skip to main content

SEO Secrets Revealed: How Your Small Business Can Outrank Your Competitors and Win More Local Clients

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve probably heard it 1,000 times: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the make or break for any website. Building an online presence is crucial for small businesses serving a local area to attract local clients and stand out from their competition.

Many people, including small business owners like you, sometimes struggle to understand how to optimize their websites to improve their search engine ranking.

For small service area businesses new to SEO, the most important thing to remember is that it's a long-term process, not a quick fix. Achieving top search rankings or even a first-page listing is unlikely to happen overnight or even within a few weeks or months. It's a gradual process that takes time to see real results. However, the payoff in increased local visibility and customer leads makes the effort well worthwhile.

Here's my definition of SEO in 32 words:

Search engine optimization is a set of strategies and practices for improving a website’s visibility and ranking on the search engine results pages (SERPs) and, in turn, increasing organic (non-paid) website traffic.

Search engines, like Google, use complex algorithms to determine the relevance and quality of websites when a user performs a search. SEO involves optimizing various elements of a website, both on-page and off-page, to align with these algorithms and improve the website's chances of appearing higher in search results.

Effective SEO practices require keeping up with search engine algorithm updates, conducting keyword research, analyzing website performance, monitoring competitors, and making continuous improvements to enhance search rankings.

No matter your business or industry, from pest control to construction, SEO is a universal tool to help increase your exposure online, attract targeted organic traffic, and generate more leads. For small service area businesses targeting local customers, SEO is a must to put your business on the map and bring in a steady flow of new business.

Why Is SEO So Important for Businesses?

According to Digital Commerce 360, in 2022, buyers in the U.S. alone spent over 1 trillion dollars online, representing 7.7% growth year over year. And those numbers are expected to continue to grow.

This means that ranking on search engines is more important than ever for businesses. If local consumers searching for your services don’t know you exist, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to grow your business.

Beyond overall revenue, there are several additional reasons why search engine optimization is so crucial for small service area businesses:

  • Effective SEO can increase the amount of local traffic to your website, potentially leading to more generated leads.
  • Ranking well in search engines creates a sense of trust and credibility among prospective clients, signaling that your business is reputable within the local community.
  • SEO helps to build your small business more effectively by boosting your exposure to potential local clients, thereby improving brand awareness.
  • It keeps client acquisition costs low, as SEO-driven traffic is free once you rank well for your target keywords. SEO provides a steady stream of warm, qualified local prospects directly to your website.
  • SEO offers robust measurement tools that allow you to track the effectiveness and ROI of your strategy. You can identify which keywords deliver the best results and where adjustments may be needed.
  • SEO is especially crucial for service area businesses, as it allows you to optimize for local search and target potential customers in your specific service areas. Showing up in local search results puts your business in front of consumers at the exact moment they’re looking for the services you provide.

However, the biggest reason SEO is so critical for small service area businesses is that your local competitors will be using SEO as well. If you want to remain competitive in your market, you have to invest in a winning search engine optimization strategy.

Website SEO and Content Marketing Best Practices

The process of SEO is far more complex than what the simple definition above implies. Optimizing a small business website involves a lot of moving parts so they will rank well in search results. Additionally, each major U.S. search engine — Google, Bing, and Yahoo — has its own unique algorithms to consider. However, by focusing on some key best practices, small service area businesses can make significant progress in improving their local search rankings.

Put the Reader First

It’s easy and tempting to focus on generating content simply for the search engine algorithms. 

I am somewhat guilty of telling prospects and clients alike that search engines are like the plant in a little shop of horrors; the more we feed it, the more it wants. However, focusing solely on getting on that front page, not providing a better user experience, and simply answering users' questions. In that case, you’ll find that your overall ranking suffers as a result.

Therefore, you should design your pages for the real people in your local community who will be reading your information and, ideally, hiring you for your services. Additionally, work on building relationships with your local audience. Small service area business websites that build an engaged audience tend to be favored by search engines, which then reward them with higher rankings. You want to take the time to understand prospective clients' unique needs, interests, and concerns and create content that speaks directly to them.

Research Keywords Carefully

The most critical component and the biggest bang for your buck is keyword research. You'll want to identify the keywords and phrases that align with your business and that your potential clients would use when searching online for companies like yours. Be sure to focus on location-based keywords that include the names of your key service areas.

Some of our favorite online keyword research tools are:

  • Semrush Keyword Magic Tool
  • Google Ads Keyword Planner
  • Mangools KWFinder
  • Moz Keyword Explorer,
  • UberSuggest

The best keywords for your website should be those with a large monthly search volume, meaning that many people are actively looking for those terms. Additionally, you'll want to prioritize keywords with low search difficulty, suggesting less competition from other businesses using those keywords. Keywords that blend your core services with geographic locations are particularly valuable.

For example, Leak Stoppers Plumbing in Asheville, NC, might create a page like “plumber in Waynesville NC,” or Emerald Landscape Solutions might create “best landscaper in Iredell County.” These location-specific keywords can be hugely beneficial for attracting your local target market.

Compile a list of at least ten keywords that strike the best balance between high search volume and low search difficulty. Experiment with different variations on your optimal keywords to identify trends in how people are phrasing their searches. Pay close attention to whether they are using longer, question-based queries or rearranging the order of words. Capitalize on those variations, as they can provide valuable insights. Furthermore, be sure to focus on the specific types of local queries that consumers use when searching for businesses similar to yours.

Provide Exceptional Content

After completing your thorough keyword research, the next step is to implement those keywords actively across your website and content. Go through your existing site pages and blogs and incorporate your keywords naturally into the content. 

Pro Tip: Use them in headlines, subheadlines, and in your body copy.

When producing new content, leverage your list of high-performing keywords as the basis for crafting blog posts, web pages, and additional content centered around those targeted terms and phrases. Make sure your content is tailored to your local audience and the topics they care about. Highlight how your services solve problems for consumers and businesses in your specific service areas.

Let’s say we’re creating content for Emerald Landscape Solutions, which serves Alexander, Wilkes, and Iredell Counties of North Carolina, for example. Through research, we learned that the keyword “best landscaper in Iredell” has a high monthly search volume and low competition. Therefore, we should focus on creating SEO-rich blogs and content based on our long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords refer to lengthier, more detailed search queries that users are more likely to employ when searching on Google.

Here’s an example below. Google’s autofill feature indicates how people use “pest control in Mooresville” as a keyword. Not everything will be a fit for your small service area business, but long-tail keywords will open your content up to more people in your target service areas.

Google’s autofill feature indicates how people use “pest control in Mooresville” as a keyword.

Successful content marketing extends beyond just written content. Leverage your targeted keywords to guide the planning and creation of other media formats, such as audio, video, and infographics, as part of a well-rounded content strategy. You can get the search engine juice you desire by including the right content on your site that is informative, reliable, and unique. By focusing that content on your local service areas and the topics your local audience cares about, you’ll be well on your way to dominating local search rankings.

Create Mobile-Friendly Websites

In the modern era of online activity, it's essential to grasp the trends shaping website traffic. Recent data underscores the undeniable influence of mobile devices on internet usage. 

  • As of February 2024, people using mobile devices contribute to 61.21% of all website traffic. (Source: Exploding Topics)
  • In the last quarter of 2023, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated approximately half of web traffic worldwide. (Source: Statista)
  • Globally, mobile comprises 58.21% of internet traffic, while desktop accounts for 39.76%. (Source: MobiLoud)
  • In the United States, around 45.49% of web traffic was via mobile devices in the first quarter of 2023. (Source: Statista)

Google knows that users search across a range of devices, not just desktops, and the search engine favors websites that are optimized for mobile accessibility. If your website was built within the last few years, it should have a "responsive" design approach. However, you would be surprised, and it's important to test your site's mobile-friendliness. You can use Google's Lighthouse tool to evaluate how well your website accommodates smaller screens. Mobile optimization is particularly vital for service area businesses, as many prospective local clients will be searching for providers on their smartphones.

Optimize for Local Search

For small service area businesses, showing up in local search results is absolutely critical. Make sure your website is optimized for local SEO so that you show up when people in your target areas search for relevant services.

Here are some of the most important local SEO best practices to focus on:

  • Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile, filling out all relevant information about your business, service areas, hours, etc.
  • Build local citations by ensuring your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are listed consistently across online directories.
  • Incorporate location-based keywords naturally into your website copy, headings, meta tags, etc.
  • Create separate location pages for each of your key service areas.
  • Encourage happy customers to leave reviews on Google and other review sites.

Think About Links

Consider asking other reputable websites to link to your website from their site. Google views links to your website as stamps of approval.

That said, avoid “black hat” practices that seek out low-quality backlinks or bulk backlinks that could land you in hot water with the major search engines. Deceptive information and practices will not be rewarded with high rankings.

Instead, add internal links to your content to keep people on your domain. What do you want the reader to do after they’ve finished reading? The plan should be to keep them on your website by providing links to other relevant content. For service area businesses, consider linking to case studies or project galleries showcasing work you’ve done for customers in different service areas.

Remember SEO Value You Can’t See

SEO value extends beyond just the visible content on the page. Make sure to fill out the alt text for your site's images, as this alternate text provides a description of the picture in case it fails to load. Importantly, this alt text also carries SEO value. Advancements in Google's AI and machine learning systems have likely contributed to advancements in image understanding, so the weight it carries may vary. However, it is still a good practice for website accessibility. Therefore, it’s a good idea for a local business to include relevant nt location names within the image alt text.

In Google search results, you may have noticed that the green website link appears—a custom URL that clearly conveys to the searcher what the page contains. This is another opportunity to utilize your target keywords. Underneath the link, you'll find the black text, which is the meta description of your page. This is yet another prime spot to place your keywords and describe what users will find on the other side of the click, reinforcing your local relevance.

Example of SERPs listing for Nautilus Nautical Tours

Make Your Website Work With Google

Implementing successful on-page SEO strategies is an ongoing, long-term effort that must be maintained even after you've achieved top rankings. However, the rewards of dominating local search rankings are well worth the time and attention required to get there. By making your website a magnet for local consumers looking for services like yours, you’ll enjoy a steady stream of high-quality leads and all the growth opportunities that come with them.

If your time and resources are limited, consider collaborating with a digital marketing agency that has expertise in SEO for small businesses. They can assist you in accomplishing your objectives and steer you clear of potential missteps. That said, keep in mind that SEO is merely one component of making your website successful in attracting leads and driving sales. 

But for small service area businesses, it’s hands-down one of the most important. The more effectively you optimize your web presence to reach local consumers, the more your business will thrive — both now and for years to come.

Image of the author - Chad J. Treadway

Written By: Chad J. Treadway |  Monday, May 20, 2024

Chad is a Partner and our Chief Smarketing Officer. He will help you survey your small business needs, educating you on your options before suggesting any solution. Chad is passionate about rural marketing in the United States and North Carolina. He also has several certifications through HubSpot to better assist you with your internet and inbound marketing.