13 SEO and SEM Tips for Businesses With Limited Budgets - AllBusiness.com

Digital marketing media

Thanks to search engines leveling the marketing playing field, even the smallest business can today benefit from the reach that search engine marketing (SEM) offers. But when you're short on money, time, and resources, learning all about SEO and SEM—and how to leverage them effectively in your digital marketing strategy—can be a challenge. Here, 13 leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council share SEO and SEM tips that work for them, and that won't break the bank.

For solopreneurs and small business owners with limited budgets and time, what's one easy way they can take advantage of SEO and SEM for their business?

1. Invest in high-quality content

Search engine marketing relies heavily on quality content that converts readers into customers, so outsourcing your content production to an expert copywriting team with great knowledge of SEO strikes a good balance between having a limited budget and not enough time to create content yourself. The cost will pay for itself in no time. —Mark Stallings, Casely, Inc

2. Blog weekly about related topics

One easy way small business owners with limited budgets can take advantage of search engine marketing for their business is to start a blog and post an article a week about the most interesting topics related to their business. Over time, this will build an audience and the business will slowly rank in the search engines, which will bring traffic to the site. —Alfredo Atanacio, Uassist.ME

3. Write long articles on key services or products

The key to ranking high is putting out content that users want to read. Create the best articles on a specific topic. Write detailed articles and post them online in an easy-to-read format. Once you've done that, you will rank higher through the natural sharing of links. —Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design

4. Allow expert guest posts on your website

An effective way for a small business to ramp up its search engine marketing is to allow other experts to write guest posts or write on its blog. This is a great way to get free content while helping another expert with their expertise and authority. It's a win-win for both parties. —Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

5. Optimize your website for voice search

One low-cost way to boost your SEO ranking is to optimize your site for voice search. Consumers are using voice-activated devices more than ever before. As a result, their search habits are changing. If you implement this strategy, you could see more traffic, sales, and engagement. The best way to get started is to use keyword variations that reflect what someone might say when searching. —Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights

6. Leverage YouTube SEO

Don't forget YouTube SEO! What most people don't realize is YouTube is the second-largest search engine behind Google. Videos on YouTube are a powerful way to boost your SEM for the long run since YouTube videos are part of Google search results, too. Videos are also an opportunity to increase brand awareness and build an audience of interested potential customers. Make sure to include YouTube in your SEM strategy. —Devesh Dwivedi, Idea2Inception

More articles from AllBusiness.com:

7. Index all your website pages

One way to take advantage of search engine marketing is to index all your website pages for major search engines like Google, Bing, etc. This will help you boost your visibility in different search engines, which is a great way to increase your brand reputation. It will also help you increase brand awareness and attract new leads to your website. —Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite

8. Leverage social media marketing

Part of SEM is implementing those practices into your social media marketing strategy. If you're well known on social media or your posts gain traction, you can use that to perform search engine marketing that pairs relevant keywords to your brand. —Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

9. Optimize for the local user base

One way to take advantage of search engine marketing is to optimize your website for the local user base. This will help you boost your website visibility to your local users and help you to appear in more relevant local search results. You can do that by using local terms on your website homepage, like "best gift store in Mumbai." Also, add a page with your address, contact number, business name, etc. —Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

10. Improve your Google My Business listing

Google My Business is a free profile for your business, and for many businesses it will be the first place your customer interacts with your brand. More and more, consumers are finding what they need from their GMB listing and taking action from there. Depending on your industry, a large percentage of users may not even make it to your website. —Kevin Getch, Webfor

11. Leverage internal linking

Internal linking within your website is key. This looks like linking references on one of your webpages that sends a reader to another page on your own site. This action will help reduce your bounce rates and keep your audience within the confines of your site for longer periods of time. Not only that, but it also will help Google index your website. —Matthew Podolsky, Florida Law Advisers, P.A.

12. Get more outbound links

You can improve your search engine position by getting more outbound links. One way to accomplish this task is to look for guest posting opportunities. Check out publications in your industry and see if they are accepting credited guest posts. If so, pitch your idea and wait for a response. Once you get posts published, you'll get more links to your site, which will result in SEO growth. —John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC

13. Offer a helpful tool on your site

A low-cost way to build backlinks and improve your SEO is to create a helpful tool on your website. This can be a calculator, a content analyzer, or some kind of unique and helpful tool that answers a need for free. You can also offer a library of helpful content. Free tools create backlinks in a legitimate way. You can hire people to make these tools or buy them at low cost online. —Blair Williams, MemberPress

RELATED: 5 SEO Mistakes Every Business Should Avoid

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Top 50 SaaS CEOs of 2023 - The Software Report

Image
The Software Report is pleased to announce The Top 50 SaaS CEOs of 2023. In our sixth year running this annual awards process, we are encouraged by the way leadership is evolving among the top tier CEOs in the SaaS industry. Increasingly, CEOs are beloved by their workforces, regarded as true stewards of organizations that will continue well into the future.  Not only are these leaders strategic and tactical in execution, they possess the intangibles of being visionary and inspiring thousands of people, mobilizing their teams day in and day out.   This year's awardees, along with their companies, provide some of the most advanced software solutions the world has ever seen and it's our bet that they have the foresight and capabilities to lead their companies to even greater heights.   Some of this year's distinguished honorees include Craig "Tooey" Courtemanche, who has grown Procore to become a leading global
Read more

Grow Your Biz: 25 Ways to Promote Your Business in 2024 - Shopify

Image
In order to effectively promote your business, you need to create a foundation for your online presence and focus on getting in front of the right people quickly and efficiently.  A lot of promotional advice recommends pouring money into ads on Facebook, Instagram, or Google. But you can't put all your eggs in the advertising basket—diversification is key to avoiding diminishing returns over time. This guide walks you through 25 of the best ways to promote your business, complete with examples and resources for getting started. How to promote your business 📈 Write guest posts for blogs that reach your target audience Get featured on product review blog posts Do an expert roundup Find affiliates to promote your business Get included in gift guides Invest in infographics Get press coverage Focus your attention on email marketing Get to the top of Google search results Get on TikTok Start a YouTube channel Ask influencers to promote your busin
Read more

10 Best Money-Making Apps 2024 | TIME Stamped - TIME

Image
If you're looking for ways to balance your budget, numerous apps can help you earn extra cash or save money on everyday purchases. These money-making apps make it easy to use your mobile device to pick up a side gig, take online surveys, sell stuff you no longer use, lower your bills, and more. The best money-making apps let you sign up for free, get paid quickly, and set your own hours. Here are our top picks for 2024. Best money-making apps compared 2024 Our recommendations for the best apps to make money 1. Best for earning gift cards: Swagbucks Swagbucks lets you earn points by completing easy tasks like answering surveys, playing games, watching videos, and searching the internet. You can also earn cash back and access exclusive deals and coupons when you shop at over 1,500 in-store and online retailers (including grocers). Membership is free, and you can redeem your points for gift cards to retailers like Amazon or Walmart or get cash back from PayPal. Pros: Multiple ways to
Read more