Small Business SEO Package FAQs
Why is SEO so important?
Because your site can't make sales without visitors. Search engines are a great source of free visitors who are searching for what you offer. So getting onto page one for the right terms can easily increase your site traffic by 10x -- and your sales by even more.
Still, over 90% of searchers only click on the first page of results. That's why SEO is so important -- and so competitive. You have very little chance of getting it right by guesswork alone.
Are these plans for Local SEO or National SEO?
Both -- because they are flexible, and local SEO is very similar to national SEO. Link building and on-site search factors are important in both cases. So is content that demonstrates what Google calls "E-E-A-T" -- expertise, experience, authority and trust.
Still, if you're a local business serving a well-defined area, a local SEO campaign will focus a little more on ranking factors relating to your location and reputation. Things like directory citations and reviews help your search rankings for terms that include place names.
How long does SEO take?
SEO is not a quick fix. It normally takes 4+ months to start showing results but can easily take 8 to 12 months or more. That largely depends on your competition -- how far behind them you are, and how actively they are competing.
Also, for any given search term, search engines try to promote relevant, helpful content from consistently trustworthy sources. Their trust cannot be earned quickly -- trying to do so looks untrustworthy. So SEO has to be an ongoing strategy of investing in your site's quality.
Finally, backlinks from other quality sites count as votes for yours -- but getting them takes time, and Google can take weeks to discover them and adjust your site's positioning accordingly. If you just thought of a workaround, don't bother. Google constantly evolves to weed those out and applies manual penalties to sites that try to rig their results.
What is 'specialist small business keyword research'?
SEO promotes your site for specific search terms (aka "keywords"). However, guessing at those phrases just wastes time and money. People just don’t always search for the phrases you’d expect. When they do, intense competition for obvious phrases often puts them out of reach for local businesses and other small firms. Obvious search terms are also mostly used for general research that rarely leads to sales.
So effective keyword research is critical to successful SEO. Here’s the catch, though -- traditional keyword research assumes you have a fairly big budget. Sure, it filters out the most competitive and costly phrases, and those that get very few searches. Yet it’s mostly based on stats for paid search ads and can get quite vague from there.
Small business budgets demand a more precise approach. Like showing you exactly which phrases will get the most traffic, most easily, to each page of your site. Based directly on your own site’s stats. That is cost-effective, specialist small business keyword research.
Who are these small business SEO packages for?
Almost any small business can benefit from these cost-effective, flexible digital marketing packages. Having evolved from SEO packages for small business in the UK, they are perfect for micro businesses. Sole traders and other firms with under 10 employees tend to need the flexibility these plans offer to make the most of their marketing budgets.
Whilst SEO is remote work, many small firms prefer to work with a local SEO company. So, being based in Newport, South Wales, I tend to work with SMEs in South Wales or Southwest England. That means these digital marketing & SEO plans are ideal for you if you're looking for a small business SEO company near Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, Swansea, Cheltenham, Gloucester or Hereford.
Which is the best small business SEO package for me?
Your website is a marketing vehicle, and SEO is the accelerator pedal. The more you press on that pedal, the faster you'll catch up with your competitors, and the more you'll then pull ahead of them. That will take time -- especially if you're competing with well-known brands. It will also take longer with lower investment. So it's important to pick the most powerful small business SEO package you can afford to sustain.
Where will I see the ROI?
In several ways. First, you'll get custom, brand-boosting assets and backlinks that attract visitors and improve your search engine rankings. Then, whilst few visitors will buy straight away, even those who don't are still valuable, as they may buy in future.
So every visitor is worth at least what it would cost to reach them with paid ads. That's usually over £1 each, and often much higher. A good offer adds the profit from extra sales to that base ROI -- and visitors gained through SEO tend to be far more likely to buy than those reached through paid ads. That's why SEO is one of the most cost effective ways to promote your small business.
Can't you just tell Google to put me first? Or pay them?
You're thinking of Google Ads. Paid search ads (aka "PPC") aren't SEO, though they can be improved by it. SEO is about ranking well in the "organic" (unpaid) listings. People trust those more, so they drive sales more effectively.
Google Ads can be a quick fix -- if you get the ads and your profit margins right, and spend sums comparable to these SEO packages. Even then, about a quarter of paid listing clicks are likely to be competitors trying to waste your budget. Adding management fees to such small ad budgets rarely helps.
So PPC can easily be just a costly experiment that it's hard to quit without immediately reducing your site's traffic. Still, if you want to DIY, be aware that the vendors' advice will mostly aim to increase, not reduce, your ad spend.
How do these SEO packages for small business compare to paid ads (PPC)?
Search Engine Optimisation is far more cost-effective than PPC in the long run.
PPC normally costs £1 to £50 per click. So it's fast but costly. It's also addictive, as cutting the budget directly reduces traffic and sales. That ongoing cost permanently reduces your margins. Competitors can click your ads just to waste your budget, too. That "click fraud" is sadly common.
Free search engine visitors save you that cost. They also attract visitors who are actively searching for what you sell, and so more likely to buy. The quality and relevance of your pages affect pricing in some ad systems, too. So expert SEO services can also reduce PPC costs.
How much does SEO cost for small business normally?
Small business SEO is a very broad term. Microbusinesses tend to have lower marketing budgets than larger "small" firms but can benefit from different SEO strategies. Yet most SEO agencies still try to sell everyone the same set of goals. So these small business SEO packages aim to bridge that gap.
The (Usual) Cost of Small Business SEO Packages
Most UK SEO agencies agree that doing effective SEO is difficult for under £500 per month. That's very affordable for small firms with more than a few staff. Especially as the return on effective small business SEO usually exceeds its cost.
However, smaller firms and micro businesses can get results for less. Smaller, easier wins can make far more difference to a small firm than to a large one. They also gradually position you to target the bigger ones. So small business SEO packages should be tailored to your existing positioning. Most aren't. These are.
Can you provide even cheaper UK SEO packages?
Well, these are already cheap SEO packages. I'd love to be able to make them even more affordable, but effective SEO requires more work than you may assume. So cheaper SEO packages are generally a waste of money. Investing less achieves less. It's that simple. Some cheap SEO packages are even dangerous.
That said, if done properly, some SEO is better than none. So yes, I can offer a Budget SEO option if you need it.
How can (other) cheap SEO packages be dangerous?
Looking for cheap SEO packages for small businesses in the UK is a minefield. Chasing professional work at amateur prices plays into the hands of cowboys. Many cheap SEO "experts" are simply moonlighters who disappear without notice. Other cheap SEO services offer outdated strategies or sell weak links in bulk. Such links don't help and often risk lasting penalties by using Private Blog Networks (PBNs) that break search engine guidelines.
So most cheap SEO services are a false economy. Search engines prefer quality to quantity -- and quality costs. Unless you invest enough to get results, you'll just waste your entire budget.
Safer Cheap Small Business SEO
The "SEO Plus" small business SEO packages create quality content to earn legitimate links from genuine, established sites. Whilst not the cheapest SEO packages around, they aim to be the safest, most cost-effective small business SEO packages in the UK.
Small Business SEO Glossary
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority ("DA") grades the competitive strength of your site, largely based on the quality and number of other sites that link to them. The scale runs from 0 to 100, but isn't liniear. So higher scores are harder to improve. As a result, most sites have a DA under 10. It takes consistent effort to get over 20. Similarly, getting over 30 normally takes years.
Because high DA is hard to fake, links from those sites are strong endorsements. So Google trusts them far more than links from sites with lower DA. For instance, a single DA 20 link is worth more than two DA 10 links, and a DA 40 link is worth more than two DA 20s.
What's a CDN? How does it help small business SEO?
A Content Delivery Network ("CDN") sits between your visitors and your site. It's a network of computers that boost your site's speed and security. Both of those affect small business SEO.
What is On-Page SEO?
Many factors affect your site's search engine performance. Backlinks are "Off Page SEO", whilst "On Page SEO" involves editing your site structure and content. Similarly, "Technical SEO" changes your site, but focuses on code quality and server setup. So that often needs lower-level access than DIY website platforms provide. Broadly though, "On Site" SEO edits can include:
- Content -- "content is king". So it needs to be relevant, well-written, readable and unique
- Site structure -- sitemaps, internal links, a "robots.txt" file and canonicalisation all help search engines
- Engagement -- how long do visitors stay on your site?
- Mobile friendliness -- because most visitors now use mobile devices
- Site speed -- visitors don't like slow sites. So neither do search engines.
- Image optimisation -- bloated image files and missing "alt" tags undermine SEO
- Structured data -- adding "meta tags" and other special code to certain types of data (e.g. addresses)
- Site security -- visitors and search engines prefer sites with SSL security.
- Code quality -- inefficient coding can hurt your rankings
What is Conversion Rate Optimisation?
Whilst getting more visitors helps, your site still needs to convert them into customers. That's not just down to having a great offer -- presentation matters a lot. There are common pitfalls and best practices, but different audiences respond to different tactics. So Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is where marketing, psychology and professional web design meet.
I have been using Netcentrics’ SEO service and they have impressively managed to get over 250 of my keywords onto the first page of the search results. A very friendly and thoroughly professional service. Highly recommended. — Mark D.
SEO: (5/5)
5.0 from 30 reviews Ratings and reviews 08-03-2024 Pete has been patience personified, helping me to navigate a website I inherited for an event I am responsible for. But for him I would probably have broken the back end repeatedly. 14-12-2023 Pete has been incredibly helpful and supportive, above and beyond what was required. We're a tiny business, and from helping with the initial web design to SEO advice and inevitable tweaks and changes as the business develops, Pete has been patient and full of sage advice. We cannot recommend him more highly! 24-05-2023 Thanks, Pete! Since you updated my site, business has gone crazy – I now have more work than I know what to do with! 04-04-2023 I use Netcentrics for all my business needs. Always a professional, super-prompt and to date flawless service. Excellent. 02-03-2023 A fantastic service! We are a small business just starting out with a new venture. Pete at Netcentrics has gone above and beyond to provide us with not only a fantastic website, but also invaluable business and marketing advice. The whole process has been incredibly positive and beyond what we expected compared to previous experiences. He is incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. His support did not stop at the end of the website build, he has continued to make himself available ensuring that we know how to maximise use of the website for our start up. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Pete to anyone. 18-11-2022 Thanks, Pete — your advice is like gold dust! 21-08-2022 Oh my goodness, thank you so much! In over 20 years of online retailing this is the best and most comprehensive bit of help I've ever had relating to the dreaded SEO. I really appreciate it - many thanks again 07-11-2021 You’re amazing — highly recommended! 16-06-2021 Amazing service. Professional and outstanding company to deal with. Pete has great understanding with online requirements and core issue's. Spent hours on the telephone explaining and working on the website to bring it up-to-date. Noting but gratitude and respect to Netcentric. Highly recommend to any one through my experience they have gone above and beyond. 15-05-2021 Pete is the most professional and knowledgeable web developer I have experienced since 2016 as I have had many since. You won’t regret. I highly recommend him. 05-10-2020 26-08-2020 Peter expertise is exactly what I needed . When I have ideas Pete makes them work. I could not run my website without him 09-07-2020 Can't recommend him highly enough. He was extremely professional, laid out exactly what we needed to do and his role within that, setting expectations all round very clearly, and working within our budgetary constraints to set clear boundaries. He was extremely prompt and punctual in his responses and work. He was also extremely patient with his recommendations and explanations, which were clear and simple to follow. Excellent value for us as a charity. We're very grateful to him - he was a real pleasure to work with. 05-06-2020 knowledgeable and professional service designing and building a website for a local SME business. 05-06-2020 Very helpful staff who really understood the problem and dealt with it. 05-06-2020 First rate! Knowledgeable, professional and creative. I would absolutely use Netcentrics again for future projects. 05-06-2020 Amazing, professional service and speedy communications. Very impressed and highly recommended. 05-06-2020 Netcentrics designed, implemented and have maintained our company website for many years.If you want a secure and reliable website I strongly recommend Netcentrics. 21-12-2019 I can’t say enough good things about Netcentrics.co.uk - thorough, knowledgeable, dedicated and innovative. Highly recommended. 05-12-2019 Very pleased with my new e-commerce site from Netcentrics. Very professional, knowledgeable, and highly recommended. 05-06-2019 I have been using Netcentrics' SEO service and they have impressively managed to get over 250 of my keywords onto the first page of the search results. A very friendly and thoroughly professional service. Highly recommended. 05-06-2018 Many thank's Pete for all your advice and expertise over the years. A first class professional service and excellent value for money. 15-03-2018 Just saw that my site is now in 2nd place on the first page of Google. I’m not sure what you have done, nor do I understand it, but it worked! Many thanks! 24-02-2018 It is a pleasure dealing with a professional with a high degree of technical skill allied to a ‘can do’ positive attitude. Your ability to explain technical concepts in layman’s language is also a great advantage. I would have no hesitation in recommending your services. 03-01-2018 Excellent and professional work from beginning to end. Pete was open to ideas and able to make suggestions on how to develop my site. 05-06-2017 Fast, friendly, efficient service that exceeded the spec and made a complicated job hassle free for me. Five stars, would highly recommend and would happily employ again for all things web and internet based. 05-06-2017 A flourishing web designer, who is thorough and meticulous in everything he does. Will create a great looking unique and professional website particular to your needs. 14-09-2016 Pete is one of the most creative, reliable, competent and ingenious people it has ever been my very great pleasure to work with. There is no problem he can’t find an ingenious and unexpected way out of, and he has a work ethic you could bend horseshoes around. I cannot recommend him highly enough for his breadth and depth of knowledge and his total commitment to whichever project he is currently undertaking. 31-05-2015 DogLost is the UK’s largest community of pet owners and rescuers. Other developers have struggled to meet our needs, but since Peter rebuilt our site and support systems we have gone from strength to strength, winning major awards including the 2013 Innovation Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. We couldn’t have done that without him. 19-11-2013 Cody's Pet Deli is an online business that sells pet food & accessories. Approaching Pete to set up a new website was the best move I have made. We wanted a system that was easy to navigate and look good when customers shop online.Pete made the whole process simple and dealing with him was a great pleasure. He can't do enough to help and solve any problem that may arise. I would highly recommend Pete for his experience and knowledge and total dedication to see the project through to final conclusion.Steve H.Alison Rider-Hill
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Paul Mercer
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Emma Cunliffe
Graham Smith
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