BBC Business: what it is, and how a small business owner can use it

BBC Business is the business section of BBC News. It covers company news, the economy, markets, jobs and money matters, and you find it by opening the BBC News website and choosing Business. This article is for owners who want more than headlines: how to use business news for your own plans, and what the search results for this term teach you about SEO.

What does BBC Business cover?

BBC Business is a section of the BBC News website. It reports on companies, the economy, financial markets, work and consumer money. Besides articles, the BBC also makes business audio, such as the Business Daily and Global Business programmes. You can find those under its podcasts and audio pages.

For a small business owner, most of it is background. A story about a big bank is not about your bakery. But some stories reach your customers directly. These are the topics worth a quick look:

• Interest rates and inflation: they change what your customers can spend.
• Energy and fuel prices: they change your costs and your customers' budgets.
• Travel and tourism news: it matters if you run a hotel, a rental or a dive shop.
• Shipping, tariffs and supply problems: they matter if you sell products online.
• Consumer spending and jobs: they hint at whether people will spend or save.

Why do people search "bbc business" instead of typing the address?

It is faster. Typing a name into Google is easier than remembering a web address. Marketers call this a navigational search: the person already knows where they want to go and uses Google as a shortcut.

This matters for you, because customers do the same with your business. Someone hears your name from a friend, then types it into Google. If your website does not show up first, or the opening hours shown are wrong, you lose that customer at the last step.

Try it now. Search for your own business name and look at what appears. Is your website at the top? Is your Google Business Profile claimed? That is the free listing with your map pin, opening hours, photos and reviews. Is the phone number correct? Fixing these details costs nothing and takes an afternoon.

How can a small business owner use business news without losing hours?

Set a fixed slot. Fifteen minutes on Monday morning is enough. Open the business section, scan the headlines and ask three questions: does this change what my customers can spend, what my costs are, or what my customers are looking for?

Here are three examples. A plumber in the UK reads that energy prices are rising, and writes a page about heating checks and boiler servicing. A holiday-let owner in Spain sees news about flight disruption and updates the booking terms on the website. A webshop owner reads about delivery delays and puts a clear delivery notice on the product pages.

News tells you what is happening. To see what your own customers are searching for, use a tool like Google Trends. We explain how it works in Google Trends: how to use it to plan your offers, content and ads.

Can a small business get featured on BBC Business?

It is possible, but you should not plan your marketing around it. Big news sections cover stories with wide interest: a local employer closing, a new product that is unusual, or a trend that many owners recognise. A normal offer or a new service is not news to them.

If you do have a real story, keep it simple. Write a short email with the facts, a clear reason why it matters now, and one person who can be called. Start with local and regional media, because they look for stories from nearby businesses. Do not expect a reply every time.

Being in the news is also not the same as being on Google News, which is a separate product with its own rules. We cover that in How to get on Google News, and whether a small business needs it.

What do the search results for "bbc business" teach you about SEO?

Look at the page titles Google shows for this term. They are short and plain: "Business | BBC News", "Global Business", "Business Daily". Each tells you what the page is and who made it. That is a good model for your own pages. A title like "Boiler servicing in Leeds | Smith Heating" does the same job.

You will also see the words "read" and "more" often. Think of the "Read more" buttons under news articles. They work on a news site, but for your own site they are weak. A link that says "Read more" tells Google and visitors nothing. A link that says "See our boiler servicing prices" does. Use words that describe the page you are linking to.

Behind every good title is the same question: what would a customer type? That is the work of keyword research, and it is where we start with SEO. For Bloemenhuis Orchidee, SEO brought 118% more organic traffic in 3 months. Organic traffic means visitors who come from unpaid Google results. Our SEO packages start at €399 per month and you can cancel monthly.

What can you do this week?

You do not need a marketing department. Five small steps are enough to get value out of this article:

• Search for your own business name and note what is wrong or missing.
• Claim and complete your Google Business Profile if you have not done so.
• Book 15 minutes on Monday to read the business news and ask the three questions above.
• Rewrite page titles that say only "Home" or "Services" so they name what you do and where.
• Replace every "Read more" or "Click here" link on your site with words that describe the page.

Where do you go from here?

If you want to know how your own website looks in Google today, I can check it for you. I am Dimitry, the founder of Growetic, and I do the work myself. You get a clear list of what to fix first, whether or not you hire us. Request the free quickscan and I will look at your site.

Frequently asked questions

What is BBC Business?

BBC Business is the business section of the BBC News website. It reports on companies, the economy, markets, jobs and consumer money. The BBC also publishes business audio programmes, such as Business Daily and Global Business. It is a news source, not a service you sign up for.

Is BBC Business useful for a small business owner?

Yes, as background reading. Stories about interest rates, energy prices, travel and shipping can change what your customers spend and what your costs are. You do not need to read everything. Fifteen minutes a week, with a few questions in mind, is enough to spot what affects you.

What is a navigational search?

A navigational search is when someone types a name into Google to reach a site they already know, such as "bbc business". They do not want options, they want a shortcut. Customers do this with small businesses too, so your name should lead straight to your website and correct details.

Can my business appear on BBC Business?

It can, but only if you have a real news story with wide interest, and even then nothing makes it certain. Local and regional media are a more realistic start. Send a short email with the facts, a reason why it matters now and a contact person.

Dimitry founder of Growetic. He does SEO, Google Ads and websites for businesses in the Netherlands, on Bonaire and in Spain.