In this era of high-tech world, Search engine optimization [SEO] has become the most essential marketing tool. SEO is very important especially for small businesses because it is the most cost-effective way to let your business and brand to potential customers. SEO is a very effective marketing strategy and the good news is that it’s not going away anytime soon. Even though powerful search engines such as Google, are always making changes to their algorithms, but many basic principles of SEO remain the same.

If you are convinced about the importance of SEO, then you should start to consider involving professionals like Jacksonville SEO Company to give you the most effective strategy for your small business. The following are tips that have proven to be successful for a wide variety of small businesses.

  1. Develop a specialized focus

A specialized focus is one of the best steps you can take as a small business to help your web presence grow. Although covering many different areas of expertise may seem a better strategy to increase search visibility, this strategy is a bit counterintuitive. For you to compete with bigger businesses in your industry, you should take a narrower and a more focused approach.

If you put a majority of your SEO efforts into a small subset of specialized keywords, it can help increase your search relevance and visibility for those keywords.

  1. Make use of long-tail keywords

Utilizing a long-tail keyword strategy accomplishes a goal similar to narrowing your focus. These types of keywords are longer phrases like “tips for converting a basement into living space” instead of “basement finishing.”  It is simple to achieve a high Google ranking with long-tail keywords even though they might not bring in as much traffic, they are still worth incorporating in your overall SEO strategy.

  1. Target your local audience

Since majority of small businesses are located in local neighborhood, it’s crucial to consider SEO local searches. People don’t tend to usually search for businesses like hair salons for example on a national level, instead, they search locally, using keyword searches like “hair salon Seattle” To take advantage of locally based SEO , you should make sure that your website’s content uses location-specific keywords, such as the town or neighborhood where your business is located.

  1. Keep your personality distinct

Another way to boost your online presence and search engine visibility is to keep your marketing strategy highly personalized. Make use of social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect to your local audience on a personal level.

Social media can allow your business to stay engaged with your customers. A personalized social strategy also gives your small business an advantage over the bigger competitors. As companies continue to grow, they tend to lose some of their local personality to a corporate image.

  1. Don’t neglect your content strategy

It’s very important to use high-quality content to help build your brand’s image online. It is very common in today’s market for most businesses websites to host a blog related to relevant news and issues in their industry.

A great content strategy shows Google and other search engines that your business is an active and reliable authority in your field.