SEO for small businesses

A small business rarely has a hundred pages competing for attention. Usually it is the home page, a few service pages and a contact page. That is an advantage, because each of these pages can answer one specific search properly.

Then there is the regional angle. For example, someone looking for a plumber in Styria often types the place and the service. For many small businesses what counts most is how clearly the site says what you offer and where.

Time and budget are limited. You run the business and have no marketing department that writes texts and reads reports on the side. SEO for small businesses therefore means a few things done well and a plan that fits into your week. You do not need the large content programmes of big companies.

AI search also answers questions with content from websites. Clear, well-structured pages help in both places. You can read more in our guide GEO and AEO for small businesses, or on our page about GEO and AEO optimisation.

Before you think about support or new articles, check these points. They cost little and give you the ground everything else builds on.

• Titles and descriptions: every page needs its own title and its own description that say what the page is about. The search term belongs in the title.

• A fast website: long loading times cost you visitors. Test your site with the free Google tool PageSpeed Insights and fix the biggest brakes.

• Google Business Profile: if customers look for you locally, the profile is an important touchpoint. Fill in services, opening hours and contact details completely.

• Consistent contact details: name, address and phone number are identical on your website, in your profile and in directories.

• Clear service pages: one page per service that explains what you offer, who it is for and how to reach you.

If you are not sure where you stand, our SEO audit shows you the biggest gaps. It is currently free, and the PDF arrives by email within 24 hours.

These seven steps work without an agency. For some of them, support pays off.

• Step 1, collect search terms: write down what your customers would search for, in their words. Ask your customers directly. You can do this yourself.

• Step 2, one page per service: each service gets its own page with the matching search term in the heading and title. You can do this yourself, advice helps with the structure.

• Step 3, write titles and descriptions: short, specific, one per page. You can do this yourself.

• Step 4, maintain your Google Business Profile: keep hours, services and phone number current. You can do this yourself.

• Step 5, check the technology: loading time, mobile display, redirects and indexing. This is usually where you need help, because fixes reach into the website itself.

• Step 6, publish useful articles regularly: answer your customers' questions in your own posts. You can do this yourself as long as you find the time. When you cannot, this is the point where help makes sense.

• Step 7, check the results: look at the Search Console once a month. You can do this yourself.

You can find more about our offer on the page search engine optimisation.

Ongoing support makes sense when the basics are in place and you keep needing new content, reports and improvements but lack the time. SEO takes time. Nobody can honestly promise you first place, and we do not.

Our support level 1 costs 590 € net per month and includes 2 new SEO articles and one report per month. It is meant as an entry level. On top comes a one-time setup with the technical fixes, up to 2,990 € net depending on the SEO audit. The minimum term is 6 months, after that you can cancel monthly.

To be honest: if you only need the basics, the audit and doing it yourself will take you far. Then you do not need support. It pays off once content and technology should keep running over time. At Nexene, SEO and GEO/AEO come as one package because they depend on each other. What SEO costs overall is explained in the guide What does SEO cost in Austria.

The most important source is Google Search Console. It is free and shows for which searches your site appears (impressions), how often someone clicks and at which position you stand. Look once a month and compare with the previous month.

Rankings alone say little. What counts is whether more enquiries arrive. Note how many calls, emails and form submissions you receive, and ask new customers how they found you.

An example from our own website: impressions rose from 46 per day (29 September) to 863 (5 October). Impressions show how often your page appears in search results. Clicks and enquiries come after that.

• Wanting everything at once: ten projects started together are usually dropped after a few weeks. Start with the basics.

• No own page per service: one catch-all page cannot answer a specific search well.

• Writing for Google instead of customers: repeated search terms read badly and convince nobody.

• Forgetting the Google Business Profile: outdated opening hours or phone numbers cost you enquiries.

• Looking only at rankings: first place for a term nobody uses to contact a business brings you nothing.

• Giving up after two weeks: SEO takes time.

• Believing guarantees: nobody serious promises you a specific position.