It takes a lot to run a small business and not just the administration, hiring, budgeting and all of that, but also the advertising and public relations side of it. These days, you really can’t run a business without using SEO for this, and if you’re not sure what that means or how to do it, you may need a refresher course!
What is SEO?
First off, it’s important to understand exactly what SEO is and what it can do for you if used properly. The bottom line is that it’s the way customers can find you and your business when they use a search engine (like Google or Yahoo) to look for something. The better your SEO is, the higher you’ll rank and the more likely potential customers will come upon you.
Can I do it myself or should I hire someone?
That depends. It depends on how much you know, how much you want to or can invest (both time and money), how far you want to go with SEO and how comfortable you are doing this yourself or hiring someone to take of it for you.
Many companies can take this on for you if you are stretched for time or know how. Remember, you often hire someone to take care of other business or home tasks for you – sometimes it does save in the long run. When it comes to your business reputation and SEO, you want to make sure you’re getting it done the right way – whether it’s you or a professional.
What can you do easily?
There are some things you can do even if you decide to hire a professional. You can manage your social media to optimize your SEO in that department. Think about all of your social media sites – from Facebook to LinkedIn from Twitter to Pinterest and from blogs to Google +, and make sure you are consistently updating your profiles with relevant, current information.
While filling out your profiles, make sure you utilize the profiles with descriptive, thorough information. Include local information so those in your area can find you easily.
Not only will your current customers appreciate updates and current information, but you’re SEO will benefit and new customers will be more apt to find you with catchy updates. Make your content easy to share. The more things are passed around and shared, the higher the SEO value will become. You can do this with widgets and by creating shareable material. The more engaging, the more shareable and the better the SEO becomes automatically.
Invest some time and keep it up.
You may have to take that refresher class or at least spend some time brushing up on SEO techniques. Once you’ve figured out what to do, whether it’s you or you decide to bring in that professional – keep it up. Even if someone sets you up and initially does the hard stuff, you need to be the one updating your profiles and social media (unless of course you can hire that person, too). You should probably spend a few minutes every day – yes, every day – touching up your profiles, engaging and checking on your SEO.
