What Small Business Owners Get Wrong About SEO (with Mariah Magazine)

E1073: Most small business owners know they should care about SEO, but they often misunderstand what moves the needle. I'm joined by Mariah Magazine to break down what small business owners get wrong about SEO, why keyword research is more than just picking phrases with search volume, and how business owners can use search data to make better decisions about their websites, offers, and content. Mariah shares how she got started in SEO after leaving school, what she learned working in a small agency in Buffalo, and why she now focuses on making SEO understandable for small business owners who are not technical marketers. We also talk about one of her favorite SEO stories: a candle company that used keyword research to discover demand for mini candles and made sales before the product was even added to the website. Topics covered: - Why many small business owners think SEO is more complicated than it is - How keyword research can validate demand before you invest in a product or page - The difference between SEO keywords and brand messaging - Why "nobody is searching for what I do" usually means the keyword research is too narrow - How Mariah thinks about commercial and transactional keywords - Why business owners should look at the actual Google results before choosing a keyword - How to think about keyword difficulty, domain authority, and topic authority - Why search competitors are not always the same as business competitors - Mariah's basic keyword research process using competitor analysis, Semrush, and SERP research - Why many service businesses need separate pages for separate services - What makes a website more useful for cold traffic from Google and AI search - Why About pages, Contact pages, service pages, FAQs, testimonials, and trust signals matter - Why filling out image alt text is not a complete SEO strategy - How PR and journalist relationships can support SEO through links and referral traffic - Why Mariah prefers using AI to repurpose existing content rather than write from scratch - How consultants and agency owners can get clients through referrals, communities, and helpful content This conversation is especially useful for small business owners, consultants, freelancers, service providers, and agency owners who want SEO to feel less confusing and more connected to real business outcomes. ⭐️ Mariah Magazine's website - https://www.mariahmagazine.com/ ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/MariahMagazine ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahmagazine/ ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mariahmagazineco/ ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on Threads - https://www.threads.com/@mariahmagazineco 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Meet Mariah 00:10 Quitting College for SEO 01:52 Validating Demand With Search Volume 05:20 Foundations Over Rankings 09:58 Teaching SEO Basics 11:38 Nobody Searches Myth 13:37 Purchase Intent Focus 17:25 Competitor Rabbit Holes 19:19 Keyword Difficulty Nuance 24:10 PR Link Building 30:31 SEO Meets AI 32:04 Website Essentials Checklist 36:29 CMS Choices and Pitfalls 37:20 Best Website Builders 38:00 Platforms To Avoid 38:19 SEO Package Basics 38:38 Keyword Mapping Wins 39:03 On Page Keyword Placement 41:34 Getting Client Buy In 43:54 First Clients Referrals 44:57 Networking Event Strategy 47:28 Online Communities Referrals 52:48 Pay To Be In Rooms 54:45 YouTube As Funnel 56:17 AI Content Caution 01:05:11 Alt Text Myth 01:07:23 Creative Client SEO 01:07:49 Wrap Up And Where To Find The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #smallbusinessseo #beginnerseo #searchengineoptimization #seo