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When you are starting a small business, one of the best ways to get your calling card out there so to speak is to start your own website.

You may have already spent quite a lot of money on a website designer and your website may look like the digital equivalent of the Sistine Chapel. However, there is little to no point in having a beautiful, well-laid-out website unless your customers can find it.

This then leads to the next logical query; how can you ensure that your customers will find your website and how can you make it stand out amongst the ocean of other websites on the internet that may offer similar services?

This is where search engine optimization or SEO comes in and helps you to attract customers and build your business. The following article will highlight 5 SEO strategies that are effective for businesses that are just starting out.

1. Use The Right Keywords

Think about the business that you have or the services that you offer; what are the keywords that your potential customers will use when searching for them?

Make a list of around 20 to 50 keywords and then assess whether or not these are popular using SEO marketing tools that are free online. If you aren’t confident with this process or feel you need some help, it can be worth contacting an SEO company like YEAH! Local to help you with this stage. But once you have found the appropriate keywords, be sure to spread them around on your website.

2. Focus On What You Can Offer

It’s worth remembering that when you have a website and a business, you are competing with other people who offer similar services. To rise above this, you need to look at what is unique about what you can offer and put this on your website. For example, if you offer same-day dog grooming services, then this is worth putting on the website rather than simple dog grooming services. This will differentiate your business and help you to stand out.

3. Don’t Overstuff The Site

Going back to keywords for a moment, it is important that when you are designing the blog and landing page of your websites that they are not overstuffed with keywords. You also want to attract people, not just bots for SEO. It is worth sprinkling keywords loosely on your content but don’t overdo it, as this can cause irritation for people who are reading your website.

4. High-quality Content Only

Be sure that your website has high-quality content, which will help people find answers to their questions or help them to find services. The best strategy is to create different types of content such as articles, photos, and videos, which all provide information to your site visitors about what you do and how you can help them. Also, make sure your content is up to date and relevant.

5. Be Social

It cannot be overstated the importance of having social media in relation to SEO. Your company’s social media presence will help to rank you higher in search results when people search for your business or related terms. So, get over to Facebook and Instagram to boost your SEO.