{"id":141511,"date":"2020-02-12T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/?p=141511"},"modified":"2020-02-12T11:29:49","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T11:29:49","slug":"how-to-make-the-most-of-a-limited-seo-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/search-engine-optimisation-seo\/how-to-make-the-most-of-a-limited-seo-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make the most of a limited SEO budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

Struggling with a small SEO budget? Here are five tips to help you get more bang for your buck.<\/h2>\n

Every business, big or small, should be thinking about SEO. In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to gain visibility online without paying for it, SEO remains the one true organic marketing channel. But things that are organic are not necessarily free.<\/p>\n

While SEO clicks are by definition \u2018non-paid\u2019, the process of getting those clicks almost always carries an indirect cost; whether that\u2019s an investment of your own time, staff costs, agency or consultancy fees, tools, training, or a combination of these things and more. SEO - or at least good SEO - rarely comes cheap.<\/p>\n

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Download our Free Resource \u2013 10 business-limiting SEO mistakes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discover some really common mistakes we have seen again and again as we have worked on SEO consulting and training projects.<\/p>\n

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For businesses on tight budgets, this makes prioritization crucial. Knowing where to cut costs and where to invest efforts can make a big difference to your return on investment. With this in mind, here are five tips for getting the most out of a modest SEO budget.<\/p>\n

1. Refine your keyword strategy<\/h3>\n

When it comes to thinking about what keywords you\u2019re going to target, you need to be realistic. Before you start rolling out a keyword strategy, take some time to understand the SERP (search engine results page) landscape in which you are intending to compete.<\/p>\n

Chances are, no matter what terms you\u2019re looking to target, competition for a coveted top-of-page-one position is going to be tough, particularly for broad, high-volume terms. Therefore, targeting long-tail alternatives can be a much better option.<\/p>\n

Long-tail keywords are typically three or more words in length and are very specific. While average monthly search volume is often low, so too is the competition. The quality of these keywords is often higher, which can lead to improved conversion rates.<\/p>\n

For example, a small bike shop based in East London would probably find it more difficult to gain traction for the term \u2018bike shop\u2019 (short-tail) than it would for \u2018bike shop in Hackney\u2019 (long-tail).<\/p>\n

You can see from the number of Google results below how drastically competition varies between these two example terms.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

By optimizing for the former, the store will be competing with every other bike shop on the internet. By targeting more specific, long-tail alternatives, the store is entering a race it actually stands a chance of winning.<\/p>\n

There are numerous tools available for identifying long-tail keyword ideas - some of which I\u2019ll cover in a bit more detail later in this post - but first things first, here are some tips for honing your long-tail keyword strategy.<\/p>\n