Do Smaller Websites Stand a Chance in SEO?

A person recently asked Google’s John Mueller whether or not bigger companies have website SEO ranking advantages over small businesses. Mueller admitted that big companies are difficult to compete with, but Google does not favour any website in SEO based on the company’s size. In his answer, he explained how big websites have disadvantages that smaller businesses can take advantage of.

Smaller vs Bigger Companies

The person who asked the query wondered if larger firms have the edge over smaller competitors. They explained that in some industries, Google Shopping ads appear alongside the advertisements shown on the top of the search, pushing search results and smaller businesses further down the page. This made them wonder if smaller organisations even stand a chance when competing with bigger companies.

Competing with Bigger Companies is Challenging

The query was very specific, but Mueller’s response gave a broader answer. Although he did not address the issue of advertisements pushing down organic search results in his answer, he discussed the notion that Google favours bigger companies.

Mueller reassured the SEO community that Google is not focusing on bigger websites or corporations. However, he did mention that it is challenging to compete with larger corporations from a practical perspective.

Company Size Does Not Matter

Mueller next explained how competition has always been about the amount of effort put into developing a user experience and optimised website, and not the size of the site. He noticed that, in the past, most bigger corporations made terrible websites and were incompetent when it came to SEO. As a result, smaller companies easily outperformed larger ones because it took the latter many years to understand the importance of SEO. Meanwhile, smaller websites dominated the SEO industry, and suddenly, they found that their content was visible to a wider audience.

However, as time went by, larger corporations also saw the value of SEO and web search, and they eventually made an effort to improve their websites SEO. They now have more competent teams, making it harder for smaller businesses to gain a foothold in the search results, especially in an extremely competitive market.

In the present day, Mueller said that it is less about the size of one’s company; it is more about the competitive environment in general.

Smaller Companies Must Focus on Strengths

While a big brand may appear to have insurmountable advantages, this is not always the case. Most SEOs simply know the “instructions” for SEO; however, they do not really understand how search engines function. That is why a small firm usually cannot rank.

Beginners only know how to follow instructions like “include your keywords in the title and headers”. While it is a decent starting point for SEO, it will not work against a firm that has a more sophisticated grasp of how search engines work.

It’s similar to the distinction between just knowing a recipe and understanding how to actually cook. The person with a recipe might think they know how to cook, but they are only following the recipe. They do not really understand how to cook.

That’s the problem that many smaller sites have; they find it difficult to compete because they mostly just follow instructions. They don’t have enough knowledge to realise their small site’s competitive potential.

According to Mueller, smaller firms should focus on their strengths and the competition’s weaknesses to find an opportunity to shine. SEOs can strategies by choosing specific types of content to publish and understanding which particular audiences they should make content for. It’s kind of like how one does it with a physical business.

The Competitive Strengths of Smaller Websites

Mueller is correct: smaller sites may have benefits that larger ones do not always have. For instance, smaller websites shine when it comes to speed; however, it’s only useful if there’s a plan behind it.

Smaller websites also have more opportunities to build links. Bigger companies don’t always have the nerve to ask for a link, and this fear of taking risks is a significant brand disadvantage.

Smaller websites can easily dare to ask other businesses for links, which is a strength that larger corporations do not have. There are high-ranking websites across various niches that started small, so smaller websites definitely stand a chance against bigger corporations. But competition this year will be harder regardless of the company’s size.

SEO is the most cost-effective type of marketing for small businesses with a low advertising budget. After all, not everyone has the funds to spare for paid ads. Although businesses may get immediate short-term benefits from advertisements, they risk burning through their resources.

SEO is different. Although site owners won’t notice any immediate changes in traffic, they can create a long-term foundation, provided that they have a solid SEO strategy. Below are two excellent SEO tips for smaller businesses:

1. Create a content strategy

Small businesses are hesitant to establish a content strategy because they believe it is too time-consuming. It does take some effort, but one does not have to be knee-deep in blog entries to be successful.

In today’s world, users online want specific answers to their questions. Hence, they are looking for authoritative solutions to their problems.

Websites do not rise to popularity because they produce a lot of content; they do so by publishing authoritative and relevant content. Authoritative articles are the key to success for small business websites.

2. Create content around those subjects

The second stage of developing a content strategy is the implementation phase. Publishers will write their content in this phase.

Keep in mind that long-form content is the best type of content. This is because readers tend to notice long, thorough, and authoritative content, making it easy to earn their respect and persuade them to trust one’s brand.

Effective SEO for Small and Large Businesses

Regardless of whether your business is big or small, it’s still crucial to have a solid SEO strategy in place. Position1SEO is the UK-based SEO agency that businesses of all sizes turn to for guaranteed results. We are experts in boosting website SEO rankings and visibility, and we can also help you convert your new users into paying customers.

We work with businesses of all sizes, and no job is too big or small for us. Our goal is to help companies achieve their desired online presence by providing tailored SEO solutions. We will also provide you with detailed SEO website ranking reports so you can see how your website’s performance improves over time.

With our help, you can achieve a position on Google Page 1 and see a real return on your investment. Contact position1seo.co.uk today for more information!