If you are a small business owner, competing with the big guys in the market seems daunting. But with the right marketing tactics (read SEO), there is a good chance for you to take over a spot on the first page of search engine results. In fact, size doesn’t even matter when it comes to websites. Being small, you have the advantage of being on point whereas bigger businesses and their heavy sites have a comparatively more complex navigation. This maybe a turnoff for some users who are digging for particular information and do not want to go through the hassle of skimming content.
The SEO Game Plan
SEO levels the playing field. The algorithms apply evenly on all sites—big or small. Here are a few areas to keep in focus if you want an edge over others.
Select A Niche
The big fish may have everything covered but you can select a niche from the segment and focus all energy on that. For example, if you are dealing in travelling affairs, there already exist big giants in the market who are in this business. So you can focus on great hotels in different countries or dining experiences that are both exquisite and affordable. People are often looking for finer details. Where large websites have an overview, you can be the resource for more personalized information.
Keywords. Choose Wisely
Target those keywords that your competition has not gone after or has chosen to not pursue them for reasons like PR or legal issues. Being a small business owner, you have no strings attached and no constraints. You can create content on topics that big brands have left out. For example, you can rate, compare and be biased about services that the big guys have partnered with and get away with it. They obviously cannot do so bound by partnership. By choosing unique keywords, your content reach amplifies exponentially and you can talk about things that bigger companies cannot.
Be Tech Savvy
Explore new technology and try out new tools as they are made available. Experiment with different campaigns to see what works best for your site. Small companies are quick and can adopt latest trends without delay. In larger businesses, a plan for a new strategy has to follow a whole hierarchy before it gets approved and implemented. So keep your eyes open and make the most of latest resources.
Exceptional Customer Service
All businesses are customer-centric. Small businesses can react online faster and respond to customers in a more personalized manner. This helps in building good customer relations. People are more likely to visit your website if they have been treated well offline. Forge direct relationships with clients. This is something big brands cannot afford to do. They have a separate PR team for that matter. But you, as an SME owner can interact with people one on one and they will love it. Create a good user experience on your site too as this plays a vital role in turning visitors into customers and customers into returning customers.
Update your blog regularly. Leave replies to people’s comments both on blog posts and Facebook posts as this will leave a lasting positive impact.
Be Persistent
Traffic cannot be built in a day. It takes time to get results and eventually you will get there. Be unique and consistent and your brand will stand out. Invest in your niche as you can do this better than big brands. Their finances are distributed to many segments but you have one niche to focus on and you can excel in it.
