Search engine optimization in 2019 is recognized as the most important component of online marketing for local small businesses. As one source notes, creating a website without optimizing it for Google is comparable to opening a store in a shopping mall that is always closed—without proper SEO, businesses struggle to attract organic traffic. The importance of SEO is underscored by the fact that millions of people use Google daily to find businesses where they will spend money. For small businesses seeking visibility in search results, helping Google understand why their website is the best answer to relevant queries has become essential for success.
Understanding Small Business SEO
Small business SEO involves optimizing a website's content and structure to attract traffic through search engines like Google. This approach helps businesses gain visibility, generate more sales, and grow their business. While small business SEO is a subset of general SEO, it typically focuses on more targeted, niche-specific keywords and often involves fewer resources than SEO for larger enterprises.
The distinction between small business SEO and local SEO is significant. While connected, these concepts serve different purposes. Small business SEO generally refers to optimizing for broader search terms relevant to a business's offerings. In contrast, local SEO specifically helps businesses with physical locations appear in local searches such as "restaurants near me" or "plumbers in San Francisco." For small businesses with physical locations, local SEO represents a critical component of their overall search strategy.
The impact of effective SEO is demonstrated by real-world success stories. One notable case involves Nourish Move Love, an online fitness website founded by Lindsey Bomgren. In 2019, Bomgren was struggling to reach her ideal audience despite creating content. After shifting her focus to SEO, her website grew into a lucrative six-figure business by 2021. By 2024, Nourish Move Love was estimated to reach 180,000 monthly visitors from search, illustrating how effective SEO can transform a small business's online presence and profitability.
On-Page SEO Fundamentals
For small businesses, on-page SEO represents the foundation of their search optimization efforts. On-page optimization focuses on elements within a business's website that can be optimized to improve search rankings. These include content quality, keyword usage, meta tags, header structures, and internal linking strategies.
The primary goal of on-page SEO is to help Google understand why a website provides the best answer to specific search queries relevant to a business's target audience. This process involves creating content that directly addresses the needs and questions of potential customers while incorporating relevant keywords naturally. Unlike general SEO, small business SEO typically concentrates on more niche, specific keywords that align with the particular products or services offered by the business.
One source emphasizes that SEO is no longer reserved exclusively for experts. Small business owners can access numerous resources to improve their SEO knowledge, including online classes and YouTube tutorials. While some businesses may choose to learn SEO themselves, the competitive nature of search rankings in 2019 suggests that hiring professionals often yields better results. The source notes that "SEO use to be reserved to only businesses with large budgets and would cost a fortune. In 2019 SEO could be preformed for a reasonable price and is available to literally any business."
Technical SEO Considerations
Technical SEO encompasses the backend elements of a website that affect its visibility in search results. In 2019, several technical factors emerged as particularly important for small business websites seeking to improve their search rankings.
Mobile optimization represents one of the most critical technical considerations. According to available data, the number of mobile search users was expected to increase to 221 million by 2021. Notably, as of 2019, 50% of organic search engine visits came from mobile devices, up from just 34% two years prior. This shift means that small businesses must ensure their websites are not only mobile-friendly but also provide an excellent user experience across all device types.
Website performance and user experience (UX) were identified as essential components of an effective small business website strategy. A 10-point strategy guide for small business website design emphasizes the importance of giving websites a clear purpose and emphasizing performance and UX as foundational elements. The guide, authored by Glenn Brooks with over 25 years in the industry, positions these technical aspects as critical for success in the "new age of search engine optimization."
Another significant technical consideration in 2019 was the growing importance of voice search optimization. With the rise of voice-activated assistants like Siri, Apple's HomePod, and Amazon's Alexa, experts predicted that 50% of all searches would be conducted by voice within just one year. This trend requires small businesses to adapt their SEO strategies to accommodate conversational queries and natural language patterns that differ from traditional typed searches.
Local SEO Strategies
For small businesses with physical locations, local SEO represents a critical component of their overall search strategy. Local SEO focuses on helping businesses appear in location-specific searches, which is particularly important for attracting nearby customers.
Building a positive online reputation emerged as a key factor in local search rankings. One source emphasizes that Google has gradually but consistently moved its focus toward the reputation of businesses. To achieve strong results in competitive local markets, businesses must cultivate a positive online presence through consistent mentions and positive sentiment across various platforms.
Review generation stands out as a particularly effective reputation-building tactic. The sources suggest encouraging clients to leave glowing reviews on Google My Business pages and Facebook. For specific industries like hotels and B&Bs, positive TripAdvisor reviews were noted as especially valuable. These reviews not only enhance a business's reputation but also provide fresh, user-generated content that can improve local search visibility.
Local citation consistency also plays a role in local search performance. While the sources don't detail specific citation building strategies, they do highlight the importance of maintaining accurate business information across platforms. This includes ensuring that business name, address, and phone number (NAP) details remain consistent across all online directories and platforms.
Off-Page SEO Tactics
Off-page SEO encompasses activities conducted outside of a business's website that can impact search rankings. In 2019, several off-page strategies emerged as particularly valuable for small businesses seeking to improve their search visibility.
Building buzz about a business through online mentions and social media activity was identified as an important off-page strategy. The sources suggest that businesses should aim to generate regular, positive mentions on other websites and social media channels. This approach helps establish the business as an authoritative voice in its industry while sending positive signals to search engines.
Link building, while not extensively detailed in the sources, remains a fundamental off-page SEO tactic. By acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites, small businesses can enhance their domain authority and improve search rankings. The sources suggest that businesses should focus on earning natural links through valuable content and industry relationships rather than pursuing questionable link-building tactics.
The sources also highlight the importance of monitoring and responding to online reviews across various platforms. This practice not only helps maintain a positive online reputation but also demonstrates to both potential customers and search engines that the business actively engages with its audience.
2019 SEO Trends and Algorithm Updates
Staying current with SEO trends and algorithm updates is essential for small businesses seeking to maintain or improve their search rankings in 2019. Several significant trends and updates emerged during this period that businesses needed to consider.
The March 2019 Google Core Update caused substantial drops in organic traffic for many reputable media and publishing outlets, including The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times. This update underscored the importance of maintaining high-quality, authoritative content that meets user intent. For small businesses, this meant focusing on creating genuinely valuable content rather than attempting to manipulate search rankings through questionable tactics.
Mobile-first optimization continued to be a critical focus in 2019. With mobile devices accounting for an increasing share of organic search traffic, businesses needed to ensure their websites provided excellent mobile experiences. This included not only responsive design but also fast loading times and intuitive navigation optimized for touch interfaces.
Voice search optimization emerged as a significant trend in 2019. As voice-activated devices became more prevalent, businesses needed to adapt their SEO strategies to accommodate conversational queries. This involved targeting long-tail keywords and phrases that mirror how people speak rather than type, as well as optimizing for featured snippets that often appear in voice search results.
Blockchain technology was mentioned as an emerging trend in 2019, though the sources provided limited details about its specific applications for SEO. This suggests that small businesses should monitor developments in this area while focusing on more established SEO tactics.
The ROI of SEO for Small Businesses
Understanding the return on investment (ROI) of SEO is crucial for small businesses with limited budgets. The sources provide several insights into the value of SEO for small businesses.
One key metric highlighted is the click-through rate (CTR) on Google search engine results pages (SERPs). According to the sources, links appearing in the first position have a 30% click rate, which drops to 10% for links in the third position and falls closer to 2% toward the bottom of the first page. This exponential decrease in CTR underscores why achieving first-page rankings, particularly in top positions, is essential for small businesses seeking organic traffic.
The sources also emphasize that Google doesn't consider budget or resources in its organic search rankings. This means that small businesses can effectively compete with larger brands by implementing better SEO strategies. By focusing on high-quality content, technical excellence, and positive online reputation, small businesses can overcome disadvantages in resources to achieve competitive search positions.
For businesses with limited budgets, the sources suggest that success with SEO doesn't require major financial investment or large teams. Instead, understanding and implementing a few basic best practices can yield significant results. While the sources mention "4 steps to improve your SEO marketing for small businesses with a limited budget," they don't detail these steps specifically.
Conclusion
SEO in 2019 represented both an opportunity and a challenge for small businesses. While search competition had increased, making effective SEO more important than ever, the availability of affordable professional services and accessible learning resources meant that small businesses could implement effective strategies without requiring large budgets.
The key to successful small business SEO in 2019 involved a balanced approach across multiple fronts: optimizing on-page elements for relevant keywords, ensuring technical excellence particularly for mobile users, building positive online reputation through reviews and mentions, and staying current with emerging trends like voice search.
For small businesses with physical locations, local SEO strategies focusing on reputation building and citation consistency provided additional opportunities to attract nearby customers. The case study of Nourish Move Love demonstrated how strategic SEO implementation could transform a small business's online presence, driving substantial growth in traffic and revenue.
As search algorithms continued to evolve, particularly with updates like the March 2019 Core Update, small businesses needed to remain adaptable and focused on providing genuine value to users. By understanding and implementing the SEO strategies validated by the sources, small businesses could improve their search rankings, increase organic traffic, and ultimately drive business growth in 2019.