How does SEO benefit small businesses? This is a question that we – a digital marketing agency – are asked on a regular basis. It’s understandable because our clients come to us knowing that SEO is important but unable to explain what it is. Before I began my career in marketing, I did a Google search about SEO; I struggled to wrap my head around it fully. I didn’t realize how important it really is.
KWSM has been building and implementing SEO strategies for 15 years and has helped over a thousand businesses increase their client base and revenue with the help of SEO. As a copywriting professional, I incorporate SEO into all of the writing I do for clients because, without SEO, my words may never get read.
Once you grasp what SEO is and how it works, you’ll realize that you need an SEO strategy as a small business owner. I will break down the basics of SEO and explain how it benefits small businesses.
What is SEO?
SEO – or Search Engine Optimization – is the means of building websites and online content that become more discoverable in search. This happens strategically through blogs, website copy, and metadata.
When these aspects work together, your website begins to rank higher. It’s no secret that the higher a page or site appears in search results, the more visitors it attracts. Sound SEO strategies will position your business above your competitors when audiences search for services or products that you provide.
Before you ask, “Can I do my own SEO?” there’s much more to know beyond throwing a few keywords on your website. Let’s dive deeper into how your business benefits from a cohesive SEO strategy.
How Does SEO Work?
Google sends out crawlers to analyze all of the content on the internet. From the Home page to your blogs, all the copy and metadata are used to help the crawler understand the information so Google can index it. Think of this index as the index at the back of a textbook, but it is just much larger.
When someone searches the internet, keywords or key terms related to that search will appear in the results. If your site is well-optimized for the keyword matching the search query, you will increase the probability of your site appearing in those results.
“Everyone searching the internet has a search intent. The intent or reason for their search will be different for everyone, but there are common patterns and keywords that are used more often. Optimizing your website for SEO matches the content on your web pages to meet search intent. By adding things like blog posts, you are able to serve even more of those search intents, which results in more organic traffic.”
- Matt Enser, Web and SEO Specialist, KWSM: a digital marketing agency
It’s important to remember that you need to write to educate the reader, not simply stuff keywords into a piece of content. One way to do this is to create content that conforms to its E-E-A-T content guidelines.
E-E-A-T is an acronym for Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. KWSM has long followed this formula, which is centered around compelling storytelling with specific information.
Related Article: What Does Google E-E-A-T Mean for Content Marketing?
How Does SEO Benefit Small Businesses?
SEO is vital for survival in the digital landscape; it is how small and mid-sized businesses stay relevant when they don’t have the brand recognition of big-name brands. I have zeroed in on three of the top organic benefits your business can experience with a sound SEO strategy:
SEO Improves Brand Awareness
It’s very important to stand out from your competitors. One way to do that is to ensure that your brand is at the top of the search results for your service or product. If you consistently show up when industry terms and services are searched, your brand awareness will grow, and your audience will see that you are a reliable source of information. SEO can help put you in front of prospective customers or clients in their discovery process.
SEO Allows For Targeted Traffic
Now that they’ve found out who you are, your audience can learn why your business excels and what it offers. SEO helps bring those people with specific problems or need specific solutions to your site. This helps build trust and confidence in your brand. You may benefit most from SEO if you have a niche service or product. SEO is an organic lead-generation tool. We have seen this with hundreds of our clients.
Case Study: One KWSM client that comes to mind is a U.S.-based plastic sheeting supplier. They were looking to expand their reach to include more growers, builders, and distributors. Our strategy began with evaluating the content on their existing website and developing a new structure to push it to the top of relevant Google searches.
We conducted thorough keyword research, focusing on top keywords, phrases, and product/application FAQs. Using this information, we developed new copy for their website, including elements such as images, videos, product recommendations, related blogs, and downloadable resources. We also updated the meta titles and descriptions of all the pages on the website.
As a result of these SEO updates, the client saw impressive results in 2024 compared to 2021, including:
- Pricing Requests: Increased from 6 to 41 per month
- Catalog Submissions: Increased from 18 to 29 per month
- Chat Requests: Increased from 11 to 30 per month
- Phone Calls: Increased from 36 to 150 per month
- Website Traffic: Remained consistent at 20,000 sessions per month, highlighting a major improvement in their website’s conversion rate.
- Search Rankings: Average keyword position improved from 29 in 2022 to 20 in 2024 (a full page jump on average)
- Total Monthly Leads: 1,066 (combining chats, form fills, and phone calls)
Client Testimonial: “After over a decade of hiring employees, consultants, and agencies, we created a reliable, dependable marketing engine with KWSM. We probably have a 20x return on our investment.”
Learn more about our SEO strategy for this client.
SEO Helps You Save on Marketing Costs
Many business owners don’t understand that SEO is an investment that can save you money in the long run. When SEO drives targeted traffic to your website, you can see increased revenue through organic traffic without having to spend on pay-per-click ads (paid search). SEO traction builds over time and can produce results for months and years. You may be able to taper down or shut off your paid advertising altogether when you start bringing in high-quality organic results.
SEO Tips for Small Businesses
Ready to get started? Here are some actionable tips:
- Know your audience: Understand what people are searching for in your field and make a list.
- Write for people, not just search engines: Create high-quality content that answers your customers’ questions and solves their problems.
- Focus on local SEO (if relevant): Optimize your website to appear in local search results by including the names of nearby cities, towns, and counties in your content.
- Start a blog: Share your expertise and provide value to potential customers.
- Partner with an SEO agency: If you need guidance or want faster results, an agency like KWSM can create a tailored strategy for you.
SEO Optimization with KWSM
76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day. This statistic makes it obvious how vital it is that your SEO strategy is working. Contact us if you want more information about our SEO services or want help building your strategy.
