Discover strategies to boost your small business website's visibility and drive traffic. Set up your Google Business Profile, create business listings on relevant sites, and leverage social media.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we should double check the SEO check list to make sure we’ve dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s with regards the search engine optimization of our small businesses website. Doing so will ensure that our further efforts will be maximized. If you skip a SEO step, you’re essentially going against the grain instead of down stream.
In this post here, we outline the small business website SEO check list essentials. Once all the boxes are checked, then let’s move forward with announcing our new website.
Your Google Business profile is essentially your businesses social media / digital profile on Google. It’s one of the best ways to get eye balls on your business and your website. This is the profile that comes up on the right side of the screen when you search your business name and the profile that comes up when you search the business on Google Maps.
Getting this set up is easy and free. Visit this page to begin.
Our advice here is to not skip any steps. No stone left unturned. The more accurate, up to date information you provide Google, the more credible/authentic/legit your business is in their algorithms eyes. Google is in the business of making good recommendations so they trust businesses that have dense, up-to-date, profiles. If Google made bad recommendations, we’d all move over to using Yahoo. Show Google that your are a legit, reputable business and they will begin to reward you with visibility.
Picture a spider web. Your website is at the center of the spider web. The next ring out on the web, is all your businesses digital profiles. You want to have your business present on as many platforms as possible.
Platforms All Business Should Be On
These are general platforms that everyone should be present on. Beyond these, you’ll also want to get listed on industry-related platforms. For example if you work in the construction/home-services industry, you’ll want to be on Angies List, Thumbtack, Nextdoor, and Dexknows. These platforms are great because you can claim your business listing for free, add your website link and now you have the opportunity for people to visit your site. Hint - This is what a backlink is.
Speaking of creating a way for people to navigate back to your website from a digital profile, we want to create a easy/great way for people on Instagram and TikTok to visit your website. I’m sure you’ve heard the reference “link in bio.” We want to create a web page for that. Essentially, this is a webpage link that goes in your Instagram and TikTok bio. The webpage should be a mobile-first design that guides users in the ideal direction.
For example if you were a in the construction/home-services business, you might want your link in bio page to have buttons to visit your home page, services page, get-a-quote page and about us page.
Two Ways to Create This Page
Now that we’ve put in all this hard work designing, developing, and optimizing our website, it’s time we share the news. To get initial traffic to your small business website, we need to make people aware that your website exists. Social media can help with that.
Ask your marketing team to create a graphic that introduces the new website. If you don’t have a marketing team, take a screenshot of your home page, drop that screenshot into Canva, give it a colorful background, maybe a drop shadow and voilà, you have a basic announcement graphic.
Now let’s take that graphic and we’re going to post it on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google My Business. Think of this as letting your warm audience know that you’re open for business.
If you need help creating an announcement graphic, send us a message, we’ll design you one.
If I was your doctor, I would tell you that one of the best things you can do for your website is consistently create blog articles, case studies, project portfolios, and news pieces for your website. Doing so will give you the chance to share your voice and become a thought leader in the industry. Are you going to be famous overnight? No. Are you going to be instantly flooded with leads? No. But if you show up to the gym consistently, you will notice results. Creating content is like getting an at-bat in baseball. You’re going to strike out, hit some singles, maybe a double, but you never know when you’re going to hit a home run. It could be today.
I understand that it’s difficult to consistently create content, that’s why most people don’t do it. Same reason why most people watch Netflix instead of going to the gym. But, if you do what most people, don’t you will emerge on top. To help stay disciplined, I created a recurring to-do list item that reminds me to write a blog article for Launch Kit’s website each week. You can create this using Google Calendar, Things 3, or Reminders. That to-do list item pops up each week, all you need to do is cross it off.
In this article here, I talk about my routine for enjoying writing. It’s actually become one of my favorite activities because I found a method that works for me. I write to think. I write to hopefully make a positive impact on at least one person.
There you have it. Five free ways to initially get traffic to your small business website. I hope that you found this article insightful. If it sparked any questions, feel free to send me an email - kevin@launchkitdesign.com. Launch Kit works with small to medium sized business on building and maintaining their websites through our website program.
I appreciate you tuning in today and look forward to seeing you in the next article.
Each year, we take a fresh look at the various marketing efforts a small business can make. We've built this framework to get started optimizing your business's online presence.
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