Search Engine Optimization and content creation can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re running a small or niche business. With countless strategies, technical requirements, and ever-changing algorithms, it’s easy to get lost in the complexity. You don’t need to implement everything all at once. We’ll run through some examples of high-impact SEO strategies tailored to different types of businesses, allowing you to take that crucial first step forward and provide inspiration for your own business.
Newsletter-Based Businesses: Transform Your Existing Content
If you’re running a newsletter-based business, you’re already creating valuable content regularly – you may just need to optimize how you’re using it. Here’s your pathway to better SEO:
Platform Selection
Consider using modern newsletter platforms like Beehiiv, which automatically creates web versions of your newsletters. This feature is crucial because it makes your content discoverable by search engines, allowing you to reach a wider audience beyond your subscriber base.
Content Expansion
Take individual sections from your newsletters and expand them into comprehensive blog posts or guides. This helps you create SEO-friendly content without starting from scratch, saving you time and resources. Second, it allows you to deep-dive into topics your audience has already shown interest in, increasing engagement and loyalty. Third, it creates natural internal linking opportunities to improve your site’s overall SEO performance. Finally, it helps establish topical authority in your niche, making your site more attractive to both search engines and potential customers.
Strategic Organization
Create topic clusters around your main themes. Let’s say you write about personal finance, group your content into categories like “Investment Basics,” “Retirement Planning,” and “Debt Management.” This structure helps search engines understand the relationships between your content pieces and can lead to better rankings for related keywords. Look up EEAT when you’re ready and this is on the right step towards defining your expertise.
All-in-all, if you’re already creating great content in newsletter form, find creative ways to repurpose it so that you get the long-term traffic of SEO, not just the quick boost from email.
Local Businesses
For local businesses like barber shops, therapy practices, or local restaurants, your SEO strategy should focus heavily on local search optimization. Here’s a couple of key steps. Don’t just start creating content and think it will drive more business.
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) Optimization
Start by claiming and verifying your business listing on Google Business Profile. This step is essential for appearing in local search results and on Google Maps. Next, complete every possible field in your profile, including your business description, hours, contact information, and services offered. Add high-quality photos regularly to showcase your business and make your profile more engaging. Post updates about your business weekly to keep your profile fresh and active. Include your business hours, services, and pricing to make it easy for potential customers to find the information they need. Finally, use relevant business categories to help Google understand what your business offers.
Review Management
Actively encourage satisfied customers to leave Google reviews. Positive reviews can greatly impact your local search rankings and help build trust with potential customers. Google uses these to understand trust metrics and recommend your site through Google Maps search and local searches. Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, to show that you value customer feedback and are committed to providing excellent service. Create a simple system for requesting reviews, such as sending follow-up emails or text messages after a customer visits your business. Monitor and maintain profiles on relevant review sites for your industry, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, or industry-specific platforms. You can also provide incentives for leaving reviews.
Local Content Creation
Create location-specific service pages on your website that target keywords related to your business and geographic area. For example, a barber shop in Chicago might create pages like “Best Barber Shop in Chicago” or “Men’s Haircuts in Lincoln Park.” Some more creative ideas could be an infographic with “Haircuts that tell you which neighborhood you’re from”. Write about local events or news related to your industry to show that you’re engaged with your community and to attract local traffic. Include your city and neighborhood names naturally in your content to reinforce your local presence.
Startups: Setup a Foundation for Consistent Posting
For startups, the key is creating a sustainable content strategy that can grow with your business:
Content Platform Selection
WordPress remains one of the best choices for startups because of its flexibility and SEO-friendliness. It’s highly customizable, allowing you to tailor your site to your specific needs and preferences. WordPress also has excellent SEO plugins, such as Yoast or Rank Math, which can help optimize your content for search engines. With numerous themes and templates available, you can easily create a professional-looking site without needing extensive design skills. WordPress provides easy content management, making it simple to add, edit, and organize your content. Finally, WordPress has a large community for support, so you can find answers to your questions and get help when needed.
Keyword Strategy
Focus on low-competition opportunities to give your startup the best chance of ranking in search results. Look for long-tail keywords with lower search volumes, as these are often less competitive and more specific to your niche. Target question-based searches, such as “how to” or “what is” queries, to attract users looking for solutions to their problems. Focus on creating specific problem-solving content that addresses your target audience’s needs and pain points. Analyze competitor gaps in content coverage to find untapped opportunities and differentiate your site.
Now that you’ve prioritized, beat the SERP competition with longer, better or more visual content
Stand out by creating content that’s significantly better than what currently exists in your niche. You can look at the content currently ranking in SERPs or at your competition. Include original research or data to back up your points and provide unique insights. Provide actionable steps and solutions to help your readers implement your advice and see real results. Use expert quotes and insights to add credibility and authority to your content. Create helpful visuals and infographics to break up text, illustrate complex concepts, and make your content more shareable. Keep your content updated and relevant to ensure it remains valuable to your audience over time.
Tool Creation
This is one that we love to use at Search Alkemy. Develop useful tools that solve common problems in your niche to attract links, shares, and traffic. Start with simple calculators or checkers related to your industry, such as a “Mortgage Payment Calculator” for a real estate startup or a “Calorie Counter” for a fitness app. It’s almost like a pre-fremium model.
You can also create downloadable templates, checklists, or worksheets that help your audience complete tasks or stay organized. Build comparison tools that allow users to evaluate different products, services, or options in your niche. Offer free versions of paid tools to attract potential customers and demonstrate the value of your offerings.
The downside here is that you have to estimate and track if the cost to create and maintain these tools is worth the lead generation.
Photographers: Contextualizing your Imagery
Use of AI to Explain Photos
For photographers, combining visual content with SEO requires a unique approach. You already have content, it’s just that Google needs the context around your photo. Using AI-tools to help explain your notes is a great tactic here. Write bullet points related to the post, and place into Claude to help you contextualize your thoughts about the photo. Create a blog or website to host longer-form content, such as behind-the-scenes stories, photography tips, or equipment reviews.
Platform Integration
While you’re already using Instagram for initial exposure and audience building, SEO can be a way to capture long-term popularity. Instagram’s visual focus and hashtag system make it an ideal platform for photographers to showcase their work and connect with potential clients. Link between your Instagram profile and your website to create a cohesive online presence and drive traffic between platforms.
Content Expansion
Transform your visual content into SEO-friendly material by writing detailed behind-the-scenes posts about your photo shoots, including location details, technical challenges, and creative inspiration. Share technical photography tips and tutorials to help other photographers improve their skills and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Create gear reviews and recommendations to attract photographers searching for equipment advice and to potentially earn affiliate income. Document photo shoot locations and experiences to give your audience a glimpse into your process and to attract travel or location-based traffic.
Image Optimization
Use descriptive file names for your images that include relevant keywords, such as “golden-gate-bridge-sunset.jpg” instead of “IMG_1234.jpg.” Add alt text to all images to help search engines understand the content of your photos and to improve accessibility for visually impaired users. Optimize image sizes for web use to ensure fast loading times without sacrificing quality. Create image sitemaps to help search engines discover and index your visual content. WordPress, other Content Management Systems and plugins can take care of sitemaps for you. Include EXIF data, such as camera settings and location information, when relevant to provide additional context for your images.
Implementation Strategy
Regardless of your business type, here’s how to move forward:
Start Small
Choose one or two strategies that align with your business type and implement them consistently. For example, a local service provider might focus on Google Business Profile optimization and review management, while a startup might prioritize keyword research and content creation. By starting small and focusing on a few key areas, you can build momentum and see results without feeling overwhelmed.
Track Results
Use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor your progress and understand what’s working. Google Analytics can show you how much traffic your site is receiving, where it’s coming from, and how users are interacting with your content. Search Console and Search Alkemy can help you track your site’s search performance, identify crawl errors, and monitor your backlinks. By regularly reviewing your data, you can make informed decisions about your SEO strategy and adjust your approach as needed.
Build Gradually
Once you’re comfortable with your initial strategies, slowly add more advanced SEO techniques. For example, after optimizing your on-page content and building some high-quality backlinks, you might explore technical SEO factors like site speed, mobile responsiveness, and structured data. By building your SEO foundation gradually, you can ensure that each step is implemented correctly and avoid taking on too much at once.
Consistently Post
SEO success comes from sustained effort over time. Create a content calendar and stick to it. Consistency is key when it comes to SEO, as search engines favor sites that regularly publish fresh, relevant content. By creating a content calendar and committing to a regular publishing schedule, you can ensure that your site remains active and engaging for both search engines and users.
Measuring Success
Look for these early indicators that your SEO efforts are working:
Increased website traffic from search engines: One of the first signs that your SEO is working is an increase in organic traffic from search engines like Google. Use tools like Google Analytics to track your traffic sources and monitor any changes over time.
More time spent on your site: As your content quality improves and becomes more relevant to your target audience, you should see an increase in the average time users spend on your pages. This metric, known as “dwell time,” is a good indicator of user engagement and can positively impact your search rankings.
Growing number of indexed pages: As you create more SEO-friendly content, you should see an uptick in the number of pages from your site that are indexed by search engines. You can check your indexed pages using the “site:” search operator (e.g., site:yourdomain.com) or through Google Search Console.
Improved rankings for target keywords: As your SEO efforts start to pay off, you should notice your site’s rankings improve for your target keywords. Use tools like Google Search Console or third-party rank tracking software to monitor your keyword positions over time.
Increased local visibility (for local businesses): If you’re a local business, an increase in local search visibility is a key indicator of SEO success. Monitor your Google Business Profile insights to track your local search performance, including views, clicks, and direction requests.
More organic leads or inquiries: Ultimately, the goal of SEO is to drive more qualified traffic and leads to your business. As your search visibility improves, you should start to see an increase in organic leads, inquiries, or sales, depending on your business type and goals.
SEO doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing experience. By understanding your business type and focusing on the most impactful tactics, you can start seeing results and building momentum without getting lost in the complexity. Start small, track your progress, and stay consistent in your efforts. As you gain confidence and experience, you can gradually expand your SEO knowledge and implementation, continually driving more organic traffic, leads, and growth for your business.
Takeaway
Even if you don’t fall into these specific categories, the takeaway is to try to turn your services into content without spending 40 hours a week on top of your regular business.