If someone has phoned you promising page one of Google by Friday, hang up. SEO is not magic and it is not a trick. It is making sure that when someone near you searches for what you sell, your website is a sensible answer.
What SEO actually is
Google wants to show people the page most likely to answer their search. SEO is the work of making your pages that answer: saying clearly what you do and where, loading quickly on a phone, and being the kind of business other people mention and link to.
Why it is worth bothering
Most people start with a search, even when they already half know who they want. Paid ads stop the moment you stop paying. A page that ranks keeps bringing people in long after it was written. It is slow to build and cheap to keep, which is the opposite of most marketing.
Where to start
- One page per service. A page called Services with six things on it ranks for none of them.
- Say where you are. “Plumber in Paisley” beats “quality plumbing solutions” every time, for Google and for humans.
- Sort your Google Business Profile. For local businesses it often matters more than the website. Photos, opening hours, and a reply to every review.
- Make it quick on a phone. If a page takes five seconds to load, most people are gone before it does.
- Write page titles the way people search. The title in the browser tab is the line Google shows in its results.
What to ignore
Stuffing keywords into every sentence, buying links, and anyone who guarantees rankings. Google has seen it all before and is not impressed.
Not sure where your site stands? Send it to us for a free website roast and we will tell you what is holding it back.
