SEO Guide for Small Business Owners

SEO—the 3 letters many small business owners have heard a lot about but don't really understand. And that's okay! Because doing a quick search on Google only gives you an overwhelming list of articles to read and (more often than not) those articles still confuse the hell out of you. That ends here because this is the SEO guide you've been looking for: one that is straight forward and isn't riddled with jargon you can understand. And whether you are just launching your small business and need help building a foundation or have been in business for a while and need to fix some things, the answers to your questions are below.

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What is SEO?

SEO is short for search engine optimization. It's along-term marketing strategy (read: results take time) you can use to improve your website's visibility and ranking in search results on search engines like Google. And if you have a website, then you need SEO. Seriously, it's that important when you are trying to build a business in the age of the internet. No matter how big or small, new or old your business is.

The important things you need to have in order to do SEO area website and keywords and phrases. Keywords are the short (1-2 word) things someone might type into a search engine with the goal of finding something. Keyphrases are the longer things (3-10 words) someone might type into Google; typically these longer key phrases are questions. Regardless of how long or short they are, SEO keywords and phrases are the labels you put on your website (and in blog content) that help Google understand the purpose of your website (who you are, what you do, who you do it for) so it can put your website in front of people looking for something like the product or service you provide.

How do I find my SEO keywords?

The list keywords you can use for your small business can get long, but it doesn't need to right out of the gate. The easiest way to start is with a shorter list of keywords and phrases that describe:

Your service or product
Where you provide your service or where people can buy your product
The questions people are most likely to search for answers

The first step is to create up with a list of potential keywords and keyphrases you think people might use to find your business (honestly, this is where everyone starts). This can be anything from product names to service areas to common industry terms. Once you have this master list, it's time to start narrowing things down by using keyword research tools like Ubersuggest (which is free). Simply type in the SEO keywords and phrases into the tool to see how many times people are searching for it (this is called "monthly search volume" or MSV). In the end, you want to have a list of shorter keywords with have a medium to high search volume (because this shows you a lot of people are looking for it) as well as a list of longer keyphrases with a lower search volume (which most of the time means the person knows exactly what they want).

Pro-tip: Your list is likely to change over time as your goals do! So think of it as a living document and don't be afraid to add or subtract from it.

Where do I use my SEO keywords?

After you've gone through the process of finding and narrowing down your list of SEO keywords, it's time to put them to use. But where exactly do you use these essential words and phrases on your website? There are 9 places:

Page URLs
Blog title
Content/copy (3-4 times in the body, definitely in the intro paragraph)
Page title and meta description (usually in the page settings)
H1 and H2 tags (sometimes you see this as Heading 1 and Heading 2 in your text format options)
Image file names
Image alt descriptions (usually in the page settings or media library settings)

The title tag is what appears in the search engine results as the clickable headline for your website. It's important to use your SEO keywords here, but you also want to make sure you're keeping it short (50-60 characters max) and to the point. The meta description is the short paragraph of text that appears below your title tag in the search results. Like the title tag, you want to use your keywords here but you also want to make sure it's interesting and will make someone want to click on your website instead of someone else's. H1 and H2 tags are HTML elements that help break up your content and make it easier to read. They also give Google a little more information about what your content is about. And finally, the body content is, well, all the other content on your website (including blog posts). You want to use your keywords throughout this content, but be careful not to overdo it or you could get penalized by Google.

You also want to make sure you are optimizing your images—don't forget about the fact that Google has an entire search tab dedicated to visuals!

Pro-tip: Learn more about how to optimize your website and make sure you've done this important step!

How do I know if I'm ranking for my keywords?

The best way to track your SEO progress and see if you're ranking for your keywords is to use a tool like Google Search Console. It's a free tool provided by Google that gives you insights into how your website is performing in their search engine. You can see things like what keywords you're ranking for, how many people are clicking on your website from the search results, and even what position you're in for each keyword. Ubersuggest also lets you run SEO reports for free.

There are also a paid tools like Ahrefs and SEMRush that provide a lot of the same data as Google Search Console but with some extra features (like detailed keyword information and competitor analysis). If you're serious about SEO, it might be worth investing in a paid tool.

Pro-tip: Check your progress regularly! Google's algorithm is constantly changing, which means your ranking can change too. So it's important to keep an eye on things and adjust your SEO strategy as needed.

What can I do to improve my website's SEO?

There are a lot of other things you can do to improve your website's SEO in addition to using the right keywords. Here are a few more tips:

Blog on a regular basis. Google loves fresh content, so a blog is a great way to keep your website relevant and improve your SEO
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Google gives preference to websites that are optimized for mobile devices since that's what most people use nowadays
Use social media to promote your website and share your content. This can help get more people to your website and help you rank higher in the search results
Make sure your website is fast and easy to use. Google wants to give its users the best possible experience, so it penalizes websites that are slow or difficult to use.

How do I optimize images for SEO and faster loading?

Most people upload images straight from their phone or camera and call it a day—but there are three quick things worth doing first that make a real difference.

Rename your file before you upload it. "IMG_4823.jpg" means nothing to Google but "chicago-wedding-photographer.jpg" does.
Then once it's on your site, fill in the alt text (that's the short description you add to each image in your website settings). Write it like you're describing the image to someone who can't see it, and include a keyword if it fits naturally.
Finally, compress and/or resize your image before uploading it. Big files slow your site down, and a slow site hurts your SEO (and frustrates the humans trying to visit you). Free tools like TinyPNG do the job in about 30 seconds.

How do I create content clusters/topic clusters for SEO?

A topic cluster sounds fancy but the idea is pretty simple. You pick one big topic that's central to your business and write a thorough "main" post about it. Then you write a handful of smaller posts that each go deep on one specific piece of that topic.

All of those smaller posts link back to the main one, and the main one links out to them.

When you have a group of posts that all relate to the same topic and link to each other, it signals that your site actually knows what it's talking about—which helps all of those posts rank better over time.

If you're just getting started, don't overthink it. Pick one topic, write the main post, and then think about three to five questions your clients ask about that topic. Each of those questions is a potential supporting post.

How do I create content that builds backlinks naturally?

A backlink is when another website links to yours. Google sees these as a signal that your content is worth reading, so they can help your site rank higher. The tricky part is you can't really manufacture them. You have to earn them by creating content people actually want to share or reference.

The types of content that tend to pick up backlinks are things like genuinely useful guides (think: the post someone bookmarks and sends to a friend), original takes on common industry questions, or free resources people in your industry actually use.

Getting featured in a roundup post, being a guest on a podcast, or contributing to another blog in your space all do the same thing. These usually come with a link back to your site and introduce you to people who've never heard of you.

While a lot of these things are somewhat out of your control, backlinks don't only come from other blogs linking to you. Every time you list your business in a directory—think Google Business Profile, Yelp, or industry-specific directories—that's a backlink. Staying active on Pinterest is another one, since every pin that links back to your website counts.

It's a slow build, but it compounds over time—and a lot of the groundwork (like setting up directory listings) is a one-time task that keeps working for you long after you've moved on.

How do I handle duplicate content issues on my website?

Duplicate content is when the same (or very similar) content shows up on more than one page of your website. It's more common than people realize (sometimes it happens because of how a website platform generates URLs and sometimes it's because you copied a block of text across multiple service pages).

Why does it matter? Because Google has to decide which version of that content to show in search results, and when it's confused, it sometimes just doesn't show either.

The simplest fix going forward: if you have multiple pages that cover similar ground (like individual city pages for your services), make sure each one has different copy. Don't just swap out the city name.

If you think you might already have a duplicate content problem, Google Search Console is a free place to start looking—it'll flag issues with your pages so you know where to focus.

How do I write for voice search and AI search?

Both voice search and AI-powered search (like the answer boxes you see at the top of Google results) tend to favor content that's clear, specific, and directly answers the question being asked.

The most practical thing you can do is write the way your clients actually talk. Think about the questions they ask you in real life and write posts that answer those questions directly (hey, like we are doing here!).

Use those questions as headings and put the most important part of the answer right at the top before going into more detail.

Plain, conversational language tends to do better here than stiff, keyword-heavy copy. If a real human would skim past it, a search engine probably will too. The good news is that writing for voice and AI search isn't that different from just writing well—clear, helpful, and easy to read wins every time.

Common SEO mistakes

Now that you know a little bit more about SEO, let's talk about some common mistakes people make.

#1 Not using enough keywords. This is probably the most common mistake people make when it comes to SEO. If you're not using enough keywords, Google won't be able to tell what your website is about and you won't rank as high in the search results.

#2 Using the wrong keywords. Just as bad as not using any keywords is using the wrong keywords. If you're using keywords that are too broad or not relevant to your website, you'll again have a hard time ranking high in the search results.

#3 Not optimizing your website for mobile devices. Like we mentioned before, Google gives preference to websites that are mobile-friendly since that's what most people use nowadays. If your website isn't optimized for mobile devices, you're missing out on a lot of potential traffic and you'll likely rank lower in the search results.

#4 Not promoting your website on social media. Social media is a great way to promote your website and share your content. If you're not doing this, you're missing out on a lot of potential traffic and you probably won't rank as high as you could.

#5 Not having enough content. Google loves websites with fresh, relevant content. If you don't have enough content on your website, you're likely not going to rank as high as you could be.

SEO can seem like a lot of work, but it's actually not that difficult once you get the hang of it. And the benefits are definitely worth the effort. By following the tips in this guide, you can improve your website's SEO and start getting more traffic from Google.

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Tayler Cusick Hollman

Founder of Enji | Small Business Marketing Strategist

Tayler Cusick Hollman is the co-founder of Enji, a strategy-first marketing platform built specifically for small business owners who do their own marketing. With 10+ years of experience in small business marketing, Tayler has helped thousands of founders create clear, repeatable marketing systems that drive consistency, visibility, and revenue—without relying on agencies or complicated tools.

Her work focuses on simplifying marketing strategy, turning plans into execution, and helping small business owners replace scattered tools with one integrated system. Tayler’s frameworks and insights are used by entrepreneurs across industries to plan, execute, and evaluate their marketing with confidence.

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