SEO basics for small businesses – one of those things you’re “supposed” to care about, but rarely get a clear explanation of what actually matters (or what SEO is actually being implemented).

Most advice focuses on tactics and tools.

These tactics and tools certainly have their place, but what can you do first and foremost to set yourself up for SEO success?

Get the basics down-pat.

Why SEO feels harder than it needs to be

SEO often feels complicated because it’s talked about in isolation, separate from the actual business.

It gets reduced to rankings, keywords, and algorithms, when in practice it starts with how clearly a website is structured and how useful it is to real people.

That gap between theory and reality is where most confusion comes from.

What most SEO advice gets wrong

A lot of SEO advice focuses on things really only matter once everything else is already working.

People get lost in the technical side of SEO, before making sure that the easier, foundational, logical SEO components are set in place first.

Some common mistakes:

  • Chasing specific keywords without clear content (or, without clear keyword strategy… or both!)
  • Publishing content for volume rather than usefulness
  • Over-optimising pages before structure is sound
  • Treating SEO as a separate task from the website itself

When these elements aren’t considered upfront, the site itself is unclear or hard to use – SEO will become harder and probably fall short.

What’s actually worth caring about

  • PLANNING! Think: clear page structure and headings
  • Simple navigation that makes sense to users
  • Pages that explain what the business does, plainly
  • Content that answers real questions customers have
  • A site that works properly on mobile

These are not “advanced” SEO tactics. They’re the foundations that everything else builds on.

Technical SEO: do it once, then move on

Technical SEO matters, but it doesn’t need ongoing obsession.

What do we mean?

Things like page speed, indexing, and basic metadata should be set up properly, checked occasionally, and then largely left alone.

So, what are the bare minimum to start with?

  • The site can be indexed
  • Pages load reasonably quickly
  • Titles and descriptions are sensible

Once those are in place, the biggest gains usually come from clarity and consistency, not tiny technical tweaks.

Where to start without overcomplicating it

If SEO feels overwhelming, it’s usually a sign that too much is being considered at once.

Instead, ask:

  • Does the site clearly explain what the business does?
  • Can someone find key information quickly?

  • Does each main page have a clear purpose?

SEO works best when it supports clarity, not when it tries to compensate for its absence by tweaking alt text and keyword density.

If you’re unsure where SEO fits into your website or business more broadly, getting the basics right first usually saves a lot of time and frustration.

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