Have you ever wondered why some businesses consistently show up all over the Google search results but you are nowhere to be found? How can your business listing be displayed multiple times when someone searches for your services on Google? Many small businesses assume that dominating search results requires a substantial budget, which isn’t necessarily true. With the right strategies, a bit of effort, and a great marketing partner, you can achieve impressive results without breaking the bank.
Understanding the Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
Before diving into the tactics, it’s essential to understand the different sections of the Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The SERP is divided into several sections, each serving a unique purpose and some more valuable than others:
Google Ads
Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is Google’s advertising platform that allows businesses to display sponsored ads at the top and bottom of the search results. While paid ads can be an effective way to drive immediate traffic, they can be expensive for small businesses with limited budgets. However, you can still leverage Google Ads by running targeted campaigns with a modest budget and carefully monitoring your return on investment (ROI).
The average cost-per-click for service businesses is around $3.00. So, if you are trying to market your landscaping business you might only need to target a 20-mile radius. If that’s the case, a budget of $750 could be sufficient to dominate your local market.
Google Map Pack (Local Pack)
Typically seen below the ads at the top of Google SERPs you will find the Google Map Pack or Local Pack as I like to call it. The Google Map Pack displays the top three local business listings relevant to the user’s search query. For local businesses, claiming and optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) listing is crucial if servicing a specific geographic area. Ensure that your business information, including your name, address, phone number, and website, is accurate and consistent across all online directories. Additionally, encourage your customers to leave reviews on your GMB listing, as positive reviews can significantly impact your local rankings. We call optimizing your GMB page for higher rankings “Local SEO”.
Most small businesses really don’t need to pay anything to optimize their GMB pages. It just takes a bit of effort from the business owner or marketing manager.
Organic Listings
Organic listings are the core of the SERP, displaying the most relevant and authoritative web pages for a user’s search query. To rank well organically, you’ll need to implement a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Start by conducting keyword research to identify the terms your target audience is searching for. Then, optimize your website’s content and structure to align with those keywords.
There is more that goes into ranking higher on Google organic listings, but having specific, valuable content is the start.
Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are concise summaries that appear at the top of the search results, providing direct answers to users’ queries. While featured snippets don’t necessarily drive traffic to your website, they increase your brand’s visibility and establish you as an authority in your industry. To increase your chances of appearing in featured snippets, structure your content in a clear and concise manner, using heading tags and bullet points to highlight key information.
Strategies for Dominating Google Search Results on a Small Budget
Now that you understand the different sections of the SERP, let’s explore some cost-effective strategies to help you dominate Google search results:
Optimize Your Website for SEO
Invest time and effort into optimizing your website for search engines. Conduct thorough keyword research, create high-quality, relevant content, and ensure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly. These fundamental SEO practices can significantly improve your organic rankings without requiring a substantial budget.
For example, if you are marketing a roofing company and offer metal roofing installation, don’t just have a homepage highlighting all of your services, but create specific pages for your services, like metal roofing installation, shingle roof replacement, storm damage repair, etc.
Implement On-Page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing individual web pages to improve their relevance and visibility for specific keywords. This includes optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and incorporating keywords naturally throughout your content. On-page optimization is a cost-effective way to boost your organic rankings.
Repurpose and Update Existing Content
Instead of constantly creating new content, consider repurposing and updating your existing blog posts, articles, or guides. Refreshing and optimizing old content can breathe new life into it, potentially improving its search engine rankings and driving more traffic to your site.
Build Quality Backlinks
Once you have valuable content then you will need to start building backlinks to the content from other websites. This is the most challenging part of SEO, and will likely require a partner to help, but it can be done if you do a lot in your community and get mentioned a lot online in newspapers, magazines, and other publications.
While acquiring high-quality backlinks can be time-consuming, it’s an essential aspect of SEO.
Monitor and Adjust Your Efforts
Regularly monitor your website’s performance in search results and adjust your strategies accordingly. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your progress and identify areas for improvement. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new tactics, as long as they align with Google’s webmaster guidelines.
Even better, these tools are free!
Leverage Local SEO
If you’re a local business, focus on optimizing your GMB listing and building citations (online listings) on reputable local directories. Encourage customers to leave reviews, and consider creating localized content, such as blog posts or landing pages targeting specific areas or neighborhoods you serve.
Pro Tip: Yes, your address matters. If you do not have a specific address listed on your GMB page, then Google will not show you near as often because they are not confident you are located where you say you are.
Bonus Tip: Send an email to your customers after completing a job with a link to your GMB page for them to leave you a review if they were happy with the work you did.
So, How Much Does All This Cost?
Dominating Google search results on a small budget is achievable with the right strategies and consistent effort. By optimizing your website, leveraging local SEO, implementing on-page SEO best practices, building quality backlinks, repurposing existing content, and continuously monitoring and adjusting your efforts, you can gradually improve your online visibility and drive more targeted traffic to your website, without breaking the bank.
General guidelines for what you can expect if investing in digital marketing for the first time as a small/medium sized business:
SEO: $800-$3,000/month
Google Ads: $500-$2,000/month
Local SEO: Really no reason to invest in this, or you could add this to your overall SEO strategy for a minimal investment.
Remember, SEO is a long-term investment, and patience is key. Consistency and dedication to optimizing your online presence will ultimately pay off, helping you establish a strong online foothold and stay ahead of your competitors.
Finding the Right Digital Marketing Partner
The most important element to ranking well on Google is the behind the scenes strategy and implementation that most often times is happening by a digital marketing professional. Loading Leads Marketing was created to assist small and medium sized businesses with their online presence. There is no reason only big players in your industry should be taking all the leads. Reach out to us and we will conduct a free website audit and prepare a gameplan to get you more leads via Google or other online channels.
