Simple SEO tips for Birmingham business owners who wear all the hats

Birmingham | SEO

Running your own business is no small feat, especially when you’re the founder, marketer, admin and social media manager all rolled into one.

If SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) feels like another thing on your never-ending to-do list, you’re not alone. 

But the good news is: you don’t need to be an expert or have loads of time to start making real improvements.

Here are some simple, beginner-friendly SEO tips tailored for busy Birmingham business owners, especially if you’re doing everything yourself.

Check if your website is mobile-friendly

Most people now search on their phones, especially when they’re looking for a local service. So if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be losing potential customers without even realising it.

You can check if your website is mobile-friendly simply by looking at your website on your mobile. 

• Is the text easy to read?
• Is the website working responsively (e.g. are the blocks that make up your website page stacking nicely into a mobile view)?
• Are the different blocks of each page displaying nicely on the mobile screen (e.g. none cut off or squeezed off the side)?

You can have a better look at Google Search Console. This is a free tool that you can hook up to your website. Through one of the menu items, “Core Web Vitals”, you can check that your website is mobile-friendly. 

This is important because Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites in its search results. If your site is hard to read or navigate on a phone, people will click away, and Google notices that.

Claim (and optimise) your Google Business Profile

If you have a physical location, even if it’s a home-based business, claiming your Google Business Profile is a must.

This is important because it helps you show up on Google Maps and in local searches. Users often want to use local businesses and will add location keywords to their queries. Making sure you claim yours will help Google geo-locate you and potentially surface you in the results. 

Plus, it builds trust with potential customers who want to see your reviews, hours, and contact info at a glance, and it’s totally free and takes just a few minutes to set up.

Add photos, a clear description of what you offer, and ask happy customers to leave reviews. Fresh reviews show Google (and potential clients) that your business is active and trustworthy.

A few things to keep in mind, though:

• If you’re using your home address and don’t meet clients/customers at that location, don’t list your address on Google Business Profile. You can click a button to make sure it’s hidden. 

Understand EEAT (Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds)

EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s a set of quality signals that Google uses to figure out whether your website deserves to rank highly in search results, especially for topics that impact people’s finances, health, or safety (what Google calls “Your Money or Your Life” topics).

Let’s break it down:

Experience

This is about showing that you’ve actually done the thing you’re talking about. For example, if you’re writing about employee benefits, Google wants to see that you have real-world experience in that area, not just generic AI-generated content.

Expertise

You need to demonstrate that you know your stuff. That might mean highlighting your background, qualifications, or using detailed, helpful content that shows you understand the topic deeply. This applies to both you and the people writing for your website.

Authoritativeness

This is about your reputation in your industry. Are other respected websites linking to your content? Do people mention your brand or recommend your services? Reviews, backlinks, and features in respected publications all help build authority.

Trustworthiness

Possibly the most important of all. Google wants to know: Can people trust this business? A clear website, visible contact details, a secure connection (HTTPS), privacy policies, and genuine customer reviews all contribute to your site being seen as trustworthy.

Here’s what you can do:

• Add an “About” page that tells your story. Share your experience, how you got started, and why you do what you do. Add any accreditations, qualifications and links to any relevant websites.
  
• If you write blogs or guides, make sure they reflect your knowledge and explain things in a way your audience understands.
  
• Feature testimonials or client feedback; these help build trust.
  
• Make sure your website includes your contact info and links to your social media, so Google knows you’re a real person.
  

If your website signals EEAT well, you’re more likely to show up in search results, especially when people are making important decisions (like which service provider to hire). It also makes your site more credible to actual people, not just Google, which is key to converting visitors into leads or customers.

Tidy up your metadata

Metadata is the behind-the-scenes text that tells search engines (and people) what your page is about.

Here’s what it looks like when displayed on the search results page:

You can control what text appears (although sometimes Google seems to have a mind of its own) by installing an SEO Plugin on your WordPress website (other website builders are available and have their own versions of SEO tools, sometimes built within them). We tend to use Yoast, but RankMath and Zenith are other good contenders. 

The plugin will give you an area where you can add metadata to control what Google sees. 

Let’s start with the basics:

• Your meta title is very powerful. Changing this will have a big impact on what queries your page is surfaced for. Try to use a keyword at the start. Keep it within 525 pixels long so that it doesn’t get truncated on the results page (Google will only show a certain number of characters). If keyword research is completely new to you, you can learn more about it here. 
• Your meta description is the little snippet underneath. Think of it like your elevator pitch: why should someone click your link? Make sure you include the same keyword as the meta title (so long as it’s grammatically correct).
• Each page needs a unique meta title and a meta description.
  

Write for humans first, search engines second

You don’t need to stuff your pages with keywords to rank well. Instead:

• Write clearly and naturally.
• Use headings to break things up and explain what the different sections of your article are about (like the ones in this blog).
• Include your location (like “Birmingham” or your neighbourhood) where it makes sense, especially if you serve a local audience.
• Consider adding other elements, such as photographs, graphics or videos. This can lead to improvements in your rank.

Writing content as if you’re talking to a human helps because Google wants to recommend helpful, readable content. If people stay on your site and find what they need, your SEO improves naturally.

Think about it from Google’s point of view, if they surface and recommend pages that have poor quality content, users will become sceptical about Google’s ability to get them the information they need. Eventually, they will go over to a competitor. So, it’s in Google’s best interest to surface content that’s high quality. 

Start a simple blog (yes, you can!)

Blogging doesn’t mean you have to churn out content every week. Even one or two helpful posts can improve your visibility.

Be systematic about your blog content. You may be able to come up with spontaneous ideas (which is great), but consider things from a prospect’s perspective, too. Aim to write content that will help users on every stage of their buyer journey, from becoming aware of their problem to returning as a loyal client. 

	Buyer Journey Stage
	Awareness (Prospect becomes aware that they want to start a business but don’t know how to go about it)	Consideration (Prospect finds some coaches and is trying to determine which one will be best)	Action (Prospect is ready to enquire but might need a little push)	Loyalty (Prospect is now a client & may return for more support)
Service 1: Women’s Business Coaching	“10 business ideas that fit in with family life.”	“How my Business Coaching framework supports women in need of a change.”	“Take the plunge now: 3 reasons why my coaching programme will work for you.”	“Top tips for the busy female business owner”

Fresh content shows Google your site is active, and it gives you a chance to rank for new search terms over time. If you can weave some keywords into your titles, then fantastic! Prospects will often be searching for answers, so using a keyword research tool to discover the kind of questions that they’ll be asking is well worth the time. 

Good SEO is “strategic and often”

You don’t need to tackle everything at once. Even making small changes, like checking your mobile friendliness or updating your Google Business Profile, can have a big impact.

SEO isn’t just for techies or massive businesses. It’s for people like you: brilliant, busy people running incredible businesses here in Birmingham. Start strategic, stay consistent, and if you ever need a friendly guide, we’re here to help.