In this episode I’m taking on one of the most annoying lies in the SEO world. You’ve probably heard it. “SEO isn’t really for businesses your size.” Yeah. That's total bullshit.

Someone asked me about it on LinkedIn and honestly, I could feel my blood pressure rising.

So I’m breaking down why small businesses keep getting fobbed off by big agencies and why it has nothing to do with SEO… and everything to do with profit.

I talk through the real reasons you’re being dismissed and then walk you through what small businesses can actually do to get found. Local SEO wins. Smarter page titles. Writing content that answers real questions. Getting reviews. Fixing the basics on your website. It’s all here and none of it requires dropping two grand a month on an agency.

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too small” for SEO or felt like your website is just sitting there like a digital paperweight, this one will sort you out.

If it helps, follow SEO F**king What so you don’t miss next week’s episode. And if you know someone who’s been fed this same rubbish, send this to them. Sharing is caring and all that.

Have you been told that SEO isn't worth it for your little business?

That it's only for the big boys with deep pockets?

Well, yeah, that's bullshit.

And today I'm going to tell you exactly why.

This is SEO fucking what?

I'm Nikki, and if you're new here, welcome to the show where I cut through

30 years of SEO industry bollocks so you can make money from your website

without losing your mind or your wallet.

Today we're talking about something that Michelle asked me about on LinkedIn.

It's this absolute nonsense that gets pedalled to small business owners, micro

businesses, freelancers, one-man-bands basically anyone who isn't ready to drop

two grand a month on an agency retainer.

And that lie is SEO isn't really for businesses your size.

Fuck right off.

So let's get into why you're being told this, because it's not for the reason.

You think it's not because SEO doesn't work for small businesses.

It's not because you can't compete.

It's not because Google only cares about corporations.

It's because you are not worth enough money to the people that want you to pay.

That's it.

That's the whole thing.

Most SEO agencies have minimum monthly retainers.

We're talking, I dunno, 1500, 2000, 5,000 pounds a month minimum.

If you are a trainer in Stockport or a freelance bookkeeper or someone running

a little gift shop from your spare room, you haven't got that kind of budget,

you are not a viable client for them.

So what do they tell you?

They tell you that SEO isn't worth it for businesses your size.

They tell you to just focus on social media or maybe try some Google ads.

They basically pat you on the head and send you on your pretty little way

because they can't be asked with you.

And another reason this pisses me off, these are the same agencies.

They'll happily take 10 grand a month from some massive company

and deliver absolutely fuck all.

They won't spend five minutes helping a small business owner understand

the basics because there's no fact commission in it for them, it's

gatekeeping, pure, and simple.

He's keeping small businesses who, let's not forget, are the backbone of

this fucking country from competing online when they absolutely could be.

So I'm gonna tell you why.

SEO absolutely is for small businesses.

So first of all, you've got a website, right?

If you've got a website, SEO matters end off.

I don't care if it's a five page brochure site.

Or a massive eCommerce thing.

If that website exists on the internet and you want people to find

it, then SEO is relevant to you.

The alternative is having a website that just, well just sits there doing nothing

like an expensive digital paperweight.

What's the point of that?

Second of all, local SEO is your superpower.

here's what the agencies won't tell you.

For local businesses, SEO is actually easier than it is for national brands.

You are not trying to rank for accountant against every accountant in the uk.

you're trying to rank for accountant in Harrogate.

Or mobile dog groomer near me.

The competition is smaller, the wins are more achievable, and when

you do rank those leads are gold because they're people looking for

someone right now in your area.

The third thing is it's cumulative.

It builds over time.

Unlike ads where you stop paying and everything disappears,

SEO work sticks around.

That blog post that you write today could be bringing you traffic in three years.

That Google business profile you optimize this week works for you months after

months, and for a small business with limited resources, that's massive.

You are building an asset, not renting attention.

The fourth reason is your competitors are probably doing it really badly.

Honestly, most small business websites are an SEO Disaster

Zone Titles that just say home.

No Google Business profile pages with 12 words on them, which means

if you put in even a little bit of effort, you can leapfrog half your

competition without breaking a sweat.

You don't need to be perfect.

You just need to be less shit than the other lot.

And fifths the maths actually works in your favor.

If you think about it, if you're a one person business and you

get one extra client a month from SEO, what's that worth?

Let's say you're a trade person charging three pounds for a job.

That's an extra three, 600 pounds a year.

If you're a bookkeeper picking up one new monthly client at

200 pounds a month, that's 2,400 pounds a year from one client.

You don't need hundreds of leads.

You need a hundred of the right ones.

An SEO can absolutely deliver that.

So when someone tells you that SEO isn't for small businesses, what

they actually mean is you are not profitable enough for me to bother with.

don't let some agency's business model convince you that you

can't compete because you can.

So what the hell do you actually do about it?

How do you get started when you haven't got an agency budget?

I've got five more tips for you and I'm gonna share them

right after this quick break.

Okay, you're back.

Let's get practical.

Here are five things you can do right now to get started with SEO,

without spending a fortune or needing a degree in digital marketing.

Number one, claim and optimize your Google business profile.

If you do absolutely nothing else, I tell you today, go and do this.

Go to google.com/business.

Claim your listing and fill in every single section, and I mean everything.

Your business hours, your services, your services area.

Upload some decent photos, write a proper description.

This is free.

It takes maybe an hour for local businesses.

It is often where your first leads will come from.

When someone searches, whatever you do, nimmi, Google will

show those business profiles.

If you're not there, you're invisible.

Go and find my website, Nikki hy from kinson.com.

Look at the free training page and download the Google

Business Profile checklist.

You can thank me later.

Number two, sort out your page titles.

Go and look at your website right now.

Open every page and look at what it says in the browser tab at the top.

If your homepage says home, and you're about page says about.

I've seen this more times than I can count.

Every single page just has your business name and nothing else.

You've got work to do.

Your page titles need to tell Google and humans what the page is about.

So instead of home, it should be something like affordable LinkedIn training for

small businesses instead of services.

Try tax returns for businesses in.

Put the important stuff first.

Keep it under about 60 characters.

Job done,

number three.

Write content that answers questions, whether it's blog posts or service

pages, or FAQs or whatever it is, because you know those questions that

your customers ask you all the time.

The ones that you're sick of answering.

Write about them.

How do I make sure my website is sustainable?

How can I stand out on LinkedIn without having colored hair and swearing a lot?

What's the difference between an accountant and a bookkeeper?

These are the things that real people are typing into Google.

If you've got a page that answers that question properly, you've

got a chance of showing up.

You don't need to write a 3000 word dissertation, few hundred words.

Just answer the question and answer it clearly.

That's fine.

One question, one page, answer it.

Well,

tip number four, get some reviews.

And I know, I know asking for reviews feels awkward, but do it anyway.

Google reviews matter for local SEO and small businesses.

They also matter for convincing people to actually pick up the phone and call you

after you've done a good job for someone.

Send them a message with a direct link to leave a Google Review.

Make it easy for them.

Don't be weird about it.

Most happy customers are perfectly willing to leave a review.

They just need a little nudge and respond to your reviews.

By the way, all of them, even the good ones, it shows you're paying attention.

Number five, check that your website actually works properly.

And I mean the basics here.

Does it load in a reasonable time?

Can people use it on their phone?

Is your phone number clickable on mobile?

Can people actually find your contact page?

Because you'd be amazed at how many small business websites fall over on this stuff.

Test it yourself.

Pull out your phone, load your site.

Try to navigate around and contact yourself.

If it's slow, confusing, or broken, fix it before you worry about anything else.

All the SEO in the world won't help if people get to your site

and immediately leave because it's a fucker to use on a bonus.

Bit of advice.

Stop waiting until you can afford to do SEO properly.

There's no such thing.

SEO isn't a thing you do once and tick off the list.

It's ongoing.

It's incremental.

Start with what you can do now.

Keep chipping away at it and you'll make progress.

Waiting until you've got agency money is just leaving opportunities on the table.

If you've got 20 pounds a month, I have a course that will pay

for itself with one client.

Go to non wanky seo.com and have a look or drop me a message,

and that's your lot for this week.

If you're a small business owner who's been made to feel like SEO isn't for

you, I hope this has given you a bit of a kick up the ass to get started.

you don't need permission from some fucking agency.

You don't need a massive budget.

You just need to actually do the work.

If this was helpful, make sure you're following SEO fucking what and whatever

app you're using to listen right now.

That way, you won't miss the next episode.

and if you know another small business owner who's been fobbed

off with this, SEO isn't for you, bollocks, send them this episode.

Sharing is caring and all that.

if you've got a question or you want me to talk about something specific,

DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram or drop me an email, I'm always looking

for new things to be annoyed about.

So until next week.

Get found, make money and tell the gatekeepers to do one.