How Fixing My Own Small Business SEO Changed Everything for Everyday Web in 5 Easy Steps
How Fixing My Own Small Business SEO Changed Everything for Everyday Web in 5 Easy Steps
When I started cleaning up Everyday Web’s small business SEO, I thought I was just “tuning things up.” In reality, I was rebuilding the foundation that determines whether Google even cares about your website. If you run a small business, this story isn’t just about us — it’s about what you can (and should) do right now to make search engines actually work in your favor.
1. The Hard Truth: SEO Is Infrastructure, Not Decoration
I used to think SEO was just about writing keywords and hoping Google noticed. But when I dug into the data using Ahrefs and Ubersuggest, I realized something brutal — our domain authority was weak, and broken links were quietly killing us.
SEO isn’t decoration; it’s infrastructure.
It’s the plumbing that decides whether customers can even find your business online.
2. Why Backlinks Are the Currency of Trust
Once I understood this, I went straight after backlinks.
Backlinks are how Google measures reputation — if credible websites link to you, it’s a signal that your brand is trusted.
For Everyday Web, we started reaching out to:
- Partners — like banks, local business associations, and community organizations — to list us as digital service partners.
- Press outlets — we shared insights on small business tech and got cited in articles.
- Directories — Clutch, DesignRush, GoodFirms — these links alone boosted our domain authority faster than months of blogging could.
If you’re a small business owner, ask your vendors, banks, and local partners to add your website to their partner page. It’s free SEO fuel most people ignore.
3. Cleaning Up the Mess: Redirects, Broken Links, and Sitemaps
Next came the dirty work: cleaning up redirects and broken links.
We had pages like /our-process/ still showing in Google even after we renamed them.
Here’s what I did:
- Set up proper 301 redirects for every outdated URL using RankMath.
- Deleted useless pages that weren’t driving any traffic.
- Resubmitted our sitemap to Google Search Console so the crawler could reindex the right pages.
This simple housekeeping got us back in Google’s good graces — and suddenly, pages that were invisible started climbing into the top 10 results again.
4. Tools That Make Small Business SEO Actually Manageable
Let’s be real — SEO can feel like rocket science. But these tools make it simple:
- Ahrefs – the gold standard for backlink research and keyword tracking.
- Ubersuggest – affordable and beginner-friendly if you’re just starting out.
- Google Search Console – non-negotiable for tracking indexing and site errors.
- RankMath or Yoast SEO – for optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and sitemaps.
Start with one or two tools, fix what’s broken, and work your way up as your business grows.
5. Why This Matters for Every Small Business
I’ll be honest: SEO used to feel optional.
Now? It’s survival.
When people search for “best café in Philly” or “tax consultant near me,” Google’s top 3 results get nearly 70% of all clicks.
If your website isn’t technically sound, if your backlinks are nonexistent, if your sitemap is outdated — you’re invisible.
And invisibility kills small businesses faster than anything else online.
The good news? You can fix it. Start where I did — clean your house, claim your backlinks, and track your progress weekly.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a bakery, a barber, or an accounting firm — once you treat your small business SEO like a business asset, you’ll feel the growth almost immediately.
Final Thoughts
Fixing Everyday Web’s SEO wasn’t about chasing vanity metrics — it was about regaining control.
Now, every new client that finds us through organic search feels like proof that the work pays off.
If you’re ready to get your small business seen again, start small, stay consistent, and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
