Most business owners who try SEO start in the same place: they type the most obvious phrase for what they do (“web designer”, “business coach”, “bookkeeper”) and look at who ranks. It’s usually large directories, national brands and agencies with full-time content teams. Then they conclude SEO doesn’t work for them.
SEO does work for small and mid-sized sites, but not on those terms. The trick is choosing searches that your business can realistically win. Here’s the approach I use on client sites.
Why the obvious keyword is usually the wrong one
Short, broad phrases attract a lot of searches and a lot of competition. They are also vague: someone typing “marketing consultant” could want a definition, a salary figure, a job listing or a hire. Even if you ranked, much of that traffic wouldn’t be looking for you.
Think in specifics: long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases. Each one is searched less often, but the person searching knows what they want, and fewer sites are competing for it. Compare:
- Broad: “business coach”
- Specific: “business coach for freelance designers”
- Specific and local: “career coach for engineers in Pune”
- Start from your clients’ words, not yours. Look at the emails, calls and form messages you get. How do people describe their problem before they know what to call it? Those phrases are your best keyword ideas.
- Add a specific audience, problem or place. “For [who]”, “to fix [problem]” or “in [city]” turns a crowded phrase into one you can compete for.
- Search it yourself. If page one is mostly big directories and national brands, move on. If you see small business sites, forum threads or thin pages, that’s an opening.
- Check what the searcher wants. If results are all how-to articles, a sales page won’t rank. If they are all service pages, a blog post won’t. Match the format that’s already working.
- Use free data from your own site. Google Search Console shows which searches already bring people to you. Often the best opportunities are phrases you rank for at the bottom of page two, where a small improvement can help.
The second and third phrases describe a real person with a real need. That’s the visitor most likely to send an enquiry.
A simple way to find winnable keywords
Give each keyword its own page
One page trying to rank for five unrelated phrases tends to rank for none of them. Give each important service or question its own page, with a clear title, a matching heading, and content that actually answers what the searcher came for. Link those pages to each other so visitors and search engines can see how they connect.
Don’t skip the technical basics
Good keywords can’t make up for a slow or broken site. Make sure pages load quickly on mobile, every page has a unique title and description, and your site has an up-to-date sitemap. A free SEO plugin handles most of this once it’s configured properly. Accessibility basics such as alt text, clear headings and readable link text also help search engines understand a page, and my website accessibility guide covers them.
Be patient, and be honest about timelines
SEO is slow. For a new or small site, it’s normal to wait several months before seeing steady results, and nobody can honestly guarantee a ranking. Be cautious of anyone who promises a number-one spot. A better measure is whether the right enquiries gradually increase.
The short version
Skip the crowded, obvious phrases. Pick specific, winnable searches based on how your real clients talk, give each its own page, keep the site fast and tidy, and give it time. If you’d like a second opinion on which keywords suit your business, get in touch for a free 20-minute consultation.
Speed is one of the technical basics worth fixing first, and this guide to why a WordPress site is slow walks through the usual causes. If you want pages built to rank from the start, see my WordPress development services.