7 Best Affordable SEO Service for Small Business That Helps
Are you looking for affordable website design and SEO service for your small business? If so, you are in the right place! In this article, we will discuss some of the best options available to businesses when it comes to SEO service.
We will also provide a few tips on how to choose the right service and which is the right service for your needs. So, whether you are just starting out and need help getting your website ranked in search engines, or you are looking for an ongoing SEO solution, we have something for you!
Table of contents:
What Are SEO Services for Small Business?
Small businesses often have a difficult time competing against larger businesses. This is especially true when it comes to online marketing strategies. One of the best ways to level the playing field is to hire an SEO service or educate yourself via blogs, videos and courses to improve the website visibility and ranking.
Definition of SEO
SEO is a short term for Search Engine Optimization. It is a long-term marketing strategy employed to improve a website’s visibility and organic search results in google search and other global search engines. It is not a one-time effort as the SEO strategies and tactics used need to be continuously reviewed and updated as per the changing algorithms, trends and user behaviour.
How Much Does SEO Services Cost?
The cost of SEO services differs from agency to small business SEO companies to freelancers, plus from project to project. The important thing is to understand what services you need for your website and how much you are willing to spend on them monthly or annually.
Some of the most popular small business SEO services include keyword research, link building and content marketing. A good starting point is to set your monthly SEO budget and look for an affordable SEO service provider.
- Startups and low competition: £300-£500/month for min. 3 months
- Established business average competition: £500-£1,000/month for 3-6 months
- Strong competition: £2,000+ for 6+ months
If you need any help with SEO, reach out to FIT DESIGN. Our website design for small business has onsite SEO services included in the price. Also, we provide a FREE consultation to help you with your website's SEO.
How Do You Choose Affordable SEO Services for Small Businesses?
Building a business is hard enough, so you want to make sure you are getting the most out of your marketing budget. Here are a few tips on how to choose affordable small business SEO services:
1. Review/Reputation:
Check this by reading online reviews or on various directories.
2. Services Offered:
Make sure the SEO provider offers the services you need, such as audit, on page & off page SEO optimization, link building, PPC, and content marketing.
3. Experience:
Check their case studies to see the results they have achieved for other clients.
4. Process:
Ask them about their process and what they will do to improve your website ranking via small business SEO service.
5. Reporting:
Ask for a monthly report to track the progress of your SEO campaign.
6. Support:
Make sure they offer customer support in case you have any questions or issues.
7. Budget:
Get quotes from several providers and compare their prices and services
7 Affordable SEO Services for Small Businesses
1. Hire an Affordable SEO Agency
- Front Page Advantage - independent award-winning SEO and PPC agency. Price: starts from £299/month Bronz package
- FitDesign - a full-service agency that provides SEO and web design in London. Price: starts from £299 one time or monthly
- The Search Initiative - UK based SEO agency with good reviews. Price: custom made
2. Hire an Independent SEO Expert
- UK SEO GUY - Jamie has been offering affordable SEO services in the UK for over 5 years. Price: starts from £35 for a single service
- Matt Tutt - Matt has extensive knowledge and 15+ years of experience Price: custom made
- Gazz Hall - using SEO best practices, Gaz has been providing low cost SEO plans for over 20 years. Price: £500/month
3. Download an SEO Software
- HikeSeo - your own SEO tool that helps you rank. Price: $59.99/month
- SEOptimer - easy SEO analysis with few simple clicks. Price: starts from $19/month
- SEranking - all in one software for analysis and marketing. Price: starts from £15/month
4. Use SEO Tools for Relevant Web Pages
- SpyFu - audit your page and improve your SEO score. Price: $39/month
- SEObility - free for one project. Check your page search engine optimization SEO
- TheHoth - scale your business with limited but free tools
- Google search console
5. Search Directories for Freelancers and SEO Agencies
- Upwork - affordable SEO packages
- People per hour - low cost SEO services [NOTE: only hire an expert with experience]
- Fiverr - cheap SEO service [NOTE: hire only a Fiverr pro or level 2 with good reviews & don't be tempted by low prices as it's impossible to get SEO results for $5!!!]
6. Learn How to Use Search Engine Optimization
- Online courses - Udemy, Hubspot, LinkedIn...
- Books - The Art of SEO, SEO 2021 by Adam Clarke
7. Keep the Ball Rolling
Don't give up after a month or two. SEO optimization is a process and it will take time to see results. Be patient and consistent, it is the only way to rank a web page.
4 Pillars to an Effective SEO Strategy:
There are four main pillars to a successful SEO strategy technical SEO, on-site SEO, content and Off-site SEO, that will help you improve your ranking, visibility and authority.
I. Technical SEO
Is the process of optimizing a website's code and structure for better website visibility and engagement. Technical SEO is the first step in optimizing a website for better search engine ranking.
1. Crawl - the site is visible to search engines crawl or bots
2. Index - website should be indexed to be found
3. Mobile-friendly- user experience for other device users
4. Speed - loading time is crucial:
- Best: 0.80 seconds
- Good: 0.90 seconds
- Average: 0.95 seconds
- Poor: Above one second
You can use various tools and programs to check your website load time. Also, vital to choose the right CMS [content management system] for your design. Some of the best are Webflow, WordPress and Shopify.
5. Technology - what CMS [content management system] will you use
6. Structure - headings and subheadings e.g H1, H2 to H5 "affordable website design for small business" hierarchy are important. Stick to only ONE H1 per page!
7. Web hosting and URL - a good web hosting will make a website load faster. Consider these when choosing your domain name as well e.g. SSL certificate for website security.
II. On-Site SEO
On-site SEO is the process of optimizing website content, structure, and design to make it easier for search engines to find and rank. It also includes optimizing website speed and mobile responsiveness.
1. Use of unique and keyword-rich titles - e.g. "Website Design For Small Business in London" As you might notice, we are a web design agency and so we are using keywords targeting small businesses in need of a website design.
2. Optimizing website images - important for website speed and ranking, using proper image file names e.g. "website-design-small-business.jpg", adding ALT text same as the name without the hyphen, and compress files to reduce size.
3. Meta title and description - appearing in SERP [search engine results pages], should be unique and within the character limit. The optimal number is:
- 50-60 Characters for meta title tags
- 150-160 Characters for meta description
4. Creating fresh and relevant content - website visitors are looking for new and relevant information, adding a blog section is a great way to show that your website has authority and knowledge, plus it will help you rank for targeted keywords.
e.g. "web agency in London" is our target keyword. We write an article about The best eCommerce websites for restaurants, mentioning the above keyword 5-6 times in a way that it flows in the text. Avoid stuffing and density.
5. Call to action - make it clear to users what you want them to do on your website. Include a CTA [call-to-action] on every page, preferably above the fold.
III. Content
Basically, your site is just a wrapper for your content. Content is the main ingredient of SEO and will determine whether your website will rank or not. All the services or products you provide should be properly described in text, images or videos.
1. Landing page - a must for any website, it's the first page a user will see and should include a clear CTA [call-to-action] for the target market
2. Products/Services page - each page should be properly optimized for target keywords
3. About page - description of your small business and team
4. Contact page - how to find you and where to find you
5. Blog section - a great way to add fresh, relevant, and keyword-rich content
6. Testimonials - user-generated content that builds trust in customers and more...
IV. Off-Site SEO?
Off-site SEO is the process of optimizing your website's presence on other websites and online platforms. It will help you further increase your website's visibility, traffic, and engagement.
1. Creating social media accounts - it's a great way to accelerate business growth, website visibility, outreach and establishing online visibility via social media marketing.
2. Guest blogging - is a good way to get your website in front of a new audience and build authority within your industry. Approach similar businesses and websites in your industry and offer to write a guest blog post for them.
3. Directories and citations - by claiming your business listings on local directories, you can improve your website's chances of appearing in search results for relevant keywords. A vital and effective tactic for local search algorithms.
4. Link building strategies - One of the most important aspects of off-site SEO is link building. By acquiring internal and external links from high-quality websites, you can improve your website's search engine ranking and visibility. Reach out to website owners and ask if they would be interested in linking to your website or offer to write a guest blog post for them in exchange for a link back to your website.
5. Google map listings - Google Maps is a powerful tool that can help improve your website's visibility and organic search ranking. By creating and claiming a listing, you can help ensure that your website appears when potential customers search for businesses like yours in your area.
6. Review website - Review websites are a great way to improve your website's visibility and reputation. By claiming your business listing on review websites and actively managing your reviews, you can improve your website's chances of appearing in search results and attract new customers.
What is Local SEO
Local SEO is a type of service that is focused on local search results by optimizing a website for specific geographical areas. It involves optimizing a website's presence on local directories, maps, and search engines. Local SEO is an important part of any small business marketing strategy.
e.g. If you are a small business owner in London, you should focus on optimizing your Google map and website for local keywords such as "small business website design" or "website design for small businesses in London".
White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO
As in every industry, there are good and bad ways to go about things. The same is true for SEO. You can either engage in white hat SEO or black hat SEO.
White-Hat SEO
Is the process of optimizing a website using only approved and ethical techniques. Techniques that are in line with Google’s guidelines. These techniques may take longer to show results, but they will be long-lasting and you won’t risk getting your website penalized by Google. Some of these techniques include:
- Original plagiarism free content
- Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions
- Use appropriate keywords throughout your website
- Creating quality backlinks etc...
Black-Hat SEO
Black hat SEO is the process of optimizing a website using techniques that may be considered unethical or against Google's terms of service. Unfortunately, many small business owners choose to use black hat SEO techniques because they believe that it is the fastest and most effective way to improve their website's ranking plus it cost a fraction of the white hat SEO.
It is important to remember that using black hat SEO techniques can be very risky and may not produce the desired results. If you are considering using black hat SEO, it is important to do your research and understand the risks involved.
Is SEO Necessary for a Small Business?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the need for SEO services will vary depending on the size and industry of your business. However, if you want to ensure that your business is visible online and able to attract customers, then investing in SEO is a good idea.
Benefits of Good SEO:
- Visibility: attracts more customers to your website
- Engagement: by improving customer engagement you can reduce the bounce rate
- Branding: builds trust and credibility with your customers
- Sales: increases sales and ROI
- Revenue: generates more revenue for your business over time
- Advertisement: once you have organic website traffic you don't have to pay for Ads
Popular Search Engines
There are a number of popular search engines that business owners can use to improve their website's visibility and organic search ranking. Some of these search engines include: Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ask.com and Brave.
Questions to Ask During an SEO Service Consultation
When considering hiring an SEO service for your small business, it is important to ask the right questions. Here are a few questions to get you started:
- What type of SEO services do you offer?
Be sure to ask SEO companies about all the different types of SEO services they offer.
- What is your experience in my industry?
It is important to hire a digital marketing agency or an affordable SEO company that has experience with businesses in your industry. This way you can be sure that they are aware of the latest trends and changes.
- What techniques will you use to improve my website to rank higher?
There are a variety of techniques that can be used to improve your website's ranking e.g. link building, keyword research, on page SEO optimization, off page optimization, PPC, etc.
- What are the costs?
Agencies in 95% will charge you monthly fees asking you to commit for 3 months or more. But freelancers might charge you a flat fee for the services they will provide, e.g. 150 business citations in directories, etc.
- What is the expected time frame for results?
SEO can take some time to show results in general it's min. 3-6 months, so be patient and ask for reports and analysis weekly/monthly.
- How will you report on progress?
This is important to know so that you can track the progress of your SEO campaign. Ask for a detailed report that includes ranking improvements, traffic increases, and conversion rates.
Conclusion
Businesses who want to ensure their website is visible online and able to attract customers should invest in an SEO services company. The benefits of good SEO include increased visibility, engagement, branding, sales, and revenue. When considering hiring an SEO service, be sure to ask about their experience in your industry, the techniques they will use, and the costs.
Also, ask about the expected time frame for results and how progress will be reported. Find affordable SEO services might take time, but the result is worth every penny. If you are not sure about what SEO services to choose for your small business, then you can always reach out to our creative web design and SEO agency in London.
We are SEO experts in digital marketing strategy, website design for small business and eCommerce services. Fit Design and the web developer team will help you with SEO success and social media strategy.
