There’s a lot of SEO advice on the internet. Most of it is either basic to the point of uselessness (“make sure your content is good!”) or technical to the point of incomprehensibility. This guide sits somewhere more useful: practical steps, clearly explained, that you can actually implement — or at least understand enough to know whether whoever is looking after your SEO is doing them.
I’m Spencer Thomas, a freelance web designer and SEO specialist based in Brighton. I’ve built 55+ websites for businesses across the UK with SEO baked in from the start, and I audit and improve existing sites for clients who’ve been stuck in the same rankings for too long. These 12 steps are what actually moves the needle.
Start With a Quick SEO Audit
Before you improve anything, you need to know where you stand. A basic SEO audit tells you what’s already working, what’s broken, and what’s missing. You don’t need paid tools to do a decent audit. Here’s what to look at:
- Google Search Console (free) — which keywords you’re appearing for, which pages have errors, how many pages are indexed
- Google PageSpeed Insights (free) — how fast your site loads on mobile and desktop, with specific recommendations
- Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test (free) — whether your site works on mobile
- site:yourdomain.co.uk in Google — how many of your pages Google has indexed
- A manual check of your title tags — view source or check the browser tab on each main page to see if they’re descriptive and unique
This takes about 30 minutes and will usually surface your biggest issues immediately. If you haven’t set up Google Search Console yet, that’s your first step — my guide to getting on Google walks you through it.
Step 1: Fix Your Technical Foundation
Technical SEO is about making your website accessible and crawlable for search engines, and fast and usable for humans. Problems here don’t just limit rankings — they can actively prevent you from ranking at all. Fix these before working on anything else.
Page speed and Core Web Vitals
Page speed is a direct Google ranking factor since 2021’s Core Web Vitals update. A slow site ranks lower, full stop. It also converts worse — 53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Run your URL through PageSpeed Insights. The biggest quick wins are almost always:
- Image compression and format — most websites carry enormous, unoptimised images. Convert to WebP format and compress before uploading. Tools like Squoosh (free, browser-based) or ShortPixel (WordPress plugin) do this automatically.
- Unused JavaScript — often from plugins you’re no longer using. Deactivate and delete any WordPress plugins you don’t actually need.
- Server response time — cheap hosting is slow. If you’re on a basic shared hosting plan, upgrading to managed WordPress hosting (WP Engine, Kinsta, or even SiteGround’s higher tiers) can dramatically improve load times.
- Browser caching — a caching plugin like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache can improve load times significantly for returning visitors.
Mobile responsiveness
Since Google switched to mobile-first indexing, your site is ranked based on its mobile version. If your mobile experience is poor, your rankings suffer everywhere — including on desktop searches. Every website should be fully responsive, loading fast and displaying correctly on phones and tablets without any pinching or zooming required. Test it at Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
HTTPS (SSL certificate)
If your site still loads on http:// rather than https://, you’ll see a “Not Secure” warning in Chrome and potential ranking penalties from Google. SSL certificates are free with Let’s Encrypt and your hosting provider should be able to install one in minutes. This is non-negotiable in 2026.
XML sitemap and robots.txt
Your sitemap (yourdomain.co.uk/sitemap.xml) tells Google about all your pages. Submit it to Google Search Console. Your robots.txt file (yourdomain.co.uk/robots.txt) should NOT have Disallow: / — that blocks everything. Also check in WordPress under Settings → Reading that “Discourage search engines” is turned off.
Fix broken links and redirect errors
Broken internal links (404 errors) waste Google’s crawl budget and create a bad user experience. Google Search Console’s Coverage report will flag them. Use a free tool like Screaming Frog (up to 500 URLs free) to crawl your site and find all broken links, then either fix the links or set up 301 redirects.
Step 2: Keyword Research — Know What You’re Trying to Rank For
SEO without keyword research is like trying to drive somewhere without knowing the address. You need to know specifically what terms your potential customers are searching for, how many people search for them, and how hard they are to rank for.
For small businesses, focus on:
Service + location keywords
These are your commercial bread and butter. “[Your service] in [your town] — “accountant in Haywards Heath”, “web designer in Worthing”, “electrician in Horsham. These are the keywords that generate direct enquiries from people ready to buy.
Long-tail keywords with lower competition
Broad head terms (“web designer”, “accountant”) are dominated by large agencies and directories. Long-tail keywords — more specific, lower-competition phrases — are where small businesses can realistically rank. Freelance web designer for small businesses Sussex” is harder for an agency to beat than “web designer.
Informational keywords that build authority
Blog posts targeting “how to” and “what is” questions bring in traffic from people earlier in the buying journey. These readers won’t all become clients, but some will, and the traffic signals to Google that your site is a relevant authority in your field.
Use Google’s autocomplete (start typing a query and see what it suggests), the “People Also Ask” box, and tools like Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account) to research keywords before you start creating or optimising pages.
Step 3: Optimise Your On-Page SEO
On-page SEO means optimising the content and HTML of each individual page so that Google understands what it’s about and ranks it for the right searches.
Title tags
The most important on-page element for rankings. Every page needs a unique title tag that includes your primary keyword. Keep it under 60 characters. Put the keyword towards the front. Include your brand name at the end.
Example: “Chartered Accountant in Crawley | Business Tax & Bookkeeping | Spencer Finance
In WordPress, use Yoast SEO or Rank Math to edit title tags — you don’t need to touch code.
Meta descriptions
Meta descriptions don’t directly affect rankings, but they’re displayed in search results and affect whether people click your link. Write a compelling, accurate description of each page in under 155 characters. Include your primary keyword naturally and a clear value proposition or call to action.
H1, H2, and H3 headings
Every page should have one H1 heading that includes your primary keyword. It should clearly describe what the page is about. Use H2s for main sections and H3s for subsections. Don’t use headings just for styling — they’re semantic markers that tell Google about your page structure.
Keyword placement in body content
Include your primary keyword in the first 100 words of your page content. Use it naturally throughout — don’t stuff it in artificially. Include related terms and synonyms (Google understands language — it knows “accountant” and “accounting services” are related). Aim for content that covers the topic thoroughly, not just content that mentions a keyword a certain number of times.
Image alt text
Every image on your site should have descriptive alt text. This serves two purposes: it helps visually impaired users (who use screen readers) understand your images, and it tells Google what the image is showing (Google still can’t perfectly “see” images, though it’s getting better). Include relevant keywords in alt text where it makes natural sense — not keyword stuffing, just accurate description.
URL structure
Clean, keyword-containing URLs help both users and search engines. Use hyphens between words. Include your target keyword. Keep URLs short and descriptive. Avoid dates in URLs for evergreen content (they make pages look stale). /services/electrician-website-design is better than /page?id=42.
Step 4: Create Content That Actually Ranks
Content is where most small business websites fall short. Either they have almost no content (a homepage, a contact page, and maybe an about page), or they have content that talks about what they do in vague, marketing-speak terms that no customer ever searches for.
Match search intent
Every piece of content should start with a specific search query you want to appear for, and then deliver exactly what someone searching that query is looking for. If someone searches “how much does a website cost”, they want a clear answer with real numbers — not a page that says “prices vary depending on your requirements, contact us for a quote”. Give them the answer.
Cover the topic thoroughly
Google doesn’t reward short, thin content (generally) for competitive keywords. Compare your page to the pages currently ranking in the top 3 for your target keyword. Are they 300 words or 2,000 words? Do they cover subtopics you haven’t addressed? Your content needs to be at least as comprehensive as what’s currently ranking — ideally more useful.
Service pages for every service
If you offer multiple services, each deserves its own dedicated page — not a single “services” page with a paragraph for each. A dedicated law firm website design page can rank for “law firm website design” in a way that a single combined services page never could.
Location pages for every area you serve
Same principle applies geographically. If you serve Worthing, Horsham, and Crawley, you need dedicated pages for each. See the section in my local SEO checklist on location pages for details on how to create these properly.
Blog content for long-tail and informational keywords
Blog posts capture informational searches — the “how to”, “what is”, “best X in Y” queries that bring in traffic from people who aren’t immediately ready to buy but who are your target audience. Done well, informational blog content also earns backlinks naturally (people link to useful guides), which feeds back into your ranking authority.
Step 5: Internal Linking
Internal linking — linking from one page on your site to another — is one of the most underused and highest-impact SEO tactics for small businesses. It does three things:
- Distributes authority — links carry “link juice” (PageRank). If your homepage has strong authority from backlinks, internal links spread that authority to your service and location pages
- Helps Google discover and understand your pages — Google follows internal links to crawl your site. Pages with no internal links pointing to them (orphaned pages) may not get crawled regularly
- Improves user navigation — relevant internal links keep visitors on your site longer, increasing the chances they convert
Every blog post should link to relevant service and location pages. Every service page should link to related services. Location pages should link to both the main service pages and to related location pages. If you’re on WordPress, Link Whisper is a plugin that automates internal link suggestions and helps you find pages that have no internal links pointing to them (orphaned pages).
Step 6: Build Quality Backlinks
Backlinks — links from other websites to yours — remain one of Google’s strongest ranking signals. More relevant, authoritative backlinks generally equals better rankings. The challenge is that you can’t buy good backlinks (paid link schemes are a Google penalty risk), and you can’t manufacture them — you have to earn them.
What actually works for small businesses
- Client footer links — if you build websites or provide a service that results in a deliverable, ask for a link credit. My websites include a “Built by Podium Design” link in the footer. I’m working on making those links point to relevant deep pages rather than just the homepage.
- Business directories and citations — covered in the local SEO checklist. Not the strongest links individually, but collectively they establish your local presence.
- Guest posts and industry contributions — writing for relevant industry websites builds authority and earns links. For web designers, SEO blogs; for accountants, business advice sites; for tradespeople, home improvement publications.
- Local press mentions — a link from your local newspaper’s site is excellent for local SEO. Write a press release for a business milestone, local initiative, or genuinely newsworthy story.
- Partnerships and suppliers — ask complementary businesses you work with regularly whether they’d add you to their referrals or partners page. These are among the easiest high-quality links to get.
- Creating linkable assets — a genuinely useful resource (an industry salary guide, a local cost comparison, a free tool or calculator) earns links naturally because other websites reference it. This is harder to execute but has long-term compounding value.
What to avoid
Paid link networks, link exchanges (“I’ll link to you if you link to me” at scale), low-quality directory spam, and irrelevant links from foreign websites. These can trigger a Google manual penalty or algorithmic demotion that’s difficult to recover from. If you have existing toxic backlinks (spammy sites pointing to you), use Google’s Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore them.
Step 7: Optimise Your Google Business Profile
If you serve local customers, your Google Business Profile is as important as your website for SEO. It’s what determines whether you appear in the local pack — the map results that appear above organic listings for local searches — and it generates direct phone calls and direction requests from Google Maps.
Full GBP optimisation is covered in my local SEO checklist, but the short version: fill in every field completely, keep your NAP (name, address, phone) consistent everywhere, build reviews steadily, add photos regularly, post weekly updates, and respond to all reviews.
Step 8: Track, Measure, and Act on Data
SEO without measurement is guesswork. You need to know what’s working so you can do more of it, and what’s not working so you can stop wasting time on it.
Google Search Console (free)
Check this monthly. Look at:
- Performance report — which queries are getting impressions and clicks. Sort by impressions — any keyword where you’re getting lots of impressions but few clicks means you’re visible but not compelling. The fix is usually improving your title tag and meta description.
- Queries you’re ranking 5-15 for — these are your quick wins. A bit of page improvement can push them into the top 3, where clicks multiply.
- Coverage report — any indexing errors. Excluded pages you expected to be indexed need investigating.
- Core Web Vitals report — any pages Google has flagged as having poor performance.
Google Analytics 4 (free)
Track which pages are getting organic traffic, how long people stay, and whether they convert (fill out your contact form, click your phone number, etc.). If a page gets lots of organic traffic but few conversions, the SEO is working but the page needs conversion optimisation.
Step 9: Common SEO Mistakes I See on Client Sites
After auditing dozens of small business websites, the same issues come up repeatedly:
- Duplicate title tags — every page has the same title (“Home | Company Name” across the entire site)
- Thin content pages — individual service or location pages with fewer than 300 words, giving Google nothing to rank
- Images not optimised — 3MB JPEG hero images making every page slow
- “Discourage search engines” left on — accidentally blocking the entire site (I’ve seen this more times than you’d think)
- No internal linking strategy — new blog posts published and forgotten, with no links from other pages pointing to them
- Targeting the wrong keywords — pages targeting vague, high-competition head terms that will never rank for a small business, instead of specific, achievable long-tail and local keywords
- No Google Business Profile — or a claimed but barely-filled-in one
- NAP inconsistencies — different phone numbers, different business name spellings across directories
- Ignoring Search Console — there are problems clearly visible in the data that have been there for months or years
- Chasing algorithm tricks — spending money on “SEO services” that are actually link spam or keyword stuffing, which work until they really don’t
Step 10: DIY SEO vs Hiring a Freelancer
There’s no shame in DIY SEO, especially when you’re starting out. The steps above are genuinely achievable without professional help, and some of the biggest gains — fixing a “discourage search engines” setting, getting your GBP claimed and filled in, fixing title tags — can be done in an afternoon.
But there are real limitations to going it alone:
- Competitive industries or locations require consistent, strategic effort over months. It’s hard to maintain that momentum while also running a business.
- Technical SEO — site speed, schema markup, crawlability issues — requires either technical knowledge or willingness to learn things you may never use again
- Backlink building is time-consuming and relationship-driven. A specialist with existing industry connections can move faster
- Keyword research and content strategy benefit from experience — knowing which battles are actually worth fighting
The honest comparison: your time has a value. If you could earn £100/hour consulting in your own field, spending 10 hours a month on DIY SEO that a specialist could do in 4 hours for £300 is a net loss. It depends entirely on your situation — how competitive your market is, how much time you have, and how quickly you need results.
I offer SEO services for businesses across Sussex, Surrey, and the UK. If you’d like an honest assessment of your site and what’s actually worth improving, get in touch — I’ll look at your situation and give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
A Final Word on Patience
SEO is not fast. This is the most important thing to understand about it. A new or revamped SEO strategy typically takes 3-6 months to start showing meaningful results, and 6-12 months to reach its potential. The work you do today is building a foundation that pays off a year from now.
This doesn’t mean you should wait a year before starting. The best time to start was six months ago. The second best time is now.
More guides to help you:
