Small Business Search Trends On The Rise In 2022

A new report from Semrush reveals that searches related to small businesses, particularly “opening” a small business, are on the rise.

The report details which business categories and specific search queries are gaining traction and provides insight into the marketing areas in which businesses are investing.

The data in the report is based on keywords and search volume collected by Semrush.

After analyzing the trends of traffic growth into organic search performance over time, Semrush shares which categories of small businesses have been able to do better online.

Here are some highlights of the report.

Research trends about opening a business

Looking at the search volume of various searches indicating an intent to open a business, the report finds:

• Over the past four years, the number of searches for “open business” has increased by 21%.
• The majority of searches for “open business” occur in January and March.
• From 2018 to 2022, searches for all things related to starting a small business increased by 76%.

Most popular small business categories

• Almost a fifth of all new entrepreneurs want to open a shop.
• Starting a business on Etsy seems attractive to almost a fifth of all searchers.
• Vending machines seem to be gaining the most significant momentum, with the category breaking into the second most searched small business category.

Analyzing search trends across regions, the report found:

• The “Etsy, cleaning, boutique” trio is – in whole or in part – in the top 3 in every state.
• In exactly half of the states, coffee shops are also in the top 3 most searched small business categories.
• Researchers in Montana and Vermont also consider delivery services as a potential mission.

Most popular searches related to “small business”

Half of the top small business searches are about financing.

Here are the top queries, ranked by average monthly searches:

1. Small business loans
2. Small business grants
3. Small Business Administration
4. Small business ideas
5. How to start a small business

Marketing related small business searches

Keyword statistics indicate that small business owners are trying to embrace all the up-and-coming trends:

• Searches for digital marketing services are up 1,500% (especially quickly during a pandemic).
• Interest in creating short videos for small businesses has grown by 420%.
• The number of people searching for free text message marketing increased by 600% in 2022 compared to 2018.

Categories of small business websites with the highest traffic growth

The report found that the average small business traffic growth across the board was 2,900%.

Samrash says:

“This means that over the past four years, most of the websites on our client list have been able to expand their visitor base.”

Top 10 rankings for small business websites by percentage of high-ranking organic keywords

The report explores which categories of small business websites have the largest share of high-ranking organic keywords.

Here are the categories listed in order, followed by the average number of organic keywords as the domain ranks in the top ten

1. to publish: 45581
2. Online media: 10116
3. Veterinarian – veterinarian: 9379
4. entertainment: 6,627
5. consumer services: 3518
6. consumer goods: 3339
7. Building materials: 2957
8. Musical: 2,593
9. Human Resources: 2145
10. Food and drinks: 1,839

It is interesting to note here how the top 10 categories by high ranking keywords do not align with the categories of fastest growing sites by traffic. Semrush suggests that this may mean that ranking for a large number of keywords may not directly lead to traffic growth.

Featured image: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock