Search engine optimisation for small business
- Implement a robust SEO strategy to improve your online visibility
- Regularly audit your website for slow load speeds, broken links and duplicate content
- Look for opportunities to build backlinks from reputable sources.
Research shows 82% to 87% of internet users research a product online before buying.1 So it’s essential to have a search engine optimisation (SEO) plan in place to make sure your business is front and centre when your customers are searching for your products and services.
What is SEO?
SEO is about making sure your business is easily found on search engines like Google. Knowing which words to use on your website and other online marketing platforms, and where to place them is the essence of SEO.
"You need to appear in search engine lists to be found online. These are called organic results that you don’t pay for," explains David Hirsch, General Manager of Marketing, QBE Australia Pacific.
While there are a number of search engines, 96% of mobile search traffic goes through Google.2 So here, we’ll focus on Google.
What does SEO have to do with Google?
Google Search uses automated web crawlers to continuously scour the internet for content to be included in its index.3 The majority of web pages listed in Google's search results are not manually submitted. Instead, they are discovered and added automatically by these web crawlers. Understanding this process can help optimise your site's visibility in Google Search.
Getting started with SEO
SEO takes time. It’s a long-term strategy with many moving parts. But here are a few basic steps to follow to get you started:
- Build a list of keywords.
- Make sure every page on your website has relevant keywords, meta titles and meta descriptions (more on this below).
- Create quality content such as blog articles and product pages.
- Make sure your site’s load speed is fast.
- Use a SEO specialist or marketing firm to help guide you.
Keywords are key
These are the words people use to search for your business on Google. There are two types: short-tail and long-tail.
A short-tail keyword features one or two words to form a common term. While they can attract a lot of traffic, they’re generally competitive. For example, the keyword ‘insurance’ may be used by a huge number of businesses, everything from small brokerages to multi-nationals.
Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific, such as ‘Best business insurance for a hair salon in Sydney.’
Including specific detail can help attract better qualified leads4, as you narrow down the results and have fewer businesses to compete with.
While there’s no set formula, including a combination of short-tail and long-tail keywords across each page on your website can be a good place to start.
Meta titles, descriptions and alt tags
In a search list, a meta title is a clickable headline. The meta description sits underneath and features two lines of copy.
Place your most important keywords at the start of your meta title and include secondary keywords in your description. Remaining keywords can be lightly peppered throughout your website or other copy.
Meta titles and descriptions should be informative and entice someone to click on your link. Don’t be tempted to ‘stuff’ your descriptions with lots of keywords as Google may penalise you.
Alt tags are the file names you apply to images. Alt tags also affect your rankings, so it helps if they’re descriptive. While ‘8908345-C.jpg’ means nothing, ‘John-Smith-Insurance-Broker-Melbourne’ can be searched and stored in Google’s library.
Get your pages up to speed
Research shows 47% of consumers expect a web page to load within two seconds.5 That’s why it’s important your web page appears quickly. To test your website’s speed, you can run Google’s Page Speed Insights tool by typing in your URL.
One way to speed up your site is by compressing your images using an image compression tool. You can try to do this yourself or build a relationship with a good web developer who can help you.
Quality content matters
Google recommends6 you make web pages for users, not search engines. So when you’re developing content, focus on what makes your website unique, valuable or engaging. Make your website stand out with blogs, interviews, videos and other bespoke content.
Manage duplicate content
Duplicate content could affect your ranking on Google. It happens when you have similar content housed under different URLs and the Google algorithm doesn’t know which URL to rank first.
There are a few ways to fix this. If you have technical skills, you can refer to Moz’s tips for fixing duplicate content issues. Otherwise you may need to ask a web developer for help.
Consider a content audit
An audit will comprehensively evaluate your website's performance, structure, content and SEO to identify areas for improvement. You can hire a professional digital marketing agency or use online tools that specialise in website analysis.
Building backlinks
Once your site gets traffic, you have the opportunity to build backlinks. Quality backlinks give your business credibility and can improve your Google ranking7
Let’s say the National Insurance Brokers Association featured one of your articles on its blog and linked the post to the article on your site. That link is called a backlink. In fact, the hyperlink in this paragraph is a backlink for NIBA.
Search engine marketing
Search engine marketing is when you pay browsers like Google to display your website when a user types in specific search terms. The ads will appear above or alongside organic results.
Call in the experts
SEO is technical and changes all the time, with Google altering its algorithm 500 to 600 times a year.8 So it might be worthwhile to find talented SEO experts and web developers you can work with to optimise your site over time.
Extend your knowledge with Q nect
Optimising your website for search engines is essential to grow your business. Visit QBE Q nect to discover other ways to leverage digital tools, grow your industry knowledge and maintain rewarding customer relationships.
1 301+ SEO Statistics – Mind Blowing Statistics 2025 – sitecentre®
2 301+ SEO Statistics – Mind Blowing Statistics 2025 – sitecentre®
3 In-Depth Guide to How Google Search Works | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers
4 Long-tail keywords: why they deserve your focus! • Yoast
5 301+ SEO Statistics – Mind Blowing Statistics 2025 – sitecentre®
6 Google Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines) | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers
7 Link Building in SEO: How to Build Great Backlinks in 2024
8 How Google algorithm updates impact your SEO – SmartBrief