If you are still looking for a strategy, you are not alone. The uncertainty of the ongoing pandemic-related business disruptions and changes in consumer behavior are keeping marketers and SEO professionals on their toes.
In this article, we show you six tips from our experts on what will be important for SEO in 2022 and how small companies can also take advantage of these opportunities. From connecting businesses to sharing customer stories, here are the best tips for small businesses looking to improve their search results.
1. take advantage of emerging search trends
We advise all businesses – big or small and regardless of industry – to focus on optimizing for thematic groups of intent-based keywords at every stage of the customer journey as Google continues to refine its algorithm and its ability to determine what content searchers are really looking for. So always target the search intentions of your customer groups.
We also advise small businesses launching e-commerce through Shopify, Amazon or other such platforms to be aware of what is needed to optimize their product pages in these environments and what content is needed to complement and support their products.
Modern SEO is all about optimized content marketing, and those who can provide their customers with timely, relevant content and answers to their product-related questions will most likely improve their visibility in search.
2. plan your content carefully
It’s also a good idea for local businesses to start creating regular content on their website, if you’re not already doing so. The aim here is to think less as a local company and more as a media company as a whole and to deepen our thinking in this direction.
Although SEO is a lengthy process, it is still possible to increase speed with the right strategy and implementation. To do this, go more in-depth and less broad with your content strategy. Create unique and authoritative content. Localization is the key to findability.
So be the thought leader in your niche and use it to showcase your expertise. Trust signals will be the fundamental decision for your dominance in the rankings. Support this by getting reviews, endorsements and industry recognition. Prioritize accessibility, inclusion and user-friendliness in your messages, such as in the sales process and the customer journey.
A holistic approach is particularly recommended for small companies. For example, link email, social, PPC and content strategies with each other. This increases reach and engagement and increases the likelihood that your campaign goals will be achieved efficiently.
3. use the right keywords
For small companies in particular, it is advisable to concentrate on long-tail keywords when creating content. This strategy will give you significantly morefeatured snippets, which will drive a considerable amount of traffic to your website.
Content and links are still the most important ranking factors, regardless of which SEO trends prevail. So if you cover these keywords, you can achieve high ranking positions much faster. Paid tools also do a good job of searching for the important keywords. You can then check these and manually remove irrelevant topics.
In the last step, you should set priorities. Better to focus on less, but with a focus on quality – because that is the key. In addition: With the right keyword domain URL you will achieve even better results. If you manage to make fewer than eight changes to a page, your SEO becomes even easier.
4. connect with companies in your area
Find your niche and build connections with other small businesses in your area. Get involved with others to do something for your community. Regardless of how small a company is, there are always unique issues that can be addressed in a meaningful way. Teamwork can make a difference here.
5. share customer stories
We can’t emphasize enough how often we encourage business owners to write short stories about their daily interactions with customers at every stage of their business, from inquiries and product comparisons to actual sales or post-sales. Make these stories part of your website with basic SEO measures and share them on social media. As simple and small as this step may sound at first, it can draw more people’s attention to your brand and take you a long way forward.
Make it easy for customers by adding reminders and links to your Google Business profile, Facebook or other relevant review sites. Make sure it is completely filled out and that you use keywords in your business descriptions. Ask for reviews, and don’t forget to include all your services.
6. be imaginative
Everything you need to rank on Google is at your fingertips if you do some strategic Google searches. The formula is right there. We also recommend that small businesses and SEO professionals utilize the power of tools that automate online review requests and management, as reviews have a significant impact on local search or map pack visibility, but can take time to manage.
Rating requests can easily be triggered based on specific customer actions, such as purchases or completed appointments. Similar solutions can be used to assist in responding to reviews, which is also important to demonstrate an organization’s responsiveness.
In addition to increasing organic authority and visibility, obtaining and responding to online reviews is an increasingly important factor for business growth.
Conclusion
The only thing that is certain in 2022 is that it will continue to bring uncertainty. However, those small companies that have adapted to the needs of customers and searchers and are able to respond to them will make the biggest gains this year.