
If someone asks you to name some companies that do not have an online presence, you will start scratching your head for answers. Almost all sizes of business regardless of the type of industry have an online presence today. Everybody is trying in various ways to gain the top rankings in search results (by using SEO and other techniques). At some point, it might appear that the competition in the virtual world is quite lopsided with bigger companies with more abilities (more money and resources) dominating search rankings. These companies have immense strength to harness the powers of the internet and it is no surprise that they occupy the top rungs of the search rankings (powerful SEO works). Although bigger companies are much more visible, even without them, you would always be facing competition from someone who is capable of doing better than you do.
Small businesses face a lot of online domination that they must know how to cut through so that even with their limited resources and experience, they can give the bigger players a run for their money. Google focuses on how relevant websites and web pages are to searchers. Numbers have no meaning to Google. Thus, even if you have a huge body of content, an enormous inventory of inbound links and have been in the field for long many years, these do not matter in earning good ranks in search results. Google’s attitude provides the silver lining to small businesses that can adopt suitable strategies to counter the competition from the biggies and earn a place in the upper ranks of search results. Keep reading to know about the tips.
Concentrate On a Niche:
When thinking about SEO strategies, avoid the lure of gaining full exposure. Instead, focus on one specialization that helps to narrow down the focus of searchers.
It often happens that with higher search visibility in mind, you might tend to spread across many areas of your business to gain attention. You would prefer to focus on multiple expertise of your business so that possibilities of your business appearing for several search criteria would be higher. While you would get wider exposure for several keywords, your relevance for each keyword would be quite small. You become ‘Jack of all trades’ that weakens your fight against larger business houses.
It would rather make sense to narrow down the range and focus on one specialization or expertise so that the concentration of search is more on it. According to the experts at One Synesis, a digital marketing company, this would result in much higher visibility as you could turn out to be the best in your niche.
Include Long Tail Keywords in Your Strategy:
By concentrating on a niche, your goal is to achieve maximum relevance by sacrificing volume as you choose to be happy with a smaller volume. Following the same principle, and to achieve an identical goal, you must focus on long tail keywords. By using long tail keywords, which are extended phrases of the shorter keywords, you aim to earn high ranks with keywords that are less popular. Although it would have been possible to gain moderate positions with high-ranking keywords, it would be less rewarding. The competition is less in long tail keywords as compared to short keywords, hence higher are the chances of ranking well. If you produce high-quality content, long tail keywords would naturally occur in it. To research long tail keywords, you can use Google Webmaster tools.
Turn to Local SEO:
In terms of relevance, local search is now the prime attraction because it helps to beat the competition. By depending on the local search, you can become the best in the locale for a particular niche, and this perfectly aligns with whatever we have talked about till now. Getting a toehold in the local market is not just significant for local business, but even if your business has a national perspective, you could still edge out competition and gain a share of the local market for yourself.
To obtain local relevance, you can get involved in local communities and forums that would introduce you to the local market. Attending fairs, festivals and other events would popularize your name and drive more traffic to your website. Arrange for local reviews on directory sites like Trip Advisor or Yelp as it counts a lot in local SEO because positive reviews weigh heavily in favor of higher search rankings. These activities are comparatively easier than creating content and building links and provide great rewards in ranking.
Step up the Personal Factor Through Social Engagement:
You can counter the competition from bigger businesses by providing a personal touch to the brand. Take measures to give an impetus to your brand strategy by including the personal factor. Personalized experience considerably sways consumers that you promise by attaching your personality to the brand. The relationship that you enjoy with customers reaches new heights with this approach and acts favorably for your business. Take the relationship forward and forge closer connections with customers by using the social media platform. More active you are on the social media; more will be your reach, and better will be the Google rankings, as there appears to be a link between social signals and the search algorithm.
Use a Content Strategy to Build Brands:
Rely on quality content and maintain a steady stream of publications to aid the process of brand building that brings along with it other essential elements like credibility, trust, and loyalty. Regularly publish quality blogs on your website, or you can even think of producing e-books, videos, podcasts, and webinars using the available channels to establish your authority in your business niche. To earn the reputation as a dependable business brand/ entity, consistently publish quality content and distribute it for the maximum reach that would ensure the highest return on investment.
It needs real hard work to stand against the massive competition. To win the game, you must aim to win selective battles instead of trying to become a winner on all fronts.