How A Google Business Profile Helps Local SEO

by Pete Wright | May 1, 2024 | Small Business Advice, Digital Marketing, Small Business SEO

Google Business Profile was Google My Business

Google Business Profile (GBP) — previously known as Google My Business (GMB) — is becoming more and more essential for small businesses hoping to thrive locally. Are you a local business keen to get more website visits from customers in your area? Then claiming and optimising your Google Business Profile (GBP) will let you:

List your business location or service area on Google Maps and local search results
Display key information in local searches like opening/closing times and contact details
Boost your local search rankings to reach potential customers searching for related services or products in your area

Getting Started With Google Business Profiles

Even if you’ve never set up your own GBP listing before, Google may have already created one for you to claim.… Read the rest “How A Google Business Profile Helps Local SEO”

Small Business SEO 101: What You Need To Know

by Pete Wright | Apr 18, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Small Business SEO

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is vital for small businesses. Yet many don’t know where to start. So here are a few things you need to know about small business SEO.

Why Small Business SEO Matters

All websites need visitors, but visitors who are searching for your services are among the most likely to convert into customers. Unfortunately, most are too busy to read past the first Search Engine Results Page (or “SERP”). So for any given search phrase, sites on the first page tend to get 75% of the traffic available for that phrase, with almost 20% going to the first result.

We all do that from time to time. As site owners, though, we need to focus on the next step in most searches.… Read the rest “Small Business SEO 101: What You Need To Know”

Google Web Vitals – What’s The Fuss?

by Pete Wright | Jun 24, 2021 | Small Business Advice, Web Design, Small Business SEO, Web Development

Google’s Core Web Vitals now mean website speed matters even more

In case you haven’t heard, Google’s latest search algorithm update focuses on your website’s technical performance. Specifically, on a group of metrics that Google calls “Core Web Vitals”. So what are these Google Web Vitals, and what’s all the fuss about them for?

What Are Google Web Vitals?

Google’s Core Web Vitals are a small set of key metrics focused on page speed and user experience. Check these three impactful metrics first before undertaking deeper optimizations.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how long it takes for the largest content element (e.g. a hero image or heading text) on your page to become visible. Aim for an LCP of 1.2 seconds or less.

… Read the rest

Top 5 SEO Myths Hurting Small Businesses

by Pete Wright | Sep 1, 2020 | Small Business Advice, Digital Marketing, Small Business SEO

Let’s smash some SEO myths!

Even after over 20 years of search engine optimisation, several SEO myths seem particularly persistent. With so much misinformation flying around, it’s no wonder small business owners treat SEO with caution.

It’s one thing to see these myths surfacing in small business networking groups. It’s quite another when flaky “SEO specialists” promote them in sales emails.

Yes, I get those emails too. So this article has bee prompted by yet another dodgy “SEO specialist” site review listing fake SEO problems they’d “found”. Whilst real SEO reviews can help, spammers just send out cookie-cutter lists and hope you’ll bite. These can be hard to spot unless you keep up with current SEO best practices.

Asking non-expert friends and colleagues may feel reassuring, but uninformed advice just increases risk.… Read the rest “Top 5 SEO Myths Hurting Small Businesses”

Small Business SEO Mistakes

by Pete Wright | Mar 16, 2020 | Small Business SEO

Small business SEO - Google Trends SEO searches 2015 to 2020

UK SEO searches 2015-20
Latest version

Skip to the solution:

Cost-effective small business SEO

Small business SEO is now more vital than ever. Why? Because with more people working from home, offline advertising will struggle to compete with online searches.

Your competitors know this. That’s why Google Trends shows that searches for SEO in the UK recently (March 2020) peaked higher than at any time in the past five years.

Still, small businesses face special problems when it comes to investing in SEO. This leads to three common mistakes.

Mistake #1: DIY SEO

Small budgets make DIY seem tempting. Yet whilst the basics of SEO can seem simple to learn, they take years to master — and they keep changing.

Besides, the simple parts won’t get you far.… Read the rest “Small Business SEO Mistakes”

Top 3 Tips for Small Business Website Growth

by Pete Wright | Mar 10, 2020 | Small Business Advice, Digital Marketing, Web Design, Small Business SEO

So you’ve launched your new small business website? Congratulations! Or maybe you’ve had one for a while — and are now wondering if it’s really working? Well, building your site was just the beginning. Now you need to focus on website growth.

Not sure where to start with that? Don’t worry, that’s quite common. So here are three vital things that many small businesses overlook.

1. Use Your Website Stats

Any usable business website generates a lot of stats on its visitors. If yours doesn’t, you’re flying blind. It usually takes weeks to collect enough data to start seeing meaningful trends though. So you need to fix this immediately.

Thankfully, most sites are easy to link to Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.… Read the rest “Top 3 Tips for Small Business Website Growth”

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