Optimizing our organic search and refining our SEO craft is something we're always practicing as digital marketers and small business owners. Especially when you consider how competitive-and expensive-paid search is getting.

You don't want to pay Google for every click to your website, so you're doing the right thing by trying to optimize your organic search and drive traffic that way.

Because we're all at the mercy of Google and the other search engines out there, very rarely are there SEO tactics that are black and white, but when it comes to the basics of getting your small business off the ground and getting seen in the search results, it's actually, dare I say, fairly easy.

So what are some of the most important strategies you should work on right away?

Start with the framework of the website itself first, and making sure that it's mobile-friendly, meaning mobile optimized, or even better, responsive. A mobile responsive website scales to fit any device a user is accessing the site from, whether it be a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. Mobile is all the more important now that Google launched its "mobilegeddon" algorithm update in Spring 2015, which essentially moves your website down in the organic rankings if your site didn't provide a great mobile user experience for the searcher.

Also, focus on your content. As you may or may not already know, because of Google's algorithms and updates, organic rankings are largely driven by the amount of quality content you're putting out, whether it be via blogs, white papers, case studies, as seen as No. 4 in the infographic. Google wants to see that you're educating the searcher with informative content, so the more content you can post to your site, the better. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the content needs to be quality.

Another main area to focus your efforts on is your local search, and more importantly, your Google My Business (also known as Google+) profile. Make sure that your address is correct and that you have it verified by Google-either via postcard or phone call-so that your business is eligible to be shown in map and local search results. Google, and other search engines, knowing exactly where your business is located can do wonders for your local search.

Check out the rest of the basic SEO tactics to drive your small business below.

Infographic via Result Driven SEO (h/t Website Magazine)

Thumbnail image via Shutterstock