Small businesses often can’t afford expensive Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services. The good news is, they don’t really need to. Three simple activities can provide more bang for the buck than many SEO services.
I’m not suggesting that paying for SEO wouldn’t be valuable for some businesses. In highly competitive markets, SEO can mean the difference between showing up first and showing up last. But for many small businesses, appearing in the top 5-10 search results is sufficient to drive more traffic to their sites. I suggest three simple steps for all of my clients. I’ll review each step in separate posts.
Step 1. Focus on Google
Like it or not, Google controls 60% of worldwide web searches. And considering Google’s partnership with Yahoo, they will control even more of the paid search results market. Google should get most of a small business’s SEO attention.
First, webmasters should focus on their "snippet". This is the little blurb that appears under the link in any Google search result. Google has created a valuable video explaining the mechanics of a Snippet. . The key to snippet success is making sure that the opening paragraph of a site’s home page text succinctly captures the business’s message. It should include as many key search terms as possible in the first couple of lines. The best part of this effort is that it’s free! (Note: Yahoo and MSN snippets function similarly, but Google is the most scientific about theirs.)
Here’s Nomad Marketing’s Google snippet.

Companies that advertise on the web, should emphasize Google AdWords in their campaigns. This simple “pay per click” service reaches the majority of web searchers and allows advertisers to budget any amount per click and any amount per month for search results. More competitive searches will cost more, but this can be a very affordable advertising solution for many businesses. Note: it’s not always necessary to appear in the “Top 3” results – the most expensive category. Often, showing up in the top 5-10 is enough. Frequency is important, so businesses should consider buying more frequent results in the lower range for the same monthly budget.
One important element to a successful AdWords campaign is search term optimization. That’s where the 3rd leg of the Google stool – Google Analytics – comes in. Google Analytics allows webmasters to monitor the search terms that lead people to their sites – and integrates directly with AdWords. Google Analytics is free and only requires a simple code snippet addition to web pages. This tool offers a variety of valuable data in simple, clear reports. By closely monitoring the most common search terms in Google Analytics, web advertisers can optimize their search terms in AdWords – dropping ineffective search terms and adding more effective terms. Webmasters should review their Google Analytics data at least weekly to most effectively optimize their AdWords campaigns.
Google dominates the web search world. Embracing the giant can make life easier for small businesses. Webmasters can optimize their web search results by spiffing up their snippets, advertising with AdWords and monitoring results with Analytics. These are some simple, affordable ways to start an SEO effort. Check back for Step 2: Taking advantage of blogs.
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