How Can Small Businesses Compete on Google?
I recently asked our Instagram followers what questions they have about search engine optimization (SEO) and content strategy. The questions ranged from short to incredibly detailed. One, in particular, was layered, wondering about the more recent Google changes and how they may be impacting local SEO (content specifically designed to reach people searching locally). As I began to answer in a video, I thought, “This needs to be a blog.” So here we are and here’s the question:
“It seems like recently when I have a random question, I Google the answer, and the top result sites are all keyword stuffed to hell. They seem to follow the format we used to follow to rank for a featured snippet, like questions and keywords in headings, short-answer sentences that could be pulled out for a snippet, etc. So I guess my question is: could this be because search engines are prioritizing short Q&A content recently because it’s easily adaptable for voice search, and if so, does it benefit small business sites to be working on voice-searchability? Is it more of a priority than before?”
There’s no easy or direct way of answering this because SEO doesn’t come with easy answers so get ready to really get into it.
Google Added another “E” to “E-A-T”
Google is always evolving, but in the last year, it’s seen some of the bigger changes in recent memory. To get started, we have to go back to a few years ago, when Google rolled out the E-A-T guidelines. The E-A-T stands for “expertise,” “authoritativeness,” and “trustworthiness.” Late last year, another “E” was added to bring “experience” into the mix, so now it’s E-E-A-T. In short, E-E-A-T is here to help SEO strategists and content writers have a guidepost to write content that shows the site owner’s experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness on any given subject.
Is E-E-A-T a Ranking Factor?
This is where it gets a little murky, so stay with me. These guidelines are not a direct ranking factor. Instead, they’re exactly what they say they are—guidelines. Google uses algorithms to rank web pages on the search engine results pages (SERPs) and the algorithms use the E-E-A-T (along with other elements) as a guide.
It all goes back to the fact that SEO is not a science. When E-A-T was first rolled out in 2019, Google published a whitepaper titled “How Google Fights Disinformation.” In it, there’s mention of Google’s inability to objectively assess the total content of any given website due to lack of full context. This is why they focus on “measurable signals that correlate with how users and other websites value the expertise, trustworthiness, or authoritativeness of a webpage on the topics it covers.”
In short, Google uses E-E-A-T to decide whether your content checks out. Since Google continues to head toward ensuring its index is full of honest, factual information instead of content that’s false and potentially harmful, it only makes sense that all content we publish keeps E-E-A-T in mind.
Google’s Helpful Content Update
Last summer, Google rolled out an update that aims to enhance the way it ranked and displayed results. In the article, Danny Sullivan, Google’s Public Liason for Search, writes that this “helpful content update” is here “to tackle content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people.” We’ve all seen these sites. Usually, they’re “best of” sites that are taking up the valuable first page of Google and pushing sites of local businesses you’re actually searching for down. P.S. It’s especially maddening when your site has been included on those “best of” sites without permission and you realize those sites are ranking higher than your own site.
Optimizing for Voice Search
A big portion of voice search happens for local search results. Let’s say you’re in the East Village in Des Moines and you want to find the best restaurant near you, you might simply ask whatever virtual assistant you have in your bag or pocket to find a few places for you. Remember these searches are short and to the point when creating content both on your website and your social media pages. Also, take advantage of Google Business!
Using Featured Snippets
That little information panel that shows up a the top of a Google search with the answer to your question is called a featured snippet (it’s also called a zero-click result because you don’t even have to click it to get the info you wanted). It’s both nifty and a nightmare because if you’re handling local SEO, you know you’re competing with huge websites with marketing budgets that blow yours out of the water.
This screenshot was taken by the author.
What Kind of Content Helps Local SEO?
The SERPs are a tough place for local websites. It’s just a fact. The good news is that you can take steps to strengthen your local SEO. For example:
- Use local phrases in your content—specifically your heading structure (remember to do this in a natural way)
- Write content like a human because that content is meant for humans. Again, Google is starting to look for unnatural content.
- Optimize all images with alt text & titles.
- Add a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section.
- Add a blog to help keep content fresh and share your experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness regularly. Google appreciates it when we keep our sites updated regularly, too.
- Add schema markup. This helps amplify descriptions of pages for SERPs (also known as rich snippets).
- Leave your digital marketing to a professional. Ahem…
Outsourcing Digital Marketing to a Local Marketing Company
If this sounds like a lot of work, you’re right. It is. It’s also just scratching the surface. Google is constantly changing and keeping up with it is a lot of work. This is exactly why we’re here. When you retain us for digital marketing work, we can handle blogs, image optimization, content refreshes, social media management, and more. We become part of your team as we work together to put your business in front of as many people as possible. You can email me at erin@greenivycreative.com to get started or check out our services to get an idea of what we might be able to do together.