There are a number of outlets available. The big one being SCORE. Please feel free to connect with me directly on my email allison@workingwomanreport.com We can talk about your business and what may be the best organization for your needs.
All the best,
Allison