We Wrote the Book on Small Business SEO

We Wrote the Book on Small Business SEO

Introducing a Small Business Owner’s Handbook for Online Success

Overview

Small business owners manage a wide range of responsibilities, from early planning to bringing their business ideas to life.

As a company that started small, LinkNow Media understands the effort you put in every day. We also know that when reliable answers are available and trusted industry advice is within reach, there's no need to approach things the hard way.

Our book, The Ultimate Guide To Marketing Online, makes it possible to wade through all the conflicting information you’ve seen and heard about online marketing and master the fundamentals of search engine optimization (SEO).

We’re excited to give you a sneak peek at what you can expect to learn from it in this blog.

Introduction

Our book provides straightforward answers to your key questions about building a website for your brand. It explains how to use SEO to your advantage and create engaging content. You'll learn how to harness the power of a well-thought-out social media presence. Finally, it guides you in climbing the ranks of Google and other major search engines to establish industry authority and reach a larger audience.

We’ve stuffed this guide full of practical advice you can use to skyrocket to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s concise, relevant, and packed with information you can use to put your website in front of your target audience when they ask questions about your business or similar products and services online.

Don’t settle for advice that won’t work because it isn’t tailored to your goals when we’ve cleared your path to connecting with a larger audience online.

How Do You Make a Website for Your Small Business?

Intuitive website design improves user experience (UX) and makes the information on your site more accessible. Chapter 1 of our book covers setting up your website, securing a domain name, hosting your site, and optimizing it to increase sales and conversions.

Your website is the foundation of all your company does online. It pays to put in the effort to create a space that’s easy to access, navigate, and reference back to. Our book’s first chapter covers it all, guiding you through the fundamentals of setting up a site that’s simple for users and Google’s crawlers to find and use.

The introduction page for Chapter 4 of our book

What Is SEO?

It may be a buzzword you’re getting tired of hearing, but at this point, it’s one you can no longer afford to ignore. If you’ve been looking for cutting-edge information about what SEO is, what it looks like, and how to do it today, you’ll find an in-depth explanation in our book in chapters 4 through 8.

This section covers why SEO is so important and the differences between local and organic SEO. It also breaks SEO down into sections that include instructions for making changes to on-page, technical, and off-page SEO.

What Can You Do to Get Your Website to Show Up on Google?

The truth is, we wrote this book because we hear this question so often.

Our whole book is a treasure trove of guidance on exactly what to do to appear in and propel your business to the top of major search engine results pages. However, there are some key areas we want to draw your attention to that will help you get your website showing up and ranking well on Google.

The first is setting up your Google Business Profile (GBP). This is such a critical step that we’ve dedicated an entire chapter to guiding you through the process. Dig into our book’s second chapter for instructions on how to set up your GBP, verify it with Google, optimize it, get and respond to reviews, and create eye-catching posts.

An except from page 10 of "The Ultimate Guide To Marketing Online"

 

Once your GBP is set up, chapters 3 through 8 provide the key strategies to improve your search engine rankings. Here, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the importance of citations and how to present unified contact information across all platforms. You’ll also learn how to build high-quality backlinks and identify which ones hold the most weight. Additionally, we explain core web vitals, why they matter, and how to monitor them. We also cover how content marketing can move the needle on where you land in SERPs.

You’ll learn how to make UX and SEO-based adjustments that show Google and your website readers you’re an industry authority who deserves a top spot or a special mention (like a featured snippet) and a click or a call.

Why Are Correct Citations Important?

Chapter 3 is where you’ll find detailed explanations and instructions on how to pull off one of the most important parts of online marketing. Citations count as any mention of your business online. This could be on social media, in an online directory, or a mention of your business on a third-party website. Google is the most universally known online directory, but there are plenty more, like Yelp, Facebook, and the Better Business Bureau, to name a few.

Making sure your business information, including name, address, and phone number (NAP), appears correctly and consistently across all mentions is the best way to show users and search engines you’re the real deal. Dive into chapter 3 of our book to learn more about how online directories get this information wrong so often, how to update your information, and how to audit your citations to make sure they’re not holding you back from a better page rank and that people are finding the right contact information for your business.

What Is Backlink Building?

Backlinks ring true to their name because they’re links found anywhere else on the internet that take users to your website. In the past, you could leave a link anywhere, and they’d all add up, but times have changed, and now, you want to make sure you’re linking your pages to authoritative sites that lend your site credibility and position you as an industry leader. Chapter 3 (pages 60 through 67) holds all the information you need to learn how to get backlinks that show search engines and users you know your stuff and drive more qualified users to your site.

Keeping an Eye on Your Core Web Vitals

Google uses measuring parameters like core web vitals to decide whether your page provides a good experience and should receive a favorable rank.

In chapter 3, on page 56, we break down the three top aspects Google uses to evaluate UX.

These include:

  1. Load speed
  2. Interactivity
  3. Visual stability

This chapter also contains instructions on how to speed up page loading times, improve interactions with buttons that work (as and when they’re supposed to), and keep your site from jumping around while it loads or when people interact.

How Does Content Marketing Improve Your Search Rank?

Chapter 8 is your road map to empowering your business with a solid content marketing strategy. Promoting your business online may come in the form of educational guides, informative blogs, or transactional sales and product pages. The main thing to remember is that your goal isn’t to tell people as much about your business as possible. Your content’s purpose is to answer their specific questions, address their concerns, and help them make informed choices that move them further along through their buyer’s journey.

Just remember, even the best content marketing strategies can fall short if the content you’ve published isn’t cutting it. Read on to learn how to create optimized web content that solidifies your digital presence, connects searchers to the information they desire, and adds to your brand’s excellent credibility.

Step By Step Instructions for Creating SEO-Optimized Web Content

By the time you reach chapter 8, you’ll find valuable insights on content creation. Our book covers how to identify the best topics and what pitfalls to avoid. You’ll learn how to research your competition, spot what’s working for them, and apply it to your strategy without copying.

We also explain how to use search engines and tools like the Reddit keyword tool to generate fresh content ideas that show your business has its finger on the pulse of what users want.

How Do You Rank for More Relevant Keywords?

Now that you know where to go to find the keywords that will connect you with users who are most likely to convert, you need to know how to pick the best keywords to build your pages and posts around. Let our on-page SEO specialists explain how to understand and harness the power of keyword search intent in chapter 2 and chapter 8.

We also break down how to find keywords in chapter 5 and lay out some content strategies you should absolutely avoid at all costs (chapter 8). We’ve included some instructions on what should be included on a well-optimized landing page to round out the 8th chapter of our book and give you a good handle on where to aim.

Our book equips you to create content that meets your target audiences’ needs, is easy to access, and satisfies search engines’ algorithmic requirements, but that’s not all the gold we’ve mined and put to paper for you.

Next, we tell you how to use the content you’ve created to make a splash with the help of social media.

Why Is Social Media a Good Way to Promote Your Business?

If it seems like everybody and their cat has a social media account, it’s because these days, it’s true. It’s also true that there are a lot of opinions out there about how businesses should use these platforms to engage with target audiences. What will work best for your brand?

Rather than taking a shot in the dark, find out what you need to know about social media marketing, what it is, and how to do it in chapter 9. Here, we cover which platforms you should pay attention to, how to choose those that your target audiences frequent, and how to build your social media presence in a meaningful way.

When you’re done with this chapter, you’ll know how to register your business to set up an account on social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. You’ll learn how to set up your business profile and what to include in it, and how to create social media posts people are happy to engage with. We also explain how advertising on social media works and walk you through launching a Facebook ad and reviewing its impact using FB’s analytics and insights tools.

The order in which paid ads, the Local Pack, and organic results typically show up on the results page.

How Do Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing Solutions Work?

Don’t let the thought of paying for advertising overwhelm you. PPC marketing has turned the traditional ad sales model on its head. In this form of advertising, you don’t have to spend anything until someone clicks on your ad, and you can set your budget to spend as little or as much as you’d like.

Chapter 10 lays out all the principles you need to know to be successful, how to use PPC platforms like Google Ads, and details some of the best practices that will keep you from getting frustrated with the process. If you’re just wading into the waters of PPC marketing for the first time, let our book be your life raft.

After reading chapter ten and putting our tips into practice, you’ll be glad you did.

Advanced SEO Strategies Explained

We’ve saved the best for last because these advanced SEO strategies wouldn’t be as easy for you to implement without first understanding the pillars of SEO. By chapter 11, you’ll be ready to learn advanced strategies. We’ll show you how to repurpose outdated content and make an impact with visual search. You’ll also discover how to include multiple keywords in title tags naturally. Additionally, we cover how to increase your chances of being selected for a featured snippet by Google.

Here’s an overview of the additional steps you can take to improve user experience, increase your site’s SEO rank, and boost your page rank in SERPs:

How Do You Repurpose Content?

Your content should be relevant and engaging, there’s no reason to spend all your resources reinventing the wheel. Your site may already be teeming with information about your business, products, and services. How can you repurpose this aging content to make it fresh and relevant?

Increase Your Content’s Word Count to Deepen the Topic

Don’t underestimate the value of extending older pages. Google loves to see content updates, and users appreciate detailed information they can use to make informed decisions about products and services they need or are interested in. In chapter 11, our SEO and content specialists give you tips you can use to keep information on your site evergreen.

Give Your Old Website Content a Format Makeover

The world is full of people with different preferences about how they best like to consume information. Why not use this to your advantage? In chapter 11, we help you uncover the value of presenting the same information across different formats to put your message in front of a larger audience.

Break Up Large Content Blocks Into Separate Pages of Digestible Content

When users encounter “a wall of words,” they usually come to a hard stop. Even if the information therein would be helpful, there’s nothing more uninspiring than a big block of text. It’s a hard sell.

Our book gives you tips on breaking up complex topics or large content blocks into their own pages and the value you can capture when you take this approach.

What Is Visual Search: Who’s Using It and How Can You Leverage It?

Visual search allows users to search for information using images instead of text. Users can instantly access details like product information, similar items, or relevant web pages by uploading a photo or pointing their camera at an object.

Powered by artificial intelligence and image recognition, visual search revolutionizes how people discover and shop for products. It’s gaining traction among major platforms like Google Lens, Pinterest, and Amazon, where users leverage it for everything from finding outfit and recipe inspiration to identifying plants or landmarks.

Retailers and e-commerce businesses are also adopting this technology, enabling customers to find and purchase items simply by snapping a photo. In our book’s closing chapter, our search gurus have given you three top tips on harnessing visual search—now is your chance to get in on the action.

How Do You Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag?

Every page on your website should have a unique title tag. Are you making the most of the rank opportunities this space gives your business? In our book’s last chapter, we teach you how to slip more than one keyword into your titles—without coming across like a robot. There are nuances to getting this right, so be sure to check out our advice on page 111 before putting this wisdom into practice.

How Do You Target Featured Snippets?

Getting a featured snippet is like earning Google’s top prize because this coveted placement makes your company stand out above standard search results, giving your business instant credibility and visibility.

An example of a featured snippet on Google

Featured snippets provide concise, authoritative answers to users’ questions, positioning your business as an expert in your field while driving significant traffic. Are you curious how to position your company to claim this prime digital real estate? The Ultimate Guide To Marketing Online gives you the strategies and techniques you need to know.

LinkNow Media Case Studies: The Proof Is in the Pudding

We get it. You want receipts. That makes sense to us. Thankfully, around here, the proof is in the pudding.

LinkNow Media recently conducted a few case studies to illustrate our digital marketing prowess. In one, we tracked results for an electrical business that, when it joined LinkNow, had 0 keywords ranking on Google. In just four short years, they’re now ranking for over 1,000 keywords in the top 50 spots.

To turn things around for them, we identified these challenges:

  • Conflicting online citations
  • No website
  • Inconsistent branding across platforms
  • Competitive market (Chicago)

Then, we put together a personalized strategy to resolve problems and give them a strong digital platform and presence.

This included:

  • •Website development: Building them an SEO-optimized, user-friendly website
  • •Citation and branding cleanup: Auditing and cleaning up their digital footprint (correcting citations, unifying branding across platforms)
  • •Targeted marketing plan: Tailoring a digital marketing plan to their goals (targeted keyword research, custom content creation, link-building, Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization.

The results? Steady, measurable growth. This electrical business went from invisible to thriving online, with its digital platform working as a 24/7 marketing engine. Want to know how we can help your business achieve similar success?

Read more about actionable digital marketing strategies for small and medium businesses in The Ultimate Guide To Marketing Online. Of course, if you don’t have time to get into a book, you can always give our SEO, web development, and online marketing specialists a call at +1 888-667-7186 for help turning challenges into opportunities and growth.

Sasha Peck

Author: Sasha Peck

About Sasha Peck

About Sasha Peck: Sasha is an Editor and Content Specialist who infuses more than a decade of digital marketing and on-page SEO experience into every word. She holds a Diploma in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from NSCC, where she received the highest recognition award for her marketing abilities. Sasha is constantly motivated to create streamlined user experiences and is a master of mining and selecting impactful keywords to boost engagement and generate leads and conversions. When she’s not innovating on her keyboard, she enjoys gardening, cooking, construction, and science documentaries.