Why do small businesses need SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is what helps your business rank high on internet search results.
Organic SEO is how you improve your search ranking without advertising. This is done by using researched keywords, optimizing your Google Business profile if you are a local business, optimizing the content on your small business website, and applying SEO practices.
Properly optimizing your Google Business Profile can help you rank overnight in certain markets. But working on your website’s SEO is more of a long-game for attracting customers. Once you’ve begun making SEO improvements to your website, it does take time to see results. But, the benefit is it continues to pay off over time.
Examples of Organic Search Results
When you perform a search on Google, you almost always get both ads and organic results (and more often nowadays AI overviews).
The paid ad results are always at the very top and are marked as “sponsored” so you know it’s a paid result. In the example below, Alpine Fit of Boulder has paid to rank at the top.
Google Places, aka local map pack, is typically under the sponsored list and gives local options for the search query. It can include both sponsored ads and organic results. All the examples in the image below are organic results.
Note: In order to show up organically on the Google Places map, you must add or claim your Business Profile on Google. If you are a local business, this is an essential step.
After the map, you’ll typically find typical FAQs related to your keyword and organic search results. In the example below, Physical Therapy of Boulder is the number one organic result for a query for “physical therapist in Boulder, CO.” You’ll also notice they were the top result in the Google Places map in the image above.
Should small businesses invest in SEO or Google ads?
Small businesses absolutely need to do SEO. It’s the only way to stay competitive for the long term as a business. SEO is cheaper is an investment, but it it cheaper in the long run, and it will give you a long-term payout.
If you only focus on paid ads, you will only attract new clients when you are actively paying for clicks.
The data below is a client who was paying $300/month in Google ads back in 2024 because she wasn’t getting enough traffic. We started work on her website and GBP in October 20024. She no longer has to pay for ads because she has a full schedule of clients from organic traffic alone.
Many small businesses can benefit from doing both. If you have the advertising dollars, you should do both. If you are opening a new business, or need to boost your client base right away, a well-orchestrated online ad campaign could be a good investment. But, you should also be working on your organic SEO to invest in the long-term success of business.
When to Implement SEO
If you haven’t implemented SEO on your website or optimized your Google Business profile, and you need more clients, now is the time. While it’s always helpful to implement SEO best practices when you are first building your website, most of my clients get SEO help after they have established their business and are ready to grow.
Keep in mind that SEO is an ever-evolving field as search engines work to improve their algorithms and as AI impacts search results. Techniques that were once popular in the past, like keyword stuffing, will now hurt your ranking.
If your website is established but not performing well in searches, it’s time for an update.
Start Driving More Traffic to Your Business
If you want to attract more organic traffic to your website, there are lots of reputable free guides out there. I recommend Semrush’s SEO Guide for Beginners or Hubspot’s free beginner SEO Certification Course.
But if that all sounds intimidating or you just don’t have the time, I can help. I offer SEO Consulting and Marketing Services for small businesses that work for your budget. Reach out if you want to chat.