6 DIY SEO Tips for Small Businesses and Startups

4. Backlinks

If content is king, then backlinks are queen. Remember, it’s not about which site has the most links, but who has the most quality links pointing back to their website. Start to build high-quality backlinks by submitting monthly or bi-monthly press releases on exciting new news or product launches, and contacting popular–yet targeted– niche blogs to see how you can work together to get a backlink from their website.

For example, creating graphics or newsworthy content can influence bloggers and news websites to link to your content. Also, create the best possible website you can, so people talking about the products and services you sell will link back, organically.

5. Social media

The search engine algorithms have truly changed since social media first emerged. Many content websites are community-oriented. For example, Digg got started by allowing users to vote which stories made the front page, and YouTube factors views and user ratings into their front page rankings. Therefore, your company website must establish a strong social media presence on sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest, etc. because these sites send search engines signals of influence and authority.

6. Company images

If you think photo’s don’t play a role in your SEO efforts, think again. When consumers search for products in search engines, not only are they looking at the “Web” results, but they’re also looking at the “Images” results.

So, if you have quality images of your products and services on your website — and the file names contain relevant keywords — these images will rank well in search engines. The photos on your company website have the potential to drive a lot of traffic as potential customers click on that image and find your company.

In addition to optimizing these six areas of your site, analyze your competitors to guage what they their on-page optimization, off-page optimization (competitive link analysis) and social media strategies. While you may be implementing similar strategies, it’s important to think outside of the box to gain an edge over your competition.

Pablo Palatnik is the founder and CEO of ShadesDaddy.com, one of the largest online retailers of sunglasses in the world. Connect with Pablo on Twitter.