A quick Primer to DIY SEO for Small Businesses

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can help more people find your business online.  Search engine optimization (SEO) raises your website's visibility in Google search results for keywords related to your business.

You won't have to pay for ads to get more people to your site if you do better SEO. But, hiring an SEO specialist can be costly.  That is why many small business owners prefer DIY SEO. This makes it easy to get your website to rank higher on search engines and it doesn't cost much.

DIY SEO gives you complete control so you can make adjustments to your website as and when you want.

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There are several simple and easy SEO methods that can help your business grow online. For example, you need to pick the right keywords, make your website's content better, and get other websites to link to it.

The best part is that you don’t need to be a tech expert to get started!

Why DIY SEO is Beneficial for Small Businesses

Running a small business means watching every dollar, and hiring an SEO agency can be pricey. That’s why DIY SEO is such a game-changer. You can improve your website’s ranking without spending a fortune.

Here’s why doing your own SEO is a smart move:

1. You Save Money

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SEO agencies charge a lot, and if you're just starting out, that may not be in your budget. With DIY SEO, you don’t have to worry about those big fees. There are plenty of free and affordable tools that help you optimize your website without breaking the bank.

2. You Are Incharge

Ever needed to make a quick update to your website but had to wait for someone else to do it? When you handle your own SEO, you can make changes anytime. Whether it’s adding new keywords, fixing a broken link, or tweaking your content, you are in the driver’s seat. No waiting, no extra costs.

3. You Get to Know Your Customers Better

SEO isn’t just about ranking higher on Google. It’s also about understanding what your customers are searching for. By doing your own keyword research, you’ll see exactly what people want. This can help you create content and products they’re actually looking for.

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4. It’s a Long-Term Win

Paid ads stop working the second you stop paying for them. But SEO keeps working for you over time. The effort you put in today can help bring in customers for months or even years. It’s like planting a seed and watching it grow.

DIY SEO takes a little time and effort, but it’s totally doable and worth it. With the right approach, you can boost your online presence, reach more customers, and grow your business, all without hiring anyone!

Essential DIY SEO Techniques

Although SEO sounds difficult, its main goal is to enable Google users to find your website. You just need a few basic methods to raise the rating of your site.

Here’s what you need to work on:

1. Keyword Research To Find the Right Words to Use

People search for things using specific words and phrases. If you know what they’re looking for, you can create content that answers their questions.

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How to do it:

• Use free tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to find popular search terms.
• Focus on long-tail keywords. These are longer phrases like “best budget water filter for apartments” instead of just “water filter.” They are less competitive and more targeted.
• Check words or phrases your competitors are ranking for and see if you can use them more effectively.

2. On-Page Optimization to Make Your Website Easy to Find

Once you have your keywords, you need to use them wisely on your website. This helps Google understand what your pages are about.

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Here’s what you need to optimize:

• Title & Description – These show up on Google’s search results. Make them clear, and catchy, and include your keyword.
• Headings & Content – Use keywords naturally in all H1, H2, and H3 headings on your website to organize your content.
• Internal Links – Link to other pages on your site to help visitors and Google navigate easily.
• Page Speed & Mobile-Friendly Design – Slow websites rank lower. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check speed and make sure your site looks good on mobile phones.

3. Link Building: Get Other Sites to Link to Yours

When other websites link to yours, Google sees it as a sign that your site is trustworthy and useful. The more quality links you have, the better your ranking and the higher your website appears in the search results.

This is what you need to do to get backlinks

• Create helpful content – Write blogs or guides that people want to share.
• Guest posting – Offer to write articles for other websites in your industry in exchange for a link back to your site.
• List your business – Add your website to directories like Google My Business, Yelp, and local business listings.

4. Technical SEO (Optional But Helpful)

Even if you’re not a tech expert, a few small tweaks can make a big difference.

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Some easy quick fixes include:

• Secure your site with HTTPS – Websites with an SSL certificate rank higher and look safer. It raises people’s trust in your website so they can easily decide to buy online using their credit/debit card details.
• Fix broken links – Broken links make your site look messy and can put off visitors. Use tools like Broken Link Checker to find and fix them.
• Use Schema Markup – This helps Google understand your content better and display extra info like star ratings in search results.

Common DIY SEO Mistakes to Avoid

Although do-it-yourself SEO can help your website rank better, it's easy to make mistakes that would undermine your progress. While certain errors can even cause your site to drop in search results, others might slow down positive results.

Look for these typical mistakes:

• Not making your site mobile-friendly – Most people browse on their phones, so your site needs to work well on mobile.
• Overloading your content with keywords – Adding too many keywords makes your content sound unnatural and can hurt your ranking.
• Ignoring backlinks – You need links from trusted websites to improve your ranking.
• Not tracking your progress – Use Google Search Console and Google Analytics to see what’s working and what needs improvement.

SEO takes time, but small, consistent efforts add up. Start with keyword research, make your website easy to find, build links, and keep improving. Over time, you’ll see more visitors, and best of all, you don’t need to be an expert to make it work.

Conclusion

Small businesses can get seen online without spending much money if they do their own SEO.  You can get more people to visit your website and move it up in the search results by doing easy things like keyword research, on-page optimization, and building links.

Taking things one step at a time is the best way to begin.  Pay attention to small changes, like picking the right keywords and making the information on your website better.  You can keep getting better as you learn more.

Keep at it, and your website will rank higher, get more visitors, and help your business grow. SEO doesn't work fast.