You know the drill. At the end of December you sat down with your numbers. Where did you do well? Where could you improve next year? Then bam January is here, and you’re ready to tackle your goals with fresh energy.

Me too.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the same boat. You reviewed your website last year and know it isn’t cutting it. Maybe you’re embarrassed to send people to it. Maybe it’s not showing up when potential clients search for what you do. Either way, you’re ready to change that—but you don’t want this to become another overwhelming project that sits on your to-do list for months.

Last year, after spending way too much time reading SEO articles and watching tutorials, I decided to stop researching and start testing. I made strategic tweaks to our website—not because some guru told me to, but because I wanted to see if they’d work for real before recommending them to you.

They did.

Our referring domains jumped from 63 to 228, and our domain rating is now sitting at 52. More importantly, we’re showing up in searches where we never appeared before. People are finding us.

Here’s what actually moved the needle: five SEO strategies for small business owners that don’t require a technical degree or a massive time investment. These aren’t theoretical—they’re the exact changes I made that transformed our website’s visibility.

Why SEO Strategies for Small Business Owners are Important (But You Think You Don’t Have Time For It)

Let me guess: you’ve been told SEO is important, but it feels like one more thing on an already impossible to-do list. You’re not wrong to feel that way. There’s a lot of noise out there about SEO—complicated jargon, conflicting advice, and strategies that seem designed for companies with full marketing departments.

But here’s the truth: SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. And if you’re a solopreneur or small business owner trying to get found online, ignoring it is costing you clients.

And look, I get it. You’re not a marketer. You didn’t start your business to become an SEO expert. You started it because you’re good at what you do and you want to help people. But when potential clients can’t find you online, you’re missing out on the exact people you got into business to serve.

When someone searches for what you offer, you want to show up. Not on page three of Google—on page one. These five strategies will help you get there without needing to become an SEO expert or spending hours every week maintaining your rankings.

SEO Strategy #1: Create FAQ Pages That Answer Real Questions

This was my biggest win last year, and honestly, I’m still surprised at how well it worked.

People are searching for answers to specific questions. When your website provides those answers in a clear, organized way, search engines notice. More importantly, potential clients notice.

I started by creating a comprehensive FAQ page for our main services. Then I got more strategic—I added targeted FAQ sections to different pages on our website. Our web design page has FAQs about the design process. Our hosting page answers questions about maintenance and security. Each page addresses the specific concerns someone would have about that particular service.

The result? We started showing up for question-based searches we’d never ranked for before. Things like “how long does it take to build a custom website” or “what’s included in website maintenance.”

How to implement this SEO Strategy for your small business:

• Start with one main FAQ page that covers your most common questions
• Add smaller FAQ sections to key service pages
• Write answers in the way you’d explain them to a friend—natural, clear, conversational
• Think about what your ideal clients are actually searching for, not just what you want to tell them

Need help figuring out what questions to answer? This post walks you through creating an FAQ page that actually connects with your ideal clients.

SEO Strategy #2: Build a Targeted Keyword List (One Key phrase Per Page)

Here’s where a lot of small business owners get overwhelmed: they try to rank for everything on every page.

That doesn’t work.

Instead, I created a simple spreadsheet. Every important page on our website gets one primary keyword or key phrase. Just one. That’s the main thing we want that page to rank for.

For example:

• Homepage: “custom website design for small business”
• Services page: “professional web design services”
• About page: “web design company in Maine”

Once you assign a keyphrase to a page, that page becomes the authority for that topic. You use that keyphrase naturally in your page title, headings, and content. You don’t stuff it everywhere—you just make sure it’s present and makes sense.

How to implement this:

• Make a list of your most important pages
• Assign each page one primary keyphrase (what would someone search to find this page?)
• Use that keyphrase in your page title, at least one heading, and naturally throughout the content
• Don’t use the same keyphrase on multiple pages—give each page its own focus

This approach is part of creating a web content strategy that actually works. When every page has a clear purpose, search engines understand your website better.

SEO Strategy #3: Create Pillar Content Pages Where Everything Links Back

Think of your website like a hub-and-spoke system. You have a few major “pillar” pages that cover your main topics in depth. Then you have smaller pages and blog posts that support those pillars and link back to them.

For us, our main service pages are pillars. When I write blog posts about website strategy, design tips, or content marketing, I link back to the relevant service page. When someone lands on a blog post about responsive design, they can easily find their way to our web design services page.

This does two things:

1. It helps search engines understand which pages are most important on your website
2. It guides visitors through your content naturally, leading them toward working with you

How to implement this SEO Strategy for your small business:

• Identify 3-5 main pages on your website (probably your core services or offerings)
• When you create new content, link back to the relevant pillar page
• Make sure your pillar pages link to each other where it makes sense
• Use descriptive anchor text (instead of “click here,” use “learn more about our web design process”)

Want to dive deeper into content planning? This guide on AI content optimization covers how to build content that supports your main pages.

SEO Strategy #4: Make Sure Your NAP Is Consistent Across the Internet

NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. And if you’re a local business or want to show up in local searches, this matters more than you think.

Here’s the problem: if your business is listed as “Creare Web Solutions” on Google, “Crearé Web Solutions” on Facebook, and “Creare Web Design” somewhere else, search engines get confused. They’re not sure if these are all the same business, which hurts your credibility and your rankings.

I spent an afternoon checking every place our business was listed online—Google Business Profile, Facebook, directory sites, review platforms. Then I made sure our name, address, and phone number were identical everywhere.

It’s tedious work, but it’s a one-time fix that makes a real difference.

How to implement this SEO strategy for your small business:

• Search for your business name and see where you’re listed
• Check your Google Business Profile, social media accounts, and any directory sites
• Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are exactly the same everywhere
• If you want help tracking this, services like Moz Local can monitor your listings

The payoff? Better local search visibility and more credibility with both search engines and potential clients.

SEO Strategy #5: Put a Strategy in Place to Get Reviews

Reviews aren’t just nice to have—they’re a ranking factor. Google and AI systems look at your reviews when deciding whether to recommend your business. More reviews (especially recent ones) signal that you’re active, credible, and worth paying attention to.

But here’s the thing: you need a system. You can’t just hope clients will leave reviews. You need to ask.

I created a simple follow-up email that goes out after we complete a project. It thanks the client and includes direct links to leave a review on Google and Facebook. That’s it. Nothing complicated, but it’s consistent.

The results matter. Not just for SEO, but for trust. When someone finds your website and sees genuine reviews from real clients, they’re much more likely to reach out.

How to implement this SEO Strategy for your small business:

• Set up Google Business Profile if you haven’t already
• Create a simple email template asking for reviews (send it when the project wraps up or after a positive client interaction)
• Include direct links to your Google and Facebook review pages
• Make it easy—don’t make clients hunt for where to leave a review

And remember: reviews help you understand and connect with your ideal clients. Pay attention to what people say in their reviews—it tells you what’s working and what matters most to the clients you want to attract.

Start With One Strategy and Build From There

I didn’t implement all five of these SEO strategies for small business owners at once. That would’ve been overwhelming, and honestly, I probably wouldn’t have followed through.

Instead, I tackled one at a time. I started with the FAQ page because it felt achievable. Once I saw results, I moved on to the next strategy.

You can do the same. Pick the strategy that feels most doable right now and start there. Maybe it’s making sure your NAP is consistent across the internet. Maybe it’s creating that first FAQ page. Whatever it is, just start.

SEO isn’t about perfection. It’s about making your website easier to find for the people who need what you offer. These five strategies will get you there.

Frequently Asked Questions About SEO strategies for Small Business Owners

Ready to Build a Website That Actually Gets Found?

If you’ve been putting off dealing with your website because you’re worried it’ll be complicated, expensive, or require a bunch of technical knowledge you don’t have—I get it. But the truth is, you don’t need to become a web designer or an SEO expert. You just need someone who can build you a website that works, explains things in plain English, and has your back when you need help.

If reading this made you realize your website needs more than just a few tweaks—if you’re ready to build something that’s designed from the ground up to attract your ideal clients—let’s talk.

We specialize in creating websites for small business owners that don’t just look good, but actually work. Websites that show up in searches, answer the right questions, and turn visitors into clients. Book a discovery call, and let’s figure out what your website needs to start driving real traffic and real results.