The "One-Stop Shop" Digital Starter Kit for New Businesses

Congrats, new business owner! The paperwork has been filed, the business license has been acquired, and you’ve perfected your service. “Now, how do I get customers?“

If you’ve started Googling, you’re probably being told you need everything, all at once. You need a TikTok strategy, a robust email marketing funnel, paid ad campaigns, a blog, a LinkedIn presence, and a dozen other things. 

As a small business just starting, you don’t need to do everything. You just need to do the essential things right. To truly get found online and start generating leads, you only need to focus few key things. 

We’re going to cover your digital storefront (your website), your trust signal (your photos), and your megaphone (your SEO). Getting these three pillars right is the most affordable, effective way to build a foundation for growth, and it’s the core of what good small business seo services should deliver.

💻 Pillar 1: Your Digital Storefront (A.K.A. Web Development)

Your website is not just a digital brochure; it’s your 24/7 salesperson, your central hub for all marketing, and the one piece of the internet you actually own.

Think about it: social media platforms can (and do) change their rules overnight. But your website is your property. It’s where you control the message, capture leads, and build your brand.

However, just like a physical store, a website needs someone to build it correctly and keep it running efficiently. Your website is the foundation; it’s worth partnering with a professional to build it right the first time.

But a great-looking site is useless if it doesn’t build trust.

📸 Pillar 2: Building Trust with Authentic Photography

When you’re a new business, trust is your most valuable asset. And the fastest way to break that trust? Cheesy stock photos.

We’ve all seen them: the a-little-too-perfect “team” smiling in a generic office or the same woman with a headset who apparently works for every IT company in the world. Customers can spot these fakes a mile away. They send a clear message: “We’re not a real, established business.”

It’s tempting to save money here, but authentic photos of you, your team, and your actual work are one of the most powerful investments you can make. They show you’re a real person and a legitimate business.

This isn’t just about decoration, though; it’s about conversion. In fact, your photos play a huge role in both your SEO and your conversion rates. 

📣 Pillar 3: Getting Found with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Okay, so you have a good-looking website and authentic photos that build trust. Now what?

You need to get found on Google or Bing. But not just that, you need to get found by the people who are actively searching for your exact solution. That, in a nutshell, is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

This is the part that overwhelms people the most. SEO sounds technical, mysterious, and like a long-term money pit. But at its core, it’s just about making your site easy for Google (and people) to understand and trust.

So, what does that actually mean for a new business, and how do you “do” SEO?

What Do Good Small Business SEO Services Actually Include?

Good SEO isn’t a magic trick; it’s a process. These comprehensive SEO tactics can be broken down into four simple parts that should all work together.

1. The Preparation Stuff (Research and Setup)

The best place to start is to do some keyword research:

• • Keyword phrases: These are the phrases that people type into search engines to find what they are looking for. You want to make sure that all service and high-traffic pages have their own targeted keyword phrase.
    • Note: One page can have multiple keyword phrases targeting it, but one keyword phrase should not target multiple pages, only one.
  • The right balance: This research phase is incredibly important. You want to target keywords that closely match your services and have a high search volume, but are not hard to rank for.

• Search Engine Setup: Just because you have a live website does not mean that it automatically appears on search engines. Google and Bing both have tools (Google Search Console & Bing Webmaster Tools) where you can request these engines to crawl your website so that it can begin to show up in search results. 

The Technical Stuff (That Your Web Developer Should Handle)

This is the “foundation” of your digital storefront. Your developer needs to build your site with SEO in mind from day one. This includes:

• Mobile-friendliness: Making sure your site looks and works great on a phone, Google doesn’t just think about mobile-friendliness; it considers it essential.
• Fast Load Times: Ensuring your site is fast so users don’t get impatient and leave is crucial. Be sure to utilize free tools like GTmetrix or Page Speed Insights to test your site.
• Accessibility (ADA): Today, building a site that can be used by everyone, even those with disabilities, is a must. Take advantage of website plugins that can be installed to make your site more accessible, and always add alt text to images.

The Content Stuff (Telling Your Story)

This is how you tell Google (and customers) what you do.

• On-Page Optimization: This is where those targeted keyword phrases from earlier come into play. Use them naturally on your service pages and in your site’s titles. Make sure each page has one primary keyword that’s in the H1 heading and meta tags. Additionally, it’s good practice to have a list of secondary keywords that are naturally used throughout the page.
• Content Strategy: Creating helpful content (like this blog!) that answers your customers’ questions. Not only is this content helpful, but it’s also a reason to constantly update your site with content. This is a signal to Google that your website and business are active. This is more important than ever, especially with the rise of AI search and new ways for Google to understand and present your information.

The “Reputation” Stuff (Building Authority)

SEO is always referred to as a long-term game, and this section is the reason why. 

• Have to Gain Trust: You can’t just tell Google “Hey, I’m here!” and expect it to throw you to the top of the rankings. Just like any partnership, it takes time and lots of experience with someone to gain their trust and prove yourself. It’s the same with search engines; it simply takes time. 
  • Imagine SEO as pushing a giant boulder; the hardest part is getting it started, and when it does, it’s incredibly slow. But over time, the speed starts to increase and carries immense momentum.
• Linked on Another Site: Having your website linked to on another website is called a backlink. If that website is reputable and is also a trusted authority in the eyes of search engines, this sends a positive indicator to these search engines about your site. These backlinks essentially act as a vote to search engines that you are also a trusted authority.

🤝 Why Your “Starter Kit” Essentials Must Work Together

Here is the part that most people miss: these three pillars are useless on their own.

• Synergy Example 1: You can have great SEO that drives people to your website, but if it’s full of bad stock photos, nobody will trust you, and they’ll leave.
• Synergy Example 2: You can have a beautiful, custom website with stunning, authentic photography, but if no one can find it on Google, it’s just a billboard in the desert.

This is precisely why juggling multiple vendors often fails. The photographer doesn’t know how to size images for web speed. The web developer doesn’t understand technical SEO. And the SEO agency is left trying to fix a foundation that was built incorrectly.

Businesses need a single partner who ensures all three pillars are built to work together from day one.

🚀 Ready to Build Your Online Presence?

Stop feeling overwhelmed by the endless list of “must-haves.” You don’t need to do everything at once. You just need to do the essential things right.

We are passionate about helping small businesses get this foundation right. We’re here to be your partner, cut through the noise, and create an affordable, understandable plan that actually gets you results. Contact Earthman Marketing and schedule your free, no-pressure consultation today.