10 ways to build a winning SEO strategy on a shoestring budget

Specialising as an SEO agency, in addition to web design, is something we believe helps our clients websites reach their full online potential. It helps you get higher visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), which, in turn, can help attract more visitors to your website.

However, SEO can be a costly affair, and small businesses may not have the budget to invest in it. If you're a small business owner on a shoestring budget, don't despair. You can do plenty of things to improve your SEO without breaking the bank.

Here are the ten tips you can do to build an SEO strategy on a limited budget.

1. Research keywords

The first step is to identify the right keywords to target. Keywords are phrases that potential customers are likely to use when searching for products or services like yours. It's essential to research keywords before starting a marketing campaign because relevant keywords can help your content gets discovered easily.

You can use various keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Google Search Console to find the right keywords. Make sure to use these keywords on your content, like blog posts or explainer videos, as they will help attract more traffic to your website.
 

2. Optimise your on-page SEO

On-page SEO is the process of optimising your website's content and code to make it more search engine friendly. There are various things you can do to optimise your on-page SEO, and our web design and marketing service reccomond the following:

• Using keywords throughout your website's content
• Optimizing your website's title tags and meta descriptions
• Using keyword-rich titles and subheadings

For example, if you create new articles, make sure that your keywords are in the title tag and throughout the content.  Also, you can use similar or synonym keywords to put in your subheadings to indicate that the content has relevant messages related to your main keywords.
 

3. Use a skyscraper technique

The skyscraper technique is a link-building strategy that involves finding high-quality content and creating something even better. For example, if you want to create new content, make sure to research the existing article or post that gets more engagement and yields a greater result on the Google search engine. Then, you can create something better. 

If a popular post provides six handy tips to solve customer problems, you need to offer fifteen or more ways to help people find their solutions. After that, you can reach out to the people who have linked to the original piece of content and ask them to link to your new one. This should be easy because you have a greater offer as your content is more in-depth.
 

4. Optimise your website for local SEO

If you're targeting local customers, it's important to optimise your website for local SEO. This involves adding your business's name, address, and phone number (NAP) on your website, as well as creating location-specific pages. You can also add local keywords throughout your website's content to make it more relevant to searchers in your area.

Another way to optimise local SEO is to implement Google My Business. Google My Business is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence on Google.  By claiming and verifying your business on Google My Business, you can improve your chances of appearing in local search results.
 

5. Optimise your images

Images play an important role in SEO as they can help improve your website's click-through rate (CTR). Make sure to use keywords in the file name and alt text when optimising images in your content or blog posts.

Resize your images to reduce their file size. This is an essential part because a higher resolution often slows page speed, which results in a higher bounce rate. That's because nobody wants to stay on a website that keeps on loading. You can use compression tools to reduce the file size of your images
 

6. Monitor your SEO progress

SEO is a continuous process, and you need to monitor your website's SEO progress regularly to ensure that you're getting the desired results. You can use various tools and metrics to track your website's SEO progress, including Google Analytics, Ahrefs, SEMRush, or Moz. 

These tools will help you track your website's traffic and SEO rankings. Also, you can export data from these tools for SEO analytics purposes and detailed monitoring. For .example, export Google Analytics data and build dashboards, analyze performance, adjust SEO strategies.

7. Use social media strategically

Social media can be a powerful tool for SEO. However, using it effectively requires a strategic approach. You should focus on creating high-quality content that will resonate with your target audience and share it regularly on social media.

When you post content on social media, make sure to include links to your website. You can also encourage others to share your content. In addition, you can use social media to build relationships with influencers who can then promote your website to their followers.
 

8. Use free resources and tools

There are many free resources and tools available that can help you with your SEO efforts. These tools provide different purposes, such as finding keywords, checking backlink profiles, analyzing competitors, and much more.

Some of the most popular free SEO resources and tools include:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Ubersuggest
• Moz Keyword Explorer
• Google Search Console
• Ahrefs Backlink Checker
• Yoast SEO Plugin

These are just some of the many free resources and tools that can help you with your SEO strategy. Use them to improve your website's SERP ranking and get more traffic.

9. Build high-quality backlinks

Backlinks or also called inbound links, are links from other websites to your website. These links act as a vote that helps Google crawlers identify if your page matches with the anchor or referring sites coming to your website.

They help improve your website's SEO by increasing its authority. That's why getting links from high-quality websites is important to ensure your site's credibility.

Here are a few ways you can acquire backlinks through link building:

• Contribute a guest post on other blogs and include a link back to your website.
• Collaborate with other businesses and mention them on your website.
• Participate in online forums and include a link to your website in your signature.
   

10. Hire an SEO specialist

Last but not least, if you have more budget and want to take your SEO strategy to the next level, consider hiring an expert.  Our web design agency contains specialists that can identify opportunities which you may have missed and help you further optimize your website.  They can also guide how to best implement your strategy, given your budget constraints.

Wrapping up

SEO is a long-term strategy, and it may take some time before you see results. However, if you're patient and continue implementing the above tips, you will eventually see improvements in your website's SEO rankings. This article should help you build a winning SEO strategy on a shoestring budget to achieve your goals.