The Ultimate 15 SEO Tenets For Small Businesses 

For smaller to medium-sized businesses, getting ahead and staying relevant online can feel like an uphill battle—especially when resources are slim, budgets are cut, or professional SEO help isn’t within budget at this time. Believe me, I hear this every day. I have been doing SEO for 10 years, and in this article, I will break down 10 years of experience in hands-on SEO work into 15 straightforward SEO tenets you should take into consideration if you want to continue to grow your organic visibility and long-term SEO. 

The good news? I am not charging a dollar for this, and you don’t need a massive budget to get started improving your online organic visibility. With the right straightforward strategies, small and medium-sized businesses can leverage SEO to compete with larger competitors, attract high-intent customers, and grow sustainably. The only catch, is to execute, continue to learn and stay consistent with your SEO journey.

10 Years of SEO Experience Compressed

This guide covers 10 years of experience, compressed into 15 essential SEO principles designed specifically for small businesses that need cost-effective, high-impact solutions. Each strategy is practical, actionable, and focuses on organic growth, ensuring that even businesses with limited resources can rank higher, drive more traffic, and convert more leads without overspending or not knowing what they need help with specifically.

Here Is My Personal List Of 15 Key SEO Tenets For Smaller Websites

If you’re looking to build a strong SEO foundation without relying on 100% paid ads, referrals or PR, these SEO tenets will give you a clear SEO roadmap to success. Let’s dive in.

Develop a Comprehensive Topic and Long-Tail Keyword Repository

Establishing an extensive list of pertinent topics accompanied by associated long-tail keywords is fundamental for strategic content planning. Utilizing tools such as Ubersuggest and Google Trends facilitates the identification of trending search queries, thereby enabling the creation of content that aligns with user intent and current interests.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Use Google Trends, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to discover trending and untapped keywords.
• You can use AI to also organize and clean the data of your keyword research (we cover this in our Learn AI for SEO course)
• Map search intent (informational, navigational, transactional) for each keyword.
• Organize keywords into content clusters to improve topical authority.
  

Develop High-Value Content (HVCs)

Crafting in-depth, informative, and actionable content that provides real value to users is key to engagement and conversions. High-value content (HVCs) should be well-researched, comprehensive, and formatted for readability, ensuring it meets the needs of searchers and earns backlinks naturally.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Prioritize data-driven insights, case studies, and unique perspectives.
• Collect data from your industry: use onboarding surveys, and data-backed reports to show value to your readers.
• Incorporate expert quotes, original research, and actionable steps in your articles.
• Use bucket brigades (e.g., "Here's the deal:") and engaging hooks to improve readability.
  

Remove AI Watermarks from Your Content

As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, search engines and platforms may identify and devalue content with AI watermarks. Utilizing AI tools wisely, editing and humanizing content, and ensuring originality can maintain credibility and prevent potential search penalties.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Rephrase and humanize AI-generated text to add a natural tone.
• Use AI detectors like Originality.ai to check for watermarks.
• Ensure manual editing and personalization to maintain authenticity.
  

Consistently Build Links from Authoritative Sources and Websites

Acquiring backlinks from reputable websites remains a core factor in SEO success. Implementing a robust link-building strategy through guest posting, digital PR, and collaboration with industry leaders enhances domain authority and improves search rankings. 
Actionable Takeaways:

• Reach out to industry blogs for guest posting and link-building collaborations.
• Leverage digital PR by getting mentioned in news sites and niche publications.
• Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to secure backlinks from journalists.
  

Understand Core Web Vitals: Monitor and Regularly Update a Technical SEO Checklist

Maintaining an up-to-date technical SEO checklist ensures the systematic optimization of website elements, including site architecture, meta tags, and page load speeds. This proactive approach aids in the early detection and rectification of technical issues that could adversely affect search engine rankings.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Regularly audit Core Web Vitals (Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, Cumulative Layout Shift).
• Fix broken links, orphan pages, and missing alt text for better crawlability.
• Use Google Search Console & Screaming Frog to identify technical errors.

Leverage 'People Also Ask' for Content and Keyword Opportunities

The 'People Also Ask' feature in search engine results provides valuable insights into related queries posed by users. Incorporating these questions and their answers into your content strategy can enhance relevance and address a broader spectrum of user inquiries, thereby improving search visibility.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Extract common PAAs and integrate them as FAQs in your content.
• Use structured data (FAQ schema) to increase rich snippet visibility.
• Monitor SERPs weekly for new PAA opportunities.
  

Improve Content Delivery Speed

Optimizing the time it takes for users to derive value from your content—termed 'time to value'—is crucial for user engagement and retention. Strategies such as improving server response times, optimizing media files, and employing content delivery networks (CDNs) can significantly reduce load times, thereby enhancing user experience and search rankings.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Optimize images using WebP format and implement lazy loading.
• Enable caching and compression (Gzip, Brotli) for faster response times.
• Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network) to improve page load speeds. Some CDN solutions could be: CloudFare, WP Rocket, Nitro Pack, GTMetrix, etc.
  Here is an example for a testing performance using GTMetrix:

Implement a Content Re-Optimization and Update Schedule

Regularly auditing and updating existing content ensures its continued relevance and accuracy. This practice not only enhances user satisfaction but also signals to search engines that the content remains current, which can positively influence rankings.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Identify underperforming pages in Google Search Console and update them.
• Refresh outdated data with current statistics and new case studies.
• Repurpose old content into infographics, videos, and social posts.
  

Incorporate Original Visual Assets

Utilizing unique images and graphics enriches the user experience and distinguishes your content from competitors. Original visual assets can also attract backlinks and social shares, thereby amplifying content reach and authority.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Create custom illustrations, infographics, and charts with tools like Canva or Figma.
• Use AI-generated visuals but edit them to maintain originality.
• Add alt-text and descriptive filenames for better image SEO.
  

Manage URL Parameters Effectively

Proper handling of URL parameters is essential to prevent issues such as duplicate content and inefficient crawling by search engines. Implementing canonical tags and configuring parameter handling in Google Search Console can mitigate these risks, ensuring optimal indexation and ranking.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Use short, keyword-rich, and descriptive URLs. For example: https://jasonpittock.com/blog/what-are-seo-audits/
• Set canonical tags to prevent duplicate content penalties.
• Configure parameter handling in Google Search Console.

Mitigate Keyword Cannibalization

Ensuring that multiple pages do not compete for the same keyword is vital for maintaining clear relevance signals to search engines. Conducting regular content audits and strategically consolidating or differentiating content can prevent internal competition and enhance overall site authority.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Conduct site-wide content audits using Ahrefs or Semrush.
• Merge similar pages into comprehensive pillar content.
• Use 301 redirects or internal linking to consolidate authority.
  

Pursue Unlinked Brand Mentions for Backlink Acquisition

Identifying instances where your brand is mentioned without an accompanying hyperlink presents opportunities for backlink acquisition. Reaching out to the respective site owners to request the addition of links can improve your site's authority and search engine rankings.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Use tools like Google Alerts, Ahrefs Content Explorer, or BrandMentions to find unlinked mentions.
• Politely reach out to site owners, requesting a link back to your site.
• Offer extra value (guest post, partnership, or infographic) in exchange for the link.
  

Prioritize Content for Human Readers Over Search Engines

Crafting content that prioritizes user engagement and readability over search engine optimization fosters a more authentic and valuable user experience. This approach naturally encourages longer visit durations and higher engagement metrics, which are favorable signals to search engines.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Write naturally, ensuring readability scores (Flesch-Kincaid) are optimized.
• Use conversational tone, storytelling, and user-centric insights.
• Break up text with bullet points, subheadings, and whitespace.
  

Evaluate and Revise Underperforming Content

Regular assessment of content performance allows for the identification of pages that do not meet engagement or traffic benchmarks. Decisions to update, repurpose, or remove such content should be based on comprehensive performance data to enhance overall site quality and relevance.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Identify pages with low CTR or high bounce rates using Google Analytics.
• Update titles, meta descriptions, and hooks to improve click-through rates.
• Consolidate or repurpose low-traffic pages into fresh, valuable content.
  

Create Content at Scale Without Losing Quality

Scaling content production is essential for maintaining a consistent online presence, but quality must remain a priority. Establishing content guidelines, utilizing expert writers, and integrating AI-assisted research while ensuring human oversight will help maintain high standards without sacrificing output volume.
Actionable Takeaways:

• Use a content calendar and automation tools to plan posts efficiently.
• Implement AI-assisted research and outline generation, but refine with human expertise.
• Train writers to follow structured guidelines to maintain brand voice and consistency.

SEO Has to Align with Your Business and Go To Market

This will sound cliche, but SEO is a journey, not a “destination”. It isn’t just for big companies with deep pockets and large teams—it’s a game-changer for small businesses looking to carve out their own space online by utilizing SEO as a channel for accelerating their existing business strategy. By implementing these 15 key SEO principles, you’re setting your website up for long-term visibility, increased traffic, and higher conversions—all without breaking the bank.

Success in SEO isn’t about quick hacks or overnight results; it’s about consistency, smart optimizations, and creating value for your audience, but what brings this all together is employing SEO that aligns with your business and go-to-market. Whether you’re refining your content, optimizing technical SEO, or leveraging AI tools wisely, each step you take moves your business closer to sustainable online growth.

Need more in-depth guidance on how to leverage AI for SEO and automate your workflow? Check out our Learn AI for SEO course, where we break down advanced techniques to help small businesses thrive in a competitive digital world.