As a company that works with a range of businesses of all size, we are naturally often asked why SEO has become so difficult. It is indeed very true that SEO is getting harder, and that it’s especially difficult for SMBs to excel at. But why you may ask? Why is SEO easier for larger companies than small ones?

Over the years, SEO has become a lot more complex and thorough. In the past it seemed all you had to do was add a couple of keywords and backlinks which would be enough to get you ranked on Google.

It’s important to bear in mind, it can take time to see results, and most small business owners don’t understand SEO. Most providers would rather focus on quick wins that they can use to justify the investment in their services rather than play the long brand-building SEO game.

In reality it is getting harder for companies of all size and that does not exclude the big corporations and businesses.

So let’s have a closer look as to why smaller businesses struggle to succeed at SEO below.

BUDGET

We would argue that this is the top reason as to why SEO is harder for small business. As a small business you tend to have less money to spend compared with a larger business. I you are working on a tight budget, SEO may seem like the last item to budget for. However, In order to see a real return on investment, you need to spend money on marketing and advertising. By allocating more investment into SEO, you start seeing a better return.

TIME CONSTRAINTS

You are more likely to be juggling multiple tasks as a small business to minimise costs. This means that you will have less time on your hands to focus on specific tasks. SEO takes a lot of time therefore hiring a person who can handle this solely is ideal if you want to have a well optimised site. Otherwise by doing this all yourself, you may run the risk of doing a rush job that doesn’t produce any real results.

SEO PRACTICES

SEO seems to be one of those tasks on the list that you know is important to do but gets pushed around and eventually ends at the bottom of the list. Big companies can afford to and will hire a dedicated SEO specialist that can solely focus on the task at hand. They will keep up to date with the latest publications and be on top of big algorithm changes that could have a significant effect on your SEO.

BRANDS vs SMALLER ENTITIES

It’s true that Google favours brands, but don’t we all? When all other aspects are equal, Google will rank brands higher up in the search results because they can see data from user behaviours which indicates people are more likely to click on more recognisable brands websites. In order to compete with these bigger brands its vital that you use blogs to your advantage. Keep you blog content regularly updated and ensure it is relevant to your targeted audience.

SEO CONTINUITY

Big companies were once small then started to grow into the big business they are today. They have been around much longer therefore it is only natural that they will naturally have an advantage. Either due to the fact that they have been around longer and therefore know what works and doesn’t work well or simply the fact that Google favours older domains and will rank these business higher.

WEBSITE SIZE

As a small business, you’re more than likely to also have a smaller website too. Therefore having less pages, content and keywords compared with larger size companies. This means fewer possibilities in being able to target your audience and less chances of being able to rank. Big companies will have more resources to put towards content creation and are also more likely to offer more products and/or services.

INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS

If you are trying to get media coverage within a reputable publication, it is easier for large brands and websites as they already have a great reputation with strong weight behind their names. They more than likely wont struggle with getting links as they are already well known. As a smaller business you will need to spend a lot of time getting your website and brand recognised before reaching out for media coverage and links.

GOOGLE PARTNERSHIP

Google are invested in keeping bigger business happy which is why they are more likely to have a personal relationship with the assistance of a dedicated Google rep. This is because these businesses spend a lot of money on Google advertising throughput the year. If at any time, something goes wrong, these business have a direct contact that can provide them with help. As a smaller business, you may have a bit more difficulty trying to figure out what to do with minimal support.

Is SEO Still Worth the Trouble?

Following the above, many of you may wonder if it is even worth conducting any SEO in the foreseeable future. Let’s be honest here, we are not saying you should give up on SEO. In fact, you have to do at least the bare minimum SEO if you want to have a basic, viable presence online. Effectively, if you have a website, you should be looking  to achieve at least 3 things:

1. Help potential customers find your site via search.
2. Make sure your site is easy to navigate once they’ve found it.
3. Make sure it’s obvious what they should do next, whether that’s calling in or adding something to a shopping cart – and convince them to do it.

These tasks, especially the second two, involve the principles of web design, usability, and conversion rate optimization as much as they do SEO. But to accomplish #1, you’re going to have to think about search engine optimization. Of course, you should have other sources of traffic for your site – PPC/remarketing, social media, email marketing, word of mouth – but if you neglect SEO, you’re leaving a great potential source of brand-new leads untapped.

The trick for small businesses is figuring out what you can accomplish given your limited resources. Also, remember that there may be ways that being small actually helps you! For example, small business are often more agile, and more willing to experiment. So stick with it, cover your basics first, make sure your managers know SEO is important, and investigate new opportunities as you can find the time.

CFM Group

CFM GROUP has over 8 years of experience in the Digital Marketing Industry. We are proud to have more reviews than any other local company in our industry, assuring our customers they are in good hands. Every single website we create is bespoke as no single client is the same as well as SEO optimised. Getting to know your business and your exact needs are integral to producing a beautiful website.  That not only looks professional, it sells your services or products to your target audience effectively.

We’d love to hear your view so do not hesitate to contact us, subscribe to this blog for free, or click here to arrange a FREE Consultancy meeting. Keep up to date with the latest content by following our Social profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.