Small Business SEO: How Is It Different?
So what’s the difference between search engine optimisation campaigns that are carried out for small businesses and those that are undertaken for larger organisations?
The most obvious answer here is that the budgets tend to be very different. Although this will generally be the case, it may not have quite as great an impact on the outcomes as might be imagined.
Although larger companies will often have significantly larger online marketing budgets, they may also be targeting considerably different areas. In particular, it’s usually the case that the big multi-nationals are going after competitive, high volume search terms.
This makes a lot of sense and it means that big corporations tend to find themselves competing directly with other organisations of a similar size. As a result, the bulk of that SEO expenditure may be needed simply because competitors are taking a similarly aggressive approach to SEO.
What does this mean for small businesses?
Does this mean that small businesses can’t hope to compete? Not necessarily so, although it certainly does mean that we need to be a little more realistic about targets.
If a six-figure sum is being used to tackle particular search terms by a large company, then it’s unrealistic to be able to compete for positioning with a monthly expenditure of just a few hundred pounds.
Fortunately, this isn’t the end of the story.
Small business SEO often comes down to getting the maximum results from whatever budget’s available. That usually means being creative and concentrating on niche areas (you’ll often hear professionals talk about targeting the long-tail).
We may feel that there’s plenty of confusion in the world of SEO, but how there’s undoubtedly a lot of truth in the idea that tackling the long-tail can be an intelligent strategy for a small business owner.
It may be unrealistic to get to the top of the Google listings for the term estate agent, for example. But achieving better results when a Google user types in estate agent in Luton (as an example) is clearly an aim that would be in the hands of most small business owners.
Our own approach
Look away now if you don’t want to read a plug for our own services! It’s unavoidable that we should include something!
Our own approach to small business SEO involves examining the budget available and the aims of the client. It’s important to produce a plan that will achieve results and be cost-effective.
We take an honest, open approach. If we can’t achieve the results that you’re looking for, we’d rather tell you at the outset. We want our clients to be satisfied with the service and the outcomes.
Did you enjoy this post?
Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest articles, direct to your inbox.
