Article 1 | Intro to SEO & Simple Hacks for Long-Tail Keywords

Small Business Growth Newsletter (Article 1)

Welcome!

The point of this newsletter is simple: give you, dear reader, actionable business ideas and content to either start or grow your business. While I will skew towards small business, getting the ideas flowing is a core part of this strategy.

Sometimes the ideas will be more historical like “How AirBnB did XYZ.”

Others will be more case study-esque, such as “How this Pest Control company grew 100% by using Facebook Groups.”

Many will just be things I find interesting.

Growth is the goal and there is no one size fits all for it. Which leads me to the next point…

The Real Thesis: Getting you to WOYB

One thing is for sure, with the advancement of technology: starting from the internet, then social, niche backend platforms, and now AI – operators simply cannot focus on both new tools and running their business.

 Almost everyone I speak to says the same thing, ‘I’d like to work on my business, not in it.”

 While you must put out fires, nearly every company is comprised of a patched-together, good enough system of tools to keep their head above water. Those systems cause daily stress on team members and ultimately, flow up to you.

When assessed from afar, this is the sole pain point that hampers one’s growth. Companies and businesses that do not have proper systems in place will stay flat (or fail).

But discovery is hard - new tools replace old tools, tech moves fast, and very soon you are using a payment gateway designed in the 90s. Moreover, most tech is flashy and saddled with venture capital and debt, overpriced.

What we want is something that is 99% better in cost and 500% better in productivity gains.

If 80% of these pain points can be resolved, owners can begin the ‘working on’ that actually boosts the revenue.

Each article will examine a single topic and provide a thorough examination into the specifics. Think of this newsletter like advanced calculus for businesses – if you’re here, you have already passed the pre-requisites.

This may push many readers away but if this content can help just one business owner – that’s good for me. Enough and Onward!

Today’s topic, Introduction to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Position:

 The only reason I mention SEO first is that it’s incredibly relevant for 99% of my clients.

 Businesses succeed when they’re found. It’s really that simple.

There’s countless examples of lower quality businesses winning market share over a higher quality one, simply because they are easier to find. This isn’t just online – an ambulance will take you to the closest hospital.

 The goal is not to be the best business but to be the first to show up. Why? Because humans are lazy. Don’t believe me?

Here’s the click-through rate based on position of a Google Search.

Note, the first option is clicked over ¼ of the time! The drop off is steep – each position sees a nearly 30% loss in clicks and the second position drops by almost half.

If you don’t make it on the first page (top 8 results), you are doomed. At that point, you need an overwhelming amount of searches to make up for your paltry position.

Chances are, if you are a top 10-20 ranked website for a high traffic term (like ‘AI,’ ‘Buy Home,’ or ‘Sneakers’) you still are going to lose to the top players. No one wants the 15^th best AI tool or sneaker. 

Long-tail keywords:

Many companies have taken the long-tail approach, adding words to an otherwise popular topic. Take a word like sneakers:

· Sneakers has a 2.24M searches a month

· Basketball sneakers has 15k / month

· Tennis sneakers has 6,600/month

And so on…

The drop off happens quickly for every additional word, hard to compete on purely ‘sneakers’ but feasible for ‘tennis sneakers.’ This is nothing new, Amazon practically invented long-tail strategy by offering lesser known books than the big box retailers could store.

 Location Expands Possibilities:

57% of searches on Google today are local searches, like “Restaurants near me.”

Most importantly local searches have far better value than informational ones (‘How Tall is the Empire State Building’). The reality is people spend most of their time window shopping. But when you need to call a plumber – you find the top person in your area, immediately, and call them up.

That’s where location is really low hanging fruit to conquer. If you live in Los Angeles, it’s going to be incredibly hard to compete for ‘Top Plumber in LA’

But nearby Torrance is not so competitive!

If you run a small business - this is far easier than finding longer words related to your core product.

More importantly, go on SEMRush.com and just type in your website. See where you rank, what your Authority Score is.

Find a few of your competitors in your area and type them in. If your score is above theirs, you’re in the clear. If you’re below - chances are they are getting 50-75% more revenue each month from higher traffic.

This is article 1. Just like in advanced calculus, the first day goes over the syllabus. It will get much more in the weeds, very fast.

Stay Nimble.