As a small business owner, budgeting for marketing can be tough, especially when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
You may feel you have to choose between either SEO services your business cannot afford or no SEO at all.
But don’t worry- there are plenty of ways to engage SEO services on a budget!
Let’s break down five of the most affordable practices that you can use to boost your SEO.
These
- Signing up for free local directories
- Signing up for Google Business Profile
- Creating social media profiles
- Trading links with suppliers/vendors
- Creating a blog
We’ll also consider unrealistic small-budget SEO expectations, not to discourage you but to help you focus on what is achievable in the short term.
This knowledge can help you make smart decisions when allocating your SEO budget.
Is It Possible To Do SEO on a Small Budget?
The short answer is yes- you can do SEO on a small budget! With time and effort, you can implement the strategies we’ll look at in this guide.
Remember that SEO is a long-term game, so you should view it as an investment in your business’s future.
Achieving tangible results can take a while, so patience and dedication are key.
We recommend allocating a few hours each week toward optimising your website and content to produce great long-term results.
Many business owners have succeeded in using affordable SEO for small business solutions, and you can too!
If you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll reap the rewards!
5 Affordable SEO Practices To Try Today
1. Signing Up for Free Local Directories
One affordable SEO practice you can try today is signing up for free local directories.
Local directories are online directories that list businesses in a specific location.
By getting listed on these directories, you can increase your visibility to potential customers searching for businesses like yours in your area.
Many local directories offer free listings, so this strategy requires little to no budget.
To get started, search for local directories in your area and create a profile for your business.
Include accurate and up-to-date information, including your business name, address, phone number, and website URL.
Getting listed on local directories can positively impact your SEO performance in various ways.
Your online visibility improves, and the number of backlinks to your website (more on that later) potentially increases.
The more eyes that find your business, the better!
Additionally, having your information across multiple online directories can help improve your business’s credibility and authority in the eyes of search engines.
2. Signing Up for Google Business Profile
Another budget-friendly SEO practice you can try is signing up for Google Business Profile.
Like online directories, Google Business Profile (GBP) lets you create a profile for your business that will appear in local search results.
This powerful tool gives customers quick access to information about your business right from the search engine itself.
A GBP can help customers who may not have heard of you yet to discover your online presence- the ultimate goal of SEO.
As GBP is a reputable online directory, a profile on there also gives new customers the confidence to choose your business over competitors.
GBP also features a review system that can help boost your local organic search rankings.
So if you have any existing customers willing to leave a review, take advantage of that.
Creating a GBP requires little effort and can be done in less than half an hour. Plus, it’s free!
The process involves
- Verifying your business name and address.
- Uploading photos of your business and products.
- Setting up a profile description.
- Adding categories to make it easier for customers to find you in local searches.
3. Creating Social Media Profiles
While social media is a powerful tool for businesses of any size, it’s invaluable for small businesses.
Creating social media profiles and engaging with your audience through these platforms is an effective way to boost visibility and improve brand awareness without spending a cent.
Setting up social media profiles on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is free and doesn’t take much time.
Once you’re set-up, post relevant content your followers will be interested in.
You can share blog posts, photos, videos, and other content showcasing your products and services.
To direct more people to your page, always shout out your website URL in your social media profile descriptions and posts.
We live in an age where most people use their phones to search for products and services.
An active social media presence is an excellent source of organic traffic, so it pays to use this free tool wisely!
4. Trading Links With Suppliers/Vendors
A super effective way to improve your organic search rankings is by trading links with other businesses.
If your business uses any suppliers or vendors, you can ask them to link back to your website in exchange for a link from your page.
Imagine these links are like word-of-mouth referrals from other businesses.
The more links pointing to your website from reputable sources, the better!
These links indicate trustworthiness and authority to search engines, so take advantage of them as much as possible.
If the vendors or suppliers you link with have high domain authority, this will help boost your website’s ranking even more.
Google looks at backlinks as an endorsement of your website, so links from other quality, well-established websites will significantly impact where you appear in search results.
You can include these links in your blog posts, product descriptions, or your website’s home page.
Just make sure these links are relevant and helpful to users. Too many external links can overload users and negatively affect your site.
5. Creating a Blog
Blogs are a hidden gold mine when it comes to SEO. Regularly publishing quality blog posts improves your chances of appearing in top search results.
If you built your own website, consider writing and publishing your own blogs to save money.
However, if you don’t have the time or skills to write blogs, you can hire a freelance content writer or agency to do so.
Hiring a writer is less expensive than you might think! Have a look online and compare prices to find someone that’s affordable.
Regularly creating blog content has many benefits:
- Increased visibility. Blogs help to increase your website visibility as they direct more traffic to your website. Search engines reward websites that regularly update their content, boosting your website’s SEO.
- Improved brand awareness. Blog content allows you to showcase your expertise and give people an insight into your business. Such brand awareness helps create a positive image in readers’ minds, making them more likely to purchase from you.
- Enhanced engagement. Quality content on your website encourages users to stay longer and explore all your website offers, increasing site time and massively improving engagement.
Once you create informative and interesting content, it’s important to promote it.
Share your blogs on your social media as a free way to get more eyes on your site!
The more eyes on your content, the better your chance of increasing rankings in search engine results.
What’s Not Possible With Affordable SEO
You can implement the SEO practices we’ve discussed up to this point on a small budget.
But other more complex SEO practices require additional time and money input.
In the following situations, it’s best to use an SEO agency that can provide you with top-notch results.
Intensive Keyword Research
Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of SEO.
It helps you understand which keywords your target audience uses to search for products and services, improving your chances of appearing in top search results.
Intensive keyword research requires a lot of time, dedication, and access to specialised tools, so it pays to use an experienced SEO agency for this.
Technical Audits
Technical audits delve deep into the code and structure of your website, looking for any issues that could be affecting search engine rankings.
If you don’t have the technical know-how, this will be almost impossible to do yourself!
It’s best to enlist a professional to ensure there are no technical issues while optimising your website.
SERP/Competitor Analysis
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) analysis looks for any factors affecting where you appear in search engine rankings.
Competitor analysis helps you better understand which keywords and phrases to target by comparing your site to your competitors.
This kind of comparison, along with SERP analysis, requires in-depth industry knowledge and experience, so an SEO agency is your best option.
Do You Need Affordable SEO Solutions?
If you’re a small business owner, implementing the affordable SEO for small business solutions we’ve discussed can help your website be seen by potential customers.
Many of these SEO options are free, and you can apply them yourself- so why not give them a try!
If your budget allows it, using an experienced SEO agency will help take your website to the next level.
Remember, the more effort and resources you put into SEO for your website, the better results you’ll achieve.
Let the team here at Ignyt SEO use our expertise and knowledge to help your business!
We’ll improve your search engine rankings and get more customers to visit your site using our affordable SEO services for small businesses.
Contact us today to find out how our tailored SEO services can get you first-rate results.
