What are the slickest, wallet-friendly SEO tricks that actually pack a punch when you want to skyrocket your website’s visibility without draining your bank account?
Well, for this BoostMyDomain rundown, we didn’t mess around guessing. We went straight to the pros!
We roped in battle-hardened SEO gurus and business big shots, demanding their top three bang-for-buck moves.
What they dropped is pure gold: gritty, do-it-now tactics that even a scrappy team with pocket change can pull off.
No fluff, just a no-BS playbook to claw your way up the rankings without breaking the piggy bank.
Read on!
Valentin Honcharov - Claspo
We discovered these budget SEO moves that worked last year when one of our startup clients cut their marketing budget by 70%. We were forced to find solutions that delivered results without spending. Our team analyzed data from 40+ clients to identify what truly moved the needle without big budgets.
First, optimize your Google Business Profile completely. A local client boosted visibility by 40% just by adding accurate hours, fresh photos, and responding to every review. This costs nothing but time.
Second, build five excellent content pieces around core keywords. Our data shows better results from five amazing articles than twenty mediocre ones. Quality beats quantity when resources are tight.
Third, fix technical SEO basics. We had a client whose sales jumped 15% after fixing load speeds and mobile friendliness. Free tools like PageSpeed Insights identify easy fixes.
These approaches might not be flashy, but they deliver results without requiring big spending or specialized staff.
Valentin Honcharov
CEO, Claspo
Odellé Joubert - Dentaly Go
SEO does not have to be expensive to be effective. If you’re working with a tight budget, the key is focusing on strategies that give the best return without draining resources.
One of the most powerful moves is optimizing existing content. Instead of chasing new blog posts, take what you already have and make it better. Find pages that aren’t ranking well but have potential, then tweak headlines, add fresh internal links, and answer more relevant search queries. At Dentaly Go, we revamped an old blog on dental implants, added updated pricing comparisons, and within weeks, it jumped to the first page of Google.
Another smart play is local SEO. Claim your Google Business Profile, ensure your NAP (name, address, phone) is consistent across directories, and encourage real patient reviews. We asked happy clients to leave feedback, and it gave us a huge visibility boost without spending a cent.
Finally, build links naturally through partnerships. We collaborate with travel bloggers and dental forums. Simple mentions or guest posts can drive serious traffic. SEO is not just about throwing money at ads. Small, consistent efforts go a long way.
Odellé Joubert
Chief Operating Officer, Dentaly Go
Muhammed Fawas - dExito Branding
Existing Content: Refresh old pages with better keywords, internal links, and updated information.
Use Free SEO Tools: Leverage Google Search Console, Analytics, and Ubersuggest for insights.
Earn Free Backlinks: Network with bloggers, contribute guest posts, and use HARO for link-building.
Muhammed Fawas
SEO Analyst, dExito Branding
Max Shak - Zapiy
When you’re working with a tight budget, SEO can feel overwhelming, but the good news is that some of the most effective strategies are completely free. Here are three high-impact, low-cost SEO moves I swear by at Zapiy.com:
Optimize Existing Content for Quick Wins: Instead of constantly churning out new content, update and optimize what you already have. Use free tools like Google Search Console to find pages ranking on page 2 and tweak them–add better keywords, update outdated info, and improve internal linking. A simple refresh can push you into the top spots without extra costs.
Leverage Free Backlink Opportunities: Backlinks are SEO gold, but you don’t need a huge budget to get them. Guest posting, HARO (like this one!), and strategic networking can earn you valuable links from reputable sites. Also, reclaim lost links by checking if any sites mention your brand without linking–a simple email request can turn that into a backlink.
Master the Art of Long-Tail Keywords: Competing for high-volume keywords is tough, especially for smaller teams. Instead, focus on long-tail keywords–they have less competition and higher intent. Use free tools like AnswerThePublic and Google’s “People Also Ask” to find what your audience is searching for, and build content around those queries.
By doubling down on these three strategies, we’ve grown Zapiy.com’s organic traffic without breaking the bank. SEO isn’t about spending the most–it’s about being the smartest with what you have.
Feliciah Namusonge - Pearl Lemon Group
SEO doesn’t have to be costly to be successful for teams on a limited budget. By concentrating on clever, economical tactics, Pearl Lemon has assisted companies in expanding their internet presence without spending a lot of money on advertising.
Optimizing already existing material is one of the most effective strategies. Rankings can be greatly increased by adding new keywords, internal links, and pertinent insights to previous blog entries rather than continuously producing new content.
Strategic outreach makes it feasible to build backlinks without spending any money. Businesses can obtain useful links without having to pay for them by participating in niche forums, contributing guest posts, and working with industry partners.
Lastly, giving SEO top priority ensures that a website is completely search engine optimized. Without adding expenses, small changes like making a website faster, repairing broken links, and making sure it is mobile-friendly can have a significant impact.
Feliciah Namusonge
Public Relations Specialist, Pearl Lemon Group
Heather Step - South African Mom Blogs
Yoast – it’s a free WordPress plugin which gives you tips on how to optimize your post. It’s a good reminder to put those alt texts in your images, get those internal and external links going and get your meta description the right length.
Answer The Public – as you’ll get a good idea of what people are asking for. You can actually use these questions in your blog post. You get three free searches a day.
Right Blogger – this all-in-one set of tools is my go-to. It has a keyword generator so you can see the volume and the competition, social media tools using the relevant keywords, content gap comparisons (comparing a post that is ranking higher than yours on Google) and so much more!
Heather Step
Teacher & Blogger, South African Mom Blogs
Chris Brown - Totalsurf
Firstly, if you have a physical address, create a Google My Business and Bing Places For Businesses profile to boost your local SEO results and help Google and Bing understand you as an entity.
Then, start content writing for popular topics within your industry/niche. Evergreen topics are great for generating initial traffic towards your site.
Thirdly, set up Google Search Console, Google Analytics and, for the more technically savvy, Google Tag Manager. Following video instructions makes all this straightforward. These three tools will then allow you to analyse your site’s performance on Google and reveal how users interact on your site, which is invaluable.
Chris Brown
Managing Director, Totalsurf
Marcus Pentzek - Jademond Digital
On a shoestring budget, the SEO team should focus on measures that promise the most impact.
1. So if the website is being crawled and indexed by Google, and first rankings do exist, the team shouldn’t focus too much on technical SEO for the moment. The website might not be technically perfect for SEO – but Google can cope with it. Deal with the details later.
2. Assuming that the SEO team knows the website’s topic well, and the keywords research is lying on the table the most important – but yet classic – step would be to optimize the most important pages’ title tags – using the target keywords, making sure the title tells what the page is about, and covers the search intent the page can cater to.
3. Often overlooked is internal linking. Make sure that users and bots can jump from one page to another – not just using the main navigation, but also as if the main navigation was not in place. Think of it the Wikipedia way, where all pages are internally linked, whenever it makes sense to explain a word or provide deeper insights into a topic.
Marcus Pentzek
Director, SEO, Jademond Digital
Lauren Richardson - Marketing Signals
Links from high ranking sites: Earning links from high ranking sites is great for your website’s SEO score – but you do have to be careful about where you’re getting links and more importantly, how you’re getting links. Earned links, or organic links, are a type of backlink that’s placed because the person finds your content authentic, interesting and relevant and wants to link to it on their site.
If your content is being shared or talked about on various sites, this lets Google know that it’s high-quality content. The more your site or content is linked to on high authority websites, the more Google will see your site as relevant and authoritative. This can get you placed higher in its search engine results page (SERPs). But how do you get earned links on a budget to improve your SEO?
Create good content: The best way to get earned links is to create genuinely relevant and interesting content that people naturally want to link to as it adds value. Your content should either be educational, inspirational, informative, unique or entertaining. When your content meets this criteria, it makes it valuable and therefore will make it easier for people to want to link to it. Make sure that the sites linking to you are related to the content, if it’s random or unrelated and only exists to push loads of links, then this could actually damage your SEO. You’re best looking for a mix of links – some from high authority sites and some from smaller but relevant sites. If you can get say 50 links from 40+ websites, then it seems more natural and authentic than having 50 links on 3 websites.
Make sure your content is varied: Your content needs to vary – blogs are good because you can use keywords, link internally and outreach this to various other sites. But it’s a good idea to create different content that is more likely to be shared. Think videos, press releases, reports or infographics. Something that people can find informative and easy to share will boost your chances of getting links.
Your link text also needs to vary. While you won’t always have control over the link text that people choose for your earned links, it’s worth knowing that variety is good. Varied link text looks more authentic to Google, which will get you higher in Google’s SERPs. For example, if you always get links that are connected to your brand name, they seem less natural and Google will think they’ve been paid for. If you can, try and get the hyperlinked text about something else, like a description of your service or product mentions.
It’s all about quality not quantity: While it’s good to have new content, churning out hundreds of blogs or other kinds of content in the hope that it will secure links can actually damage your SEO. One well thought out piece of content can sometimes be more valuable than 20 blogs with no thought or plan behind them. Make sure you have a content strategy and make sure it’s topical – no one will link to it if it’s not worth talking about or sharing.
Originality matters too, there’s no sense in copying what everyone else is talking about and publishing content that is basically taken from another site. No one is going to link to content that they can find all over the internet. Make sure you’re creating fresh content with new angles so you can add value.
Ask for a link: If you come across unlinked mentions for your content or website on the internet, then there’s no harm in asking them for a link. Consider contacting whoever manages the site, thank them for the coverage and then see if they’d be willing to include a link. In most cases, they will be happy to do so. This is also another way to secure more links – you could ask if they’re working on anything else that you may be able to help them with or ask them if they have any other places that could do with a valuable link.
Lauren Richardson
Senior Digital PR Specialist, Marketing Signals
Anchal Pandey - Gupshup
Target Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on in-depth articles targeting relevant, low-competition keywords. These are longer, more specific phrases that have lower search volume but also less competition. This approach can help you rank higher and attract qualified traffic without a huge investment.
Create High-Quality Videos: Videos can boost engagement and improve your website’s search visibility. Explore free AI tools that can help you create professional-looking videos on a budget. These tools can assist with video editing, adding music and effects, and even generating voiceovers.
Optimize Internal Linking: Ensure each landing page has at least 8 internal links to other relevant pages on your site. This helps search engines understand your site structure and improves user navigation. Use a tool like Screaming Frog (free version) to analyze your current internal linking structure and identify areas for improvement. Look at the “Unique Inlinks” column to see how many internal links each page has.
Anchal Pandey
Senior Manager – SEO, Gupshup
On behalf of the BoostMyDomain community of readers, we thank these leaders and experts for taking the time to share valuable insights that stem from years of experience and in-depth expertise in their respective niches.
BoostMyDomain invites you to share your insights and contribute to our authoritative publication. Reach a wider audience, build your credibility, and establish yourself as a thought leader in an industry that caters to every business with an online presence!
