Should small business website design be search-engine-optimized in 2022?

Competing on Google for small businesses with a search-engine-optimized website is a question of targeting your ideal customers carefully to distinguish yourself from the wider competition. Small businesses in Auckland where our agency works can focus geographically on the region or even on specific neighbourhoods. And if your service can be distinguished more by type, quality or packaging, then your website can target Google searches with corresponding keyword phrases.

But is effective SEO for small businesses in Auckland and elsewhere really achievable in 2022?

Marketing small businesses in Auckland

New Zealand is a nation of small businesses, with over 97 per cent of all firms employing 20 workers or less. And Auckland as the nation’s economic capital reflects that pattern. By world standards, it is relatively easy to start a small business here and so internationally ranks first for ease of doing business. But cost-effective marketing in such a large market can be difficult, especially online.

The New Zealand Small Business Strategy also identified a number of challenges that in a larger market like Auckland can be significant. And this includes the cost of scale, as it applies to marketing.

Nevertheless, opportunities exist. Notably, the New Zealand Small Business Council observed that technological advancements, such as building websites for small businesses, if done well, can mean less constraint by distance from other markets, creating more opportunities to scale up.

Website design for small businesses

Designing websites for small businesses go beyond the principles that apply to creating great websites in general. Of course, your site should be engaging and appealing, present the information visitors are looking for accessibly and be easy to navigate. Equally important are a fast-loading and mobile-friendly site with social media integration and as many good backlinks as you can acquire.

But small businesses have also specific needs. Forbes, a renowned international business magazine, spells out the 10 Key Steps To Building A Great Small Business Website. You can use this list to verify that you have covered all bases:

1. Obtain a good domain name, that is short, easy to spell and memorable.

2. Purchase secure, scalable website hosting with good tech support.

3. Prominently display a clear description of your business, so your potential clients know they are in the right place, and Google knows to send them to your website in the first place.

4. Implement the best content management system, with WordPress being the most recommended and most widely used ‘CMS’ on the internet.

5. Choose a good e-commerce platform,  such as Shopify or WooCommerce, that is flexible, well-supported and scalable.

6. Create an interesting, memorable, and engaging website user interface, which a good web designer can accomplish on the WordPress platform using page builders like Divi or Elementor.

7. Optimize your small business website for search engines, so that clients looking for your kind of services or products can find you high on the list.

8. Regularly create and publish quality content, which is achievable with or without specialist support when you use a good content management system like WordPress.

9. Install webmaster tools from Google to analyze visitors and conversions and adapt your site accordingly.

10. Implement a website maintenance plan so it does not go stale or get hacked.

Search-engine-optimization for small business websites

As a small business owner, you know that making a noticeable entrance onto the digital scene is an intimidating endeavour. With so many other brands vying for attention, how will your business stand out? Will customers find your brand when searching for a solution, or will larger companies win the search engine war?

Gain a competitive edge with websites designed for small businesses with SEO

More than three billion people use the Internet for everything from finding information to shopping for goods and services. As a small business owner, cutting through the noise might seem like an impossible task. Using SEO to maneuver your brand’s position in search engine rankings is a cost-effective way to increase exposure and gain a competitive edge in your industry.

Reach your target audience efficiently with SEO

Instead of going to customers, SEO allows customers to quickly come to you. Both on and off-page SEO strategies are designed to target specific segments of your audience and inspire them to act. Proper management of SEO helps your small business make meaningful connections with customers. If your business is focused on a certain type of customer, then your SEO strategy is designed for your particular audience. No matter what, you need to make sure your customers know about your brand and their access to it.

Provide more relevant information with SEO

Have you ever searched for information online without finding an answer on the first, second, or third result page? It’s a frustrating experience—and the culprit is not a lack of information, but an abundance of poorly executed SEO techniques. Your website’s SEO and position in search engine rankings are the keys to answering a common question, solving a problem, or meeting a need. If you’re looking for the answer, don’t settle for less-than-perfect results; make sure you get the most relevant information to your needs. The result of a well-executed SEO campaign will be greater search visibility.

Expand your brand’s presence with SEO

If you’ve ever read about a brand while scanning the news, a guest post, or your Twitter feed, you’ve already experienced what can happen when a brand invests in off-page SEO. Off-page SEO techniques have the potential to take your brand’s presence far on the web. SEO is the process of optimizing websites for search engines. These days, SEO is being used more and more in online marketing. Whether a website is purely for your own website or for someone else’s, it still needs to be optimized.

Educate prospective clients with SEO

Producing compelling content is very much a part of SEO. In addition to helping you rank higher for a variety of topics, content is an educational tool that helps establish your brand as an authority. Develop content in different formats, like presentations, videos, and infographics, to both educate and entertain your audience.

Build lasting relationships with SEO

From developing an on-site community of brand advocates to staying in touch on social media, SEO helps build lasting relationships with your customer base. SEO makes it easy for customers to find your business online, make an instant connection, and stay engaged with your brand. To further increase the number of customers and loyal advocates you have, search engines will always try to crawl and index your website. When your site is online and search-engine-optimized, it’s much easier to get links from high-ranking authority sites.

Maximize your mobile reach with SEO

The future of digital is mobile. After Google’s announcement that a website’s mobile-friendliness will become a ranking factor, it’s clear that optimizing websites for mobile devices is an absolute necessity. Because mobile users are generally searching for specific information, your small business can employ SEO to increase the rankings of specialized content. The resulting flow of interested leads has a measurable impact on your business outcomes

Gain access to valuable data with SEO

Imagine launching a direct mail campaign that brought back granular results about the recipient’s interaction with the material. Did they immediately throw it away, examine it for a moment, or save the number to their phone? Unfortunately, a direct mail campaign doesn’t produce data at this level. SEO does. Segmenting your audience and tailoring SEO practices to each persona allows you to accrue data that offers critical insights.

So — does SEO work for small businesses?

Search engines use complex algorithms to deliver the exact results people need, which means that if you provide useful content, you can compete with both other small businesses and huge corporations.

Although the exact factors are constantly changing, and SEO can require a serious time investment, it can take your brand’s online visibility to new levels—and lead to more sales. When SEO is managed properly, the payoff for your small business website is long-term value and staying power. Whether you’re a small mom-and-pop shop or a big multinational, SEO offers the tools to ensure your company can stay relevant in today’s ever-changing business environment.

Build an SEO-optimized website for your small business

If you’re interested in designing an SEO-optimized website for your small business, and especially if you are trading in the busy Auckland market, but aren’t sure how to get started, don’t hesitate to contact us about our website packages for small businesses! We have plenty of experience working with businesses just like yours and are confident that we can deliver the results you need.

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