SEO Tips for Non-Experts: Quick Wins to Boost Your Rankings and Small Business Visibility

You’ve probably heard about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and you know it’s important for your business, but you might be unsure where to start. In this article, we’ll cover beginner-friendly SEO tips that small business owners, like you, can implement on their own to improve Google rankings and boost your website’s visibility.

SEO in a Nutshell for Busy Small Business Owners

Simply put, SEO refers to the way your website content (text, photos, videos) is structured so that Google or other search engines can easily understand it. If search engines can’t “read” or find consistency in your content, it becomes difficult for them to identify what your website is about.

How Do Search Engines Find My Website?

Search engines like Google use complex algorithms to determine which websites show up in search results for specific queries. The process can be broken down into three main stages: crawling, indexing, and ranking.

1. Crawling: Search engines use automated bots, often called crawlers or spiders, to browse the web. These bots move from one website to another by following links, much like how you would navigate between pages by clicking hyperlinks. They “crawl” your website to gather information about its content, structure, and overall relevance. Think of crawlers like little robots scurrying around the web, gathering information about your site.

   • Crawlers discover new pages by following internal links (links within your site) and external links (links from other websites). This is why having a well-structured internal linking strategy and getting backlinks from reputable sites are crucial for SEO.

     
     

2. Indexing: Once a search engine bot crawls your site, the next step is indexing. Indexing is the process by which search engines store and organize the information they’ve found. Think of it like a giant library: when a page is indexed, it’s stored in the search engine’s "library" so it can be retrieved later when a user searches for relevant terms.

   • Not all pages that are crawled will be indexed. For example, if the page contains duplicate content or doesn’t provide valuable information, the search engine might decide not to index it. This is why it’s important to create high-quality, unique content.

     
     

3. Ranking: The final stage is ranking. When a user performs a search, search engines use algorithms to determine which of the indexed pages are the most relevant. This relevance is based on hundreds of factors, including keywords, page load time, mobile-friendliness, and the number of backlinks pointing to the page. The more relevant and high-quality the content, the better chance it has of ranking higher in the search results.

   • For example, if your website contains a blog post about "leave-in conditioner for dry hair" and the user searches for that specific term, search engines will assess how relevant your content is to the query based on keyword usage, content quality, and links to your page.

     
     

How Can You Help Search Engines Find Your Website?

There are several ways to ensure search engines can easily crawl and index your website:

• Create a Sitemap: A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website, helping crawlers navigate your site more effectively. Tools like Google Search Console allow you to submit your sitemap directly to Google for faster indexing.

• Optimize Your Robots.txt File: A robots.txt file tells search engines which pages on your website they should or shouldn’t crawl. For example, if you have a login page or internal admin section, you can block search engines from crawling it by adding rules to the robots.txt file.

• Use Descriptive URLs: The URLs of your website pages should be clear, concise, and descriptive. For example, a URL like www.yourwebsite.com/leave-in-conditioner-dry-hair is much better for SEO than www.yourwebsite.com/page1234.

• Focus on High-Quality Backlinks: Backlinks (links from other websites to yours) are a crucial factor in how search engines evaluate your website’s authority and relevance. The more high-quality, relevant backlinks you have, the more search engines will see your site as trustworthy, improving your rankings.

• Keep Content Fresh and Updated: Search engines favor websites that are regularly updated with fresh content. By maintaining an active blog and adding new articles or updating old ones, you can signal to search engines that your website is current and relevant.

Google Search Console

So, what’s next? You’ve got a website, but how do you know if search engines can find and understand your content? That’s where Google Search Console (GSC) comes in.

GSC helps you see what pages are indexed and how Google views them. You can also request indexing for new or updated pages to speed up the process. The tool shows the keywords people use to find your website and alerts you to any issues, such as broken links. If you haven’t set it up yet, connect your site to GSC today!

An alternative to GSC is Ubersuggest, which offers a comprehensive SEO solution, including a free trial to test its features. Additionally, Google Keyword Planner can help you find relevant keywords to guide your content strategy.

Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions

Meta titles and descriptions may seem like small details, but they play a big role in whether your website gets clicks. They are like your website’s elevator pitch—make them catchy and informative! Here’s how to optimize them.

1. Use your focus key word in both, meta titles and descriptions.

2. Be punctual on the limits of length: 60 characters for title tag, around 160 for meta description.

When writing content, it’s important to follow best practices to ensure search engines can read your site properly. Text formatting not only helps your visitors but also signals to search engines what’s important. Here are some quick tips:

1. Only use one H1 title per page, and make sure it includes your main keyword.

2. Use formatting tools like bold, italic, or underline to emphasize key points.

3. Include internal links to guide visitors to other relevant content, such as product pages or blog posts.

4. Enrich your content with photos, videos, or embedded media to keep your pages engaging.

Optimizing Photos

Photos and videos add value to your site, but they can also slow it down if not optimized. Large file sizes can hurt your site’s speed and, in turn, your ranking. My favorite free tool for image compression is TinyJPG. Try it and let me know in the comments how you find it.

Also, remember to include alt text for all images. Alt text helps search engines understand what the image is about and ensures accessibility for people using screen readers.

Basic Link Building Strategies

As mentioned earlier, links are crucial for SEO. Internal linking (links to other pages on your site) helps guide both visitors and search engines through your content. For example, if you have a blog, you can link specific keywords to relevant product or service pages.

Keep in mind that 3 - 5 links per article are ideal. Overloading your content with links can decrease readability and increase your bounce rate.

Focus Keywords

When creating new content, think about the keywords that are most relevant to your small business. For example, if you’re a hairdresser with an online shop, you could write about products or ingredients that are beneficial for certain hair types.

Instead of targeting a broad keyword like “hairdresser,” focus on long-tail keywords like "leave-in conditioner for dry hair." These specific keywords will attract more relevant traffic, help improve your Google rankings, and establish you as an expert in your niche.

Ready? Go!

SEO doesn’t have to be complicated, and by following these beginner SEO tips, small business owners can start seeing improvements in their website’s visibility. Whether you’re optimizing your images, focusing on long-tail keywords, or building internal links, these small changes can make a big impact on your rankings.

Looking for expert help with your SEO? Let’s chat!