This week on Let’s Talk, our experts weigh in on a challenge many small businesses face: how to stand out online without breaking the bank.
With lower budgets and fewer personnel, SMEs are likely to be at a disadvantage versus larger brands when it pertains to SEO as well as online presence. However, the playing field is not as lopsided as you may assume. From keyword research to on-page optimisation and also local search techniques, there are a multitude of free tools to help improve your online visibility, if you recognise where to find them.
In this edition, we explore practical, cost-effective ways to improve your search rankings, get free resources, and create a stronger online footprint. Whether you’re a newbie or looking to streamline your existing strategy, our panel of SEO and digital marketing experts share small business-centric guidance that you can put to practice.
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Annette Densham, Award Writing Services
“Ah, let me count the ways. Contributing to publications like Dynamic Business, sharing your insights and knowledge in collaborative articles is a great way to become more visible for free. Not only do you get the third party credibility of appearing in a respected publication, but you can leverage the link across social media to get more eyeballs on your brand.
“Repurposing content is a free tool we can all use to use what we have in multiple ways for visibility. People need to see you more than once a month. If that’s your strategy, it’s hard to stand out. The key is consistency. You can’t do one post or one blog a week and expect to be more visible. I call this being Googlicious. The art of using breadcrumbs to build your brand in subtle ways for your audience so you show up in Google searches. Using all these tools gives you social proof for when people search for you. We’re inundated with content, over 75gb a day, so every consistent piece of content is a breadcrumb building trust with your audience. When they’re ready to buy, you’ve developed a relationship with them, they remember you. It’s like the power of advertising – repetition to stick.
“Using tools like business awards, blogs on your website, media placements, books, contributing to other people’s sites, regularly posting to LinkedIn, being on podcasts, answering media callouts on SourceBottle, having a mix of visual, written and video content, and being active in Facebook groups and repurposing content are all ‘breadcrumbs’ that build your presence. It comes down to committing to putting yourself out there. The good thing is you don’t have to come up with 52 pieces of original content for the year, you can repurpose blogs, articles and other storytelling into posts, reels, infographics, video and other types of content to reuse across multiple platforms, every day. Breadcrumbs. Leading back to you.”
Katya Vakulenko, Managing Director at SOUP Agency
“Small businesses often think SEO requires a big budget, but there are excellent free tools that can make a real impact. Start with Google Search Console — it shows you which keywords you’re already ranking for and highlights technical issues that may be holding your site back. Pair it with Google Trends or Google Keyword Planner to identify what your customers are actually searching for. Then use AnswerThePublic to find common questions around your niche — perfect for writing helpful content that boosts visibility. Lastly, Ubersuggest is great for basic keyword research without needing a subscription.
“With consistency and smart use of these tools, SMEs can create content that drives organic traffic — and it won’t cost a cent.”
Matthew Chalk, Head of SEO at D3
“For SMEs, the critical first step is defining a clear SEO strategy before implementing any tools. Investing in a freelancer or SEO expert to help develop this strategy is often money well spent, as they can identify the specific approach needed for your business before you begin execution.
“Once your strategy is established, there exists a wealth of free, powerful tools that can significantly enhance your SEO performance and online visibility without denting your finances.
- Google’s Ecosystem
Start with Google Business Profile to establish your local presence. This free tool allows you to appear in local searches and on Google Maps, providing potential customers with essential information about your business. Complement this with Google Search Console and Analytics to monitor your site’s performance, identify technical issues, and understand user behaviour patterns. - Keyword Research
Uncover valuable keywords using tools like Answer the Public, which reveals common questions around your topic, or browse Google’s “People also ask” sections for content inspiration. Ubersuggest‘s free version offers limited but valuable keyword insights to guide your content strategy. - Technical Optimisation
Use PageSpeed Insights to test and improve your site loading times—a critical ranking factor. Slow sites frustrate users and receive SEO penalties. Similarly, Mobile-Friendly Test ensures your site performs well on smartphones, where most searches now occur. - Content and On-Page SEO
With these insights, create relevant content that addresses customer questions, optimising your title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags with target keywords. Remember that quality trumps quantity every time.
“By systematically implementing these free strategies—guided by expert-developed strategy—small businesses can achieve meaningful visibility improvements without stretching their limited resources.”
Peter Curran, Founder & Business Development Manager at Digital Surfer
“Even businesses with a stellar SEO agency should have some free SEO tools to monitor their results from time to time themselves. Of course, you have the essentials like GA4 (Google Analytics) and Google Search Console, which are free, although perhaps a little complicated if you’re not used to them. They give you an overview of where you’re at, such as the number of people visiting your website, where they’re coming from, what content they’re looking at, errors on your website, your top ranking content and what that’s doing for your business.
“If you’re after something to give your website more of an audit than a check-in, SEMrush provides some free features that can be valuable. You do need to know what you’re looking at to an extent, and it can be very time consuming, but that’s what people like our award-winning SEO specialists are for.
“Of course, if we’re talking about free SEO and online presence tools, we can’t not mention Google Business Profile, can we? Having a free profile is essential, and then optimising it (or having someone like Digital Surfer) do it for you will help you get found on local Google searches. It’s essential, especially for people looking for reviews on companies. If you’re not there, you’re not in the race to win the customer.”
Tracy Sheen, Founder of The Digital Guide and author of AI & U
“Small businesses don’t need deep pockets to boost their online visibility—just a smart mix of free tools and a clear strategy. Start with Google Business Profile—it’s free, powerful, and often overlooked. Keeping it updated helps your business show up in local search. Use Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner to uncover what your customers are searching for, and shape blog or FAQ content around those terms. Tools like AnswerThePublic and Google Trends help spark content ideas that build trust and rank well. Then track what’s working with Google Search Console. Free doesn’t mean low impact—it means being resourceful. Combine these tools with AI writing support like ChatGPT (used wisely!) and you’ve got an SEO engine most small businesses aren’t tapping into yet.”
Alexander Zaremsky, Head of Marketing User Acquisition at Devart
“Introducing SEO strategy doesn’t mean you should spend hundreds on tools for tracking online visibility. Free tools can provide your SME business with features that, compared to paid platforms, still can cut manual effort. Here is the list of tools to pay attention to if you don’t want to break the bank on SEO:
- Google Search Console: Monitor website performance, identify and fix crawl errors, and submit sitemaps to ensure search engines index your site.
- Google Analytics: Track visitor behavior and traffic sources to refine your SEO and focus on results.
- Google My Business: Optimize your profile with accurate details and engage with customers to boost local search visibility, crucial for brick-and-mortar SMEs.
- Google Keyword Planner: Research long-tail keywords to create targeted content that aligns with search intent.
- AI Tools (e.g., ChatGPT): Automate content creation, such as writing meta descriptions, blog outlines, or FAQs, saving time.
- Python: Use scripts to analyze keywords or scrape competitor data, to stay ahead in search rankings.
- Google Looker Studio: Build free, customizable dashboards to visualize SEO metrics to track progress and adjust strategies.
“By consistently creating high-quality content and using these tools, SMEs can improve search rankings, attract more organic traffic, and grow.”
Maria Kathopoulis, CEO & Chief Marketing Officer at UNTMD Media
“When you’re running an SME, you don’t need more tools – you need smarter ones. Free resources, powered by agentic AI, are now a serious growth weapon.
“Start with the basics: Google Business Profile and Google Search Console. Together, they put your brand on the map and reveal where you’re winning or losing visibility.
“But the search landscape is shifting. More users now ask AI-first platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini for answers, not just Google. SMEs must optimise not only for traditional search but for AI discovery too. Agentic AI tools help by suggesting content gaps, SEO opportunities, and keyword strategies aligned with this hybrid behaviour.
“Platforms like ChatGPT (with SEO plugins) don’t just react – they anticipate and recommend, helping SMEs produce smarter content faster while optimising OPEX.
“Use Canva’s AI-driven creative tools to generate SEO-optimised visuals that boost engagement and search relevance across web and social channels.
“The old SEO game was slow and linear. The new one is agentic, predictive, and multi-channel, where winning brands show up in both search engines and AI outputs.
“SMEs that move early with agentic AI aren’t just improving SEO – they’re protecting margins, accelerating visibility, and future-proofing growth.”
William Levy Maman, CMO at Tomedes
“For SMEs, finding ways to improve SEO and online visibility without heavy investment is crucial. Free tools can play a significant role, especially when expanding into multilingual markets. Tomedes built resources like the AI Translator, Pre-Translation Toolkit, and Translation QA Tool to support this need. These tools help businesses produce accurate, high-quality translations, prepare source texts for smoother localization, and ensure consistency and quality across languages.
“Good SEO today is not just about keywords—it’s about providing a seamless, localized experience for users worldwide. By using free tools to adapt content properly, SMEs can make their websites more accessible, improve engagement, and strengthen their presence in new markets. When combined with basic SEO practices like optimizing metadata and site structure, these resources offer a practical, cost-effective way to compete globally and drive sustainable online growth.”
Lauren Clemett, CEO at The Audacious Agency
“SEO isn’t just a technical game, it’s about connecting with your audience through valuable content. Recent research by SEO Guru Neil Patel shows that over 64% of Google’s page 1 rankings are achieved by blogs. This highlights the power of creating consistent, engaging content.
“Blogging can be challenging but tools like AnswerThePublic can help uncover topics that truly resonate with your audience (offering limited free searches). Google’s search bar itself is an invaluable (and free) tool to spark blog topics – just type in a question and wait for the auto-completed suggestions to gain real-time insights into the most-searched phrases.
“But content creation is only one part of the equation. Planning your organic content marketing is essential for consistent delivery. You should schedule blogs around monthly themes that resonate with your audience, then leverage specific dates to drive traffic to your website. Think Mother’s Day, celebrity birthdays, or summer holidays – these are all opportunities to “newsjack” and create compelling social media content with a link to ‘read more on my blog’.
“Being strategic is the key to free SEO and planning your content means you’ll actually dedicate time and effort to it each month.”
Alexandra Egan, Founder and CEO at The Domino Effect Consulting & Facilitating
“SEO isn’t about beating algorithms; it’s about rethinking how your business shows up, earns trust, and stays relevant.
“Free tools like Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, Ubersuggest, and AnswerThePublic give SMEs critical visibility into customer behaviour, site health, and content gaps. Tools like SEMRush can supercharge this later, but strong foundations must come first.
- Step 1: Treat SEO as an operational project, not a marketing add-on. Set clear goals (visibility, leads, engagement), assign accountability, and map actions to measurable outcomes.
- Step 2: Stop guessing what customers want. Use keyword and analytics tools to align messaging with real search intent, not assumptions.
- Step 3: Build a feedback loop. Review, refine, and rebuild pages monthly. Small, consistent improvements outperform grand, one-off campaigns.
“In today’s market, those who systemise visibility and relevance, instead of chasing trends, will win.
“The right process, not just more effort, drives sustainable growth.”
David Dahdah, Head of Content, The Big Smoke
“AI tools are democratising business building. They’re giving individuals and SMEs access to what used to be big-budget firepower.
“Today, you can use free AI platforms to research keywords, generate content, optimise your site, and track performance, and you can do it for free. Obviously, you could do it better with a group of trained professionals, but access is the key here.
“Tools like ChatGPT, SurferSEO (free tier), and Google Search Console can all sharpen your SEO if used correctly. AI can turn what used to be a full-time role into something you manage on the side, until you’re ready to invest in it.
“Actionable tip: pick one page of your site, check Google Search Console to find a keyword you’re already ranking for, and use AI to expand your content around it. There you go, marketing advice for free.
“My point is the real value isn’t in the tools, but the outcomes you can achieve. The gatekeepers are gone. Anyone with drive and a clear head can build visibility and momentum to put their business on the path to growth.”
Janet Camilleri, SEO Specialist and Founder of Front Page SEO
“In my online program, the DIY SEO HQ, I teach small business owners how to improve their SEO and online visibility using practical strategies and free tools.
“While many SEO tools come with free trials or limited features, Google themselves are the best place to start.
“For local or service-based businesses, claiming and optimising a Google Business Profile is one of the most powerful (and often overlooked) tools in the marketing toolkit. This is how businesses appear in the map pack at the top of search results – and the first three listed receive a massive 92% of local traffic.
“The other two essentials are Google Analytics and Google Search Console. While they don’t directly boost visibility, they provide a gold mine of data to guide your SEO strategy.
“Google Analytics shows which pages are getting the most traffic—so you can double down on what’s working. Google Search Console on the other hand is your first port of call when checking for issues, and to confirm whether your pages are indexed and appearing in search results.
“Used together, these free tools give small businesses a powerful head start with SEO—without spending a cent.”
Charles Liu, Founder & Marketing Director at Cubic Promote
“When you’re running a small business, budgets are tight — but boosting your SEO doesn’t have to cost a fortune. At Cubic Promote, we lean heavily on free tools like Google Search Console to spot quick website fixes and Ubersuggest to find new content ideas. AnswerThePublic is another gem we use to see what real people are searching for, so we can write blogs that actually match what customers need. Little things like adding a free SEO plugin to your website can make a big difference too. The trick is staying consistent. Even small tweaks, made regularly with the right free tools, can seriously lift your online visibility over time.”
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