I’ve jumped into a new rabbit hole. The complex, never-ending hole of SEO.
SEO – Search Engine Optimization – is something we all know about, but it seems only a select few know. It’s the strategy of optimizing your website to help it show up higher in search engines. ie. Google.
We love this because when people are searching for something — a problem and looking for a solution — we want to be front and center.
Where it gets complex is the tactics that big companies use to get to the top.
And as small businesses, how do we compete? How do we even get started?
In my digging, I narrowed down the necessities into a checklist that we can use to review, restart, and improve our SEO.
✅ Reboot SEO: 5-Point Checklist
✅ Review customer experience. Don’t lose sight of what people are doing on your website and how it makes them feel. Just like when they walk through your door or get you on a meeting, make it feel like you. We’re not going to load the page with keywords without it still making sense to the reader.
✅ Write content that your customers are searching for. Deliver content your customer wants to know and are looking for when they are searching.
✅ Polish your on-site technical. This is the strong foundation of the online house you’re building. It tells Google that you are who you say you are, and it shows customers what you can help.
✅ Optimize your Google Business listing. Your Google Business listing needs your targeted keywords, products, and images. (+ transfer that into Bing)
✅ Mobile-first mindset. People are most likely to view your website from mobile (check your analytics). Optimize your page, headlines, navigation, and buttons for a small screen first.
🚀 Extra: WordPress Plugin. If you have a WP website, use an SEO plug-in to make on-page optimizations possible. I like Yoast or SEOPress.
Starting with this foundation will help you feel more confident that you are on the right path. Your next steps might include writing more website content, creating backlinks, or finding more keywords to focus on.
But one thing is for sure, SEO is not something to slack on. Algorithms change, competitors change, and customer behavior changes. Schedule a check every 4-6 months.
