According to a new report from Semrush, queries about starting a small business have increased. The report evaluates the rise in queries related to small business categories.
The report provides information on which areas of marketing businesses are investing in and which business categories and search queries are gaining traction. Semrush collected keyword and search volume intelligence for this report.
Semrush analyzed the traffic growth trends to organic search performance over time and discovered which small business categories perform better online. Here we discuss some key takeaways from the report.
Search Trends Related To Starting A Business
The report identifies the following searches as indicative of intent to open a business:
- Over the past four years, there has been a 21% increase in “open business” searches.
- January and March are the busiest months for “open business” searches.
- Between 2018 and 2022, searches for small business-related topics increased by 76%.
The Most Popular Small Business Categories
There has been a spike in general interest in starting a small business, but search volume indicates that people are looking to open boutiques:
- Nearly one-fifth of people who want to become entrepreneurs want to open a boutique.
- Almost one-fifth of all searchers think that starting an Etsy business is attractive.
- The increase in interest in vending machines is giving the category second place in searches among small businesses.
It examines regional search patterns and outlines the following conclusions:
- All states have at least one of the three “Etsy, cleaning, boutique” triads.
- 50% of the states list coffee shops among the top three most popular small business categories.
- Delivery services are being considered a potential cottage industry in Montana and Vermont.
The Most Common 'Small Business' Related Searches
50% of all top small business-related searches are for financing. Here are the top queries, ranked by the number of searches per month:
- Small business loans
- Small business grants
- Small business administration
- Small business ideas
- How to start a small business
The Most Common Marketing-Related Small Business Searches
Small business owners try to welcome all the up-and-coming trends, as indicated by keyword stats:
The demand for digital marketing services skyrocketed by 1,500% (especially fast during the epidemic).
Small businesses’ interest in creating short videos grew by 420%.
In 2022, 600% more people searched for free text message marketing than in 2018.
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Categories of Small Business Sites With the Highest Traffic Growth
According to Semrush, small businesses experienced average traffic growth of 2900% over the period studied. Semrush said:
“This means that over the past four years, most of the websites within our client list managed to expand their visitor base.”
The Highest-Ranking Organic Keywords in Small Business Sites Are Distributed Among Ten Categories
The report lists the site categories that have the highest percentage of high-ranking organic keywords. The list is in order, followed by the median number of organic keywords where the domain ranks in the top 10.
- Publishing: 45,581
- Online Media: 10,116
- Veterinary: 9,379
- Entertainment: 6,627
- Consumer Services: 3,518
- Consumer Goods: 3,339
- Building Materials: 2,957
- Music: 2,593
- Human Resources: 2,145
- Food & Beverages: 1,839
It is interesting to observe how the top 10 most popular traffic categories differ from the categories with the fastest growing traffic. According to Semrush, ranking for many keywords might not directly result in traffic growth.
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