The SEO meaning for big and small businesses

Last update: 28 December 2020

We might be aware of a rough SEO definition. It's about organic content, yes. It's about delivering precise information to search engines, yes. However, once we get the hang of it, in what way this strategy will affect our businesses? Is it worth it? Isn't enough with an Instagram account? Ok, too many questions. Let's go into detail about the consequences of SEO for companies and check out why patience is the number one!

What is the meaning of SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, and it means reaching out the right audience on the internet to a website through organic content. To make this happen, first, the site will have to give internet users exactly what they expect to find when typing something on search engines, such as Google or Bing. On the other hand, the website will need to deliver the content in a way that search engines can easily crawl and index. Whether it is big or small, check what SEO implies for your company and be ready for the change!

What SEO means for big businesses

1. A commitment to a long-term relationship

Technically it’s not a marriage, but the mindset should be similarly addressed. When large-scale companies commit to engaging with internet users, the results will go beyond short-term objectives, since you will not be talking to customers but people.

This doesn’t mean they are different from each other; it means people will eventually become customers, and such purchase decision will be influenced by feelings or emotions previously experienced. It is in this early stage where SEO content finds a wide range of opportunities: When people look for some information, and your brand manages to deliver that valuable content they are aiming to find, you will become more than a business.

Search engines will make you an expert on the subject by placing you on the first-page search. Moreover, users will know they can count on you for a given topic, so don't break such trust and keep up with content: the same thing with marriages, isn't it?

2. A segmentation that actually works

Without intending to underestimate the benefits of traditional marketing channels when it comes to targeting a segment, I do attempt to account for the effectiveness of segmentation in SEO marketing. Bear in mind, however, that it’s slightly different to paid social campaigns because it is not about setting up filters such as gender, age, civil status or educational background.

Segmenting through SEO means localising content for your target city or country. Simple as appealing to slangs, local vocabulary and local concerns regarding any subject in your digital content. This is the case of Latin America and the way LatAm Spanish copywriting is shaping the digital marketing era. Speak to people in a language they feel identified with, and your targets will find your brand by themselves.

3. A cost-effective PR strategy

For a brand to get potential customers, any PR strategy can be considered: events, concerts, celebrity endorsement, product placement, you name it. However, for a company to achieve brand positioning, valuable content is not just one of the best strategies, but also the most cost-effective approach. The results will not come as soon as we would expect them to come.

If a brand shows expertise on any subject trough content, there might a bunch of competitors probably trying to do the same. The key is discipline. Keep showing to search engines that you can satisfy users' questions by creating content and updating old articles. Your brand will then be rewarded, and users will take you into account for either future purchase intentions, or future conversations with family and friends: PR at its finest. A crucial fact: And SEO report shows that back in 2017, the paid content didn't exceed 3% of clicks from internet users in the US.

4. Being at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies

An SEO definition does not only portrays an image of peacefulness and positivity. It also implies a permanent eye on search engines’ algorithms, latest content marketing trends and keyword research. This field is fast-changing and what yesterday was thought to be a tactic to rank higher, today might be and an out-of-date technique that has an opposite effect.

The SEO meaning has to do with keeping abreast of ranking factors, researching the latest improvements on UX and analysing periodically what search engines perceive by quality content. The technical side sounds quite complicated, but, if well performed, it's actually what makes organic content a perfect strategy to secure brand equity.

What SEO means for small businesses

1. A smarter budget planning

When it comes to start-ups and small businesses, content marketing is one of the best options to position brands who have a limited budget for marketing and advertising. The digital era has challenged traditional media in which the power doesn't arise from them but consumers' needs and wants. Focus on aligning your branded content to people's interests and organic searches will do the rest, without giving any cent to search engines.

However, planning a smarter budget does not necessarily mean assigning a 0% budget to SEO: creativity and optimisation feed up from investment in human resources, research, time and patience, much patience. We're not facing a prime time commercial; instead, we are aiming to gain trust and loyalty from people.

So don't be part of those small companies which don't have a budget for SEO. In 2017 a survey which asked 500 small businesses found out that 54% of companies do not have the budget for SEO, whereas 46% only have 0% allocated to this strategy. In the end, the above figures can be good news, if you look at the extended opportunity to differentiate your brand from your competitors.

2. Innovation in giant steps

The meaning of SEO for small business also involves large-scale innovation. Within a start-up context, the entrepreneurship process does not only provides you with ideas to develop the products or services but also sets up a path towards innovative content no one ever sees. A great spot to place your brand on top of searches, right? Especially if your brand offers something that not everyone delivers.

In other words, by approaching digital marketing strategies, you will also bring to the world innovative content that at some point, will make you the expert, even founder, of such product category. I have found a sort of opposition towards the content marketing view that I would like you to consider so that you can make well-informed decisions. Authors like Tyler Thursby point out that content seen as the most valuable asset seems to be "the greatest lie ever told in SEO", by overstating the technical part over the creative part.

Dave Davies, on the other hand, has a more conciliatory perspective: rather than discrediting the effectiveness of content, he focuses on the user intent as the King of the Internet. I asked Dave on Twitter to what extent the intended user should be above the content from a business perspective, having into account that humans don't fully know all the time what they want and what they need. His answer was likewise insightful:

To conclude, be sure to give equal importance to each of these three sides of SEO: the technical side, the creative side and the user intent side.

3. Gaining brand recognition without advertising

We are not going to compare production scopes, stocks, or branches. However, something perfect for a start-up is the fact that organic search does not rank brands by their size but by their content and quality. The more accurate is the information you're giving to a keyword, the better it is for your webpage to appear on top of searches.

So if you're competing with a corporation or a more significant business on a given category, the SEO definition will require more than product quality: content quality. If you invest valuable content, optimisation and UX, search engines will place you at the same level that your biggest competitors.

Regardless of the size of the company, the SEO meaning for businesses goes through cost-effective marketing techniques that can place your brand as an expert of the products or services offered.

Basically, because there is no advertising, discounts or prices involved, but instead there is useful content that users take into account for the answers they are aiming to find on search engines. Contact me and let's see how your brand can become a digital native, just as the users!

Written by Harold Mosquera