Good SEO on a limited budget! WTF. Is that even possible in this day & age?
“In these unprecedented times where businesses must strategize to survive the lockdown, spending less on SEO can bring relief. Here’s how to make the most of a limited search engine optimisation budget.”
The Cost of SEO.
SEO may be called unpaid in your Google Analytics results, but in indirect ways, you’re paying for it. That money doesn’t go to waste, as organic search is one of the few rewarding organic channels left on the internet. It is getting harder to rank without Google AdWords (paid Google advertising), but you can still get good SEO results that have a significant impact on your returns.
SEO is vital for the success of any website, whether large or small. Businesses will pay for good SEO by hiring experts and agencies or by equipping their own staff with tools and training. Some small business owners even do their own SEO. Doing it yourself can be challenging, time to learn, time to keep up to date with Google ever changing algorithms & SEO these days is no longer just about technical optimisation and content.
In these unprecedented times where businesses must strategize to survive the lockdown for the first pandemic this decade, spending less on SEO can help. If you know where to cut expenses and where to invest your efforts, it can positively impact your results and help you stick with a limited budget.
#1 Keep Working on Those Links.
Backlinks are a major consideration in Google’s algorithm when deciding how to rank sites. Although more than 200 other factors come into play, working on your links is still a high-value investment of your time. Links represent votes of confidence from other sites, so the more authoritative and reliable the site is, the bigger the endorsement will appear to Google.
#2 Guest on a Blog or Publication.
Try Guesting on Industry Blogs and publications. When you write an article for that page, you will often get to link in the article too. Make sure the article and page you’re writing for is relevant and high quality. Both are crucial. Avoid links from disreputable sites.
#3 Don’t Ignore Smaller Search Directories.
While much less important than Google, smaller search engines can put your business on the map. Use business directories on Yahoo, Yelp, and HotFrog. It will increase your legitimacy and make local searches aware of your business’ relevance to them. Remember, quality is key.
#4 Pitch Your Content.
Promoting your best content can often result in your acquiring great links from publishers and influencers. Make relevant pages, influencers, and promoters aware of anything you have created that is of high quality and can be useful to them. Did you create a great resource for surviving the apocalypse? Promote it with the doomsdayer on Instagram.
#5 Join Google My Business.
Google has made it easy to fine-tune how searchers see your company with Google My Business and Google Knowledge Graphs. Learn how to optimise your Google Knowledge Graph and make sure you’re on google My Business to make locals aware of all the important information about your business and its operations. It’s really easy and can boost your SEO without costing you much because businesses that are verified on Google My Business show up on local search results.
#6 Fine-Tune your Keywords.
When choosing your keywords, be circumspect and honest about what your budget can achieve. Instead of targeting words hot in competition, go for longtail keywords that are very specific and guided by your strategy. Coveted keywords will have a lot of competition, so you’re unlikely to rank with a low budget for these words.
Longtail keywords, however, are rising in popularity because voice search is becoming the most common way searches are executed. They are three or more words in length and will have a lower search volume. This means competition will also be lower, meaning your conversion rate can be higher. It’s the difference between competing with all pet stores in the world or only stores that match certain description (location, service area, something special the shop sells or does).
#8 Capitalise on Questions.
Thanks to voice search, questions are a hot commodity. You can use Google’s “People Also Ask” section to find questions that your content should be answering. By including questions and answers in your content, you can easily increase your SEO results
#9 Use FREE SEO Tools.
The internet has a lot to offer when it comes to free SEO tools. Although there are many excellent paid tools to use, the free ones can benefit you a lot too. Here are a few tools you can try:
Animalz Revive (Discover content decay)
Answer the Public (Find out what the public is asking about a topic you choose)
Browseo (See your site through the search engine’s eyes)
Can I Rank (Can you rank for that keyword? Find out here.)
Detailed.com (Get info on your competitors here)
Google Analytics (Essential for tracking and interpreting results and data)
Google Mobile-Friendly Test (Is your site mobile friendly? Check here)
Google My Business (Essential for an effective online presence for any business)
Google Search Console (Useful for so many reasons! Multifaceted SEO tool with reliable info here)
Google Trends (Essential for keyword research)
IIS SEO Toolkit (Helps optimise your site for better SEO)
Keywords Everywhere(A browser add-on for keyword research)
Lipperhey (full-feature SEO Tool)
Panguin Tool (find out why your search is tanking)
Screaming Frog (Find & Fix SEO problems fast)
Seed Keyword Engine (What do real people search for? Discover fresh keywords here)
SEMrush (The FREE version) (Find what your competitors are ranking for here)
#10 Make the Most of What You Already Have.
Instead of creating more content, try updating what you have and promoting it. Change the format, update keywords in the copy, and breathe new life into what’s already there. Ost of the hard work has already been done, but you can increase results by fine-tuning things on your site. For example, you could use queries often received to help you create a Frequently Asked Questions section. You can also try promoting in different ways and to different audiences.
If you’re on a budget, search engine optimisation may seem daunting. In reality, there is a lot you can do with what you have even with limited resources. For better results, prioritise what’s important and use our top ten tips to increase your results.
SEO Tools: Animalz Revive, Browseo, Can I Rank, Detailed.com, IIS SEO Toolkit, Keywords Everywhere, Lipperhey, Panguin Tool, Screaming Frog, Seed Keyword Engine, SEMrush, Google Analytics, Google Mobile-Friendly Test, Google My Business, Google Search Console, Google Trends
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Sources: backlinko; smartinsights;
