8 steps to writing SEO-friendly content for small businesses
In today’s digital landscape, small businesses need strong, strategic content to stay visible online. Done well, SEO-friendly content helps your website rank in search results, attract the right people, and build trust with your audience over time.
But writing content that actually performs takes more than sprinkling in a few keywords. In this guide, we’ll walk you through eight clear, practical steps to help you write content that ranks and resonates.
What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the practice of improving your website so that it shows up more prominently in search engine results (like Google or Bing). When done well, SEO helps your ideal customers find you more easily—without needing to pay for ads.
It includes a mix of strategies like keyword research, content structure, page speed, mobile-friendliness, and link building. For small businesses, content is one of the most accessible (and impactful) places to start.
Why is SEO important for small businesses?
SEO is one of the most cost-effective ways for small businesses to grow online—especially if you don’t have a large ad budget or team. Here's what makes it so valuable:
Increased visibility: Show up when your ideal customers are searching.
Better quality traffic: Attract people who are actively looking for your product or service.
Higher credibility: Ranking well builds trust with your audience.
Local discoverability: Local SEO helps people nearby find your business more easily.
Long-term impact: Unlike ads, great SEO content can continue bringing in traffic for months or years.
What are some benefits of SEO for small businesses?
Investing in SEO-friendly content pays off over time. Here are some of the top benefits:
Higher conversion rates: Attract people who are already searching for what you offer.
Stronger ROI: Quality content continues to work long after it’s published.
Brand awareness: Repeated visibility in search results builds familiarity.
Customer trust: Helpful content positions your business as knowledgeable and reliable.
Actionable insights: SEO tools help you learn what your audience is looking for—so you can keep improving.
8 steps to write SEO-friendly content for small businesses
Creating SEO-friendly content involves several steps, each aimed at improving your website's visibility and ranking in search engine results. Here’s 8 tips to write SEO-friendly content for small businesses:
1. Start with keyword research
Before you write, identify the words your audience is searching for. These are your keywords. Free tools like Google Keyword Planner, or paid tools like SEMrush can help you find terms with good search volume and low-to-medium competition.
Tip: Look for long-tail keywords (e.g. “affordable wedding photographer Singapore”) - they’re more specific and often easier to rank for.
Learn more about keyword research with our keyword research guide for small businesses!
2. Create a clean, readable URL
A readable URL is not only user-friendly but also helps search engines understand the content of your page.
Quick tips for clean URLs;
Use short, descriptive URLs that clearly reflect the page content
Include your main keyword in the URL for better SEO
Use hyphens to separate words—avoid underscores or spaces
Avoid unnecessary characters, numbers, or vague terms (like id=8732)
Keep URLs consistent and simple, so they’re easy to share and remember
Good URL example: yoursite.com/seo-friendly-content
Why it’s good:
Includes relevant keywords
Easy to read and remember
Uses hyphens to separate words
Gives clear context about the page content
Bad URL example: yoursite.com/page?id=8732
Why it’s bad:
Contains random characters that don’t describe the content
Doesn’t include any keywords
Confusing and not user-friendly
Misses an opportunity to improve SEO
3. Write a strong meta title
The meta title, or title tag, is one of the most important on-page SEO elements. It appears in search engine results and influences click-through rates.
Search engines typically display the first 50-60 characters of the title, so write a compelling title that encourages users to click and use keywords naturally to avoid overloading.
4. Optimise your meta description
The meta description is a brief summary of your page’s content that appears below the meta title in search results. Although it doesn’t directly impact rankings, a well-written meta description can improve click-through rates.
Use your main keyword in the meta description and keep it under 160 characters.
5. Use a clear, keyword-focused H1
The H1 tag is the main heading of your page and should clearly describe the content. It’s important for both SEO and the user experience.
Include your primary keywords in your main heading and focus on attention-grabbing heading.
6. Structure your content for readability
Well-structured content is easier for users to read and for search engines to crawl. Here are some useful tips to structure your content:
Break your content into clear sections using subheadings (H2, H3, etc.)
Use short paragraphs to avoid overwhelming the reader
Make key information easy to scan with bullet points and numbered lists
Include white space to give your content breathing room
Use bold text to highlight important ideas (but don’t overdo it)
Keep your language simple and direct—avoid jargon where possible
Answer common questions your audience might be searching for
Tip: Think of your content as a conversation. If it’s easy to read aloud, it’s probably easy to scan too.
7. Add visuals and optimise them
Images and videos are great for boosting engagement, improving readability, and supporting your message. But they also impact your site’s speed and SEO. To make the most of your visual content, here are some simple but effective optimisation tips:
1. Compress images for faster load times
Large image files slow down your website, which can hurt both user experience and SEO.
Bad practice:
Uploading a full-size, high-res image (e.g. 5MB or more) without compression.
Good practice:
Compress the image using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh to reduce file size without compromising quality.
2. Use descriptive file names
Search engines use file names to understand image content. A good file name should be relevant, clear, and keyword-informed.
Bad file name:
IMG_1234.jpg
Why it’s bad: It says nothing about the image. Search engines and users get no context.
Good file name:
seo-keyword-research-chart-small-business.jpg
Why it’s good: It describes the content accurately and includes relevant keywords that support your SEO.
3. Use hyphens instead of underscores
Search engines treat hyphens as word separators, while underscores are not as SEO-friendly.
Bad file name with underscores:
seo_keyword_research_chart.jpg
Why it’s bad: Search engines may read this as a single string instead of individual words.
Good file name with hyphens:
seo-keyword-research-chart.jpg
Why it’s good: Hyphens clearly separate each word, making it easier for search engines to interpret and index.
4. Add alt text with relevant keywords
Alt text improves accessibility for users with screen readers and gives search engines additional context about your visuals.
Bad alt text:
Image or leaving it blank
Why it’s bad: It doesn’t describe the image or add any SEO value.
Good alt text:
Keyword research chart for small business SEO blog
Why it’s good: It accurately describes the image while naturally including a keyword.
8. Use internal links
Internal linking helps search engines understand the structure of your website and can improve the user experience by guiding visitors to related content. Ensure not to overuse internal links, and use keywords in the anchor text to describe the linked content.
Bad internal link:
Learn more about our services here.
Why it’s bad: The anchor text “here” is vague. It doesn’t tell search engines (or your readers) what the linked page is about.
Good internal link:
Learn more about our affordable SEO services for small businesses.
Why it’s good: The anchor text includes relevant keywords (“affordable SEO services for small businesses”), which improves clarity for readers and helps search engines understand the content of the linked page.
How AI tools can help you write SEO-friendly content
You don’t have to do it all manually. AI tools—like ChatGPT or a Custom GPT tailored to your business—can support your content process in meaningful ways.
Here’s how AI can help:
Brainstorm blog topics and keywords
Generate SEO-friendly blog outlines
Write first drafts based on your brand tone
Create variations of headlines, meta descriptions, and social captions
While AI can speed up content creation, it's most powerful when paired with your insight and editing. Think of it as your assistant—not your replacement.
Want to learn how to use AI tools like Custom GPTs in your workflow? Explore our SEO services or book a discovery call to learn how we help small teams make the most of AI without losing their voice.
Affordable SEO Services for Small Businesses
We know that many small businesses want to grow their visibility—but don’t have the time, team, or budget for a big-agency SEO package. That’s why we offer practical, flexible SEO services that are designed with real-world constraints in mind.
Whether you're just getting started or looking to build on what you already have, we help you focus on what matters most—without overspending or overcomplicating things.
Our approach includes:
Actionable keyword research tailored to your niche
SEO-friendly content planning you can actually follow
Clear, jargon-free audits with recommendations you can act on
AI tools for SEO content creation – learn how to use Custom GPTs and prompt-based writing systems to generate outlines, refine copy, and brainstorm optimised blog ideas quickly
SEO training so you can manage SEO in-house with confidence
Transparent pricing with no locked-in contracts
It’s not about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things, well.
Let’s build a strategy that fits your budget and your bandwidth.
