Posted by Courtney Fappiano on December 16th, 2025

When you’re running a small business, choosing where to invest your marketing energy feels like an extra job, right? Do you focus on social media? Is SEO worth it? Should you run Google Ads? Do you need a brand refresh? And how do you make these decisions when budgets are tight and your personal bandwidth is already stretched?

At hasOpt, we know small businesses don’t always have the luxury of unlimited time or resources. That’s why the goal isn’t to “do everything,” it’s to make the most impact with what you have. A smart strategy starts with understanding three things: your goals, your budget, and your capacity.

Start With Your Goals

Before choosing a marketing approach, clarify what you actually want to accomplish. Are you trying to increase website traffic? Bring in more local customers? Build brand recognition? Get more calls or form submissions?

Your goals determine the strategy.

• If you want visibility and long-term growth: SEO is essential.
  
• If you want immediate leads: Google Ads might be the fastest path.
  
• If you want community engagement and brand personality: social media is your go to
  
• If your business feels outdated or inconsistent: a brand refresh or new website would be the place to start
  

Consider Your Budget (But Realistically)

Small-business budgets vary widely and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to match what big companies spend, but to invest strategically. For example:

• SEO can be scalable, from basic foundational work to ongoing monthly optimization.
  
• Social media can be organic-only if needed, though paid boosts help extend reach.
  
• Google Ads can be tightly targeted to maximize a small budget.
  
• Branding or web updates can be phased in over time.
  

Even on a limited budget, thoughtful marketing can produce meaningful results, especially when guided by solid research and analytics.

Look Honestly at Your Personal Bandwidth

Maybe you can run your own social media, but should you? Consistency is what moves the needle, and that’s hard to maintain when you’re juggling everything else.

This is where analytics become powerful. They show where and how people are finding you, what’s working, and where to focus your time. hasOpt not only tracks this data, but helps you understand it so you can make better decisions without guessing.

Technical vs. Content: What Comes First?

In a recent interview with Logan, Owner & Lead Strategist at hasOpt, I asked a question many small-business owners wonder:

Courtney: “This is also a question that I have asked in the past and just in general, is how do you prioritize what’s more important or what should be done first in a site, like technical fixes, or content?”

Logan:
“For most sites, I would say content… starting with meta tagging. But sometimes you encounter a site that has functional problems… such as if the site is very, very slow… or just so significantly affecting usability that they’re a higher priority.”

They continued with a point many business owners need to hear:

“If the site is from 1993, the first thing that should happen is a new website… But for a site that is relatively new, less than five years old and which doesn’t have major functional problems, content first.”

In short:

• If your site is newer and functions well, focus on content and SEO first
  
• If your site is older than five years or has technical issues, fix the foundation before investing in content
  

So… Where Should You Start?

Every small business is different, but the path forward becomes clear when you define your goals, understand your limitations, and assess the health of your current digital presence (and talk to us!)

And you don’t have to figure it out alone. hasOpt helps you choose the right priorities so you can make the biggest impact with the resources you have.