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SEO basics
Learn the essentials of search engine optimisation so our website is easier to find, easier to understand and more useful to the right people.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. It’s the process of helping search engines understand your website and helping the right people find your pages when they search online.
Good SEO isn’t about tricking search engines. It’s about making pages clearer, more useful and easier to find.
Why it matters
Visibility
Helps the right people find your business when they are searching for what you offer.
Relevance
Helps search engines match the right page to the right search, so you reach a more relevant audience.
Trust
Clear, useful pages create confidence in your business and can lead to more visitors, enquiries and sales.
Start with the basics
Know what people are searching for
Think about search intent and use the real phrases your audience types into search engines.
Write clear page titles
Use clear, descriptive titles that tell people and search engines what the page is about.
Use headings properly
Structure your content with clear headings (H1, H2, H3) to make it easy to read and understand.
Create useful content
Answer real questions, provide helpful information and focus on what your audience needs.
What good SEO includes
Keywords and search intent
Use relevant keywords naturally and match the intent behind the search.
Page titles and meta descriptions
Write clear, compelling titles and descriptions.
Clear headings and structure
Use headings to organise your content logically.
Internal links
Link to other relevant pages on your website.
Image alt text
Add descriptive alt text so search engines can understand your images.
Quick on-page checklist
Is the page title clear?
Does the page answer a real question?
Are headings easy to scan?
Are images named and tagged properly?
Are there internal links to related pages?
Does the page load well on mobile?
Helpful tips
Write for people first
Create content that is genuinely helpful and easy to understand.
Keep URLs simple
Use short, readable URLs that include relevant words where possible.
Avoid keyword stuffing
Use keywords naturally and focus on quality, not quantity.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Vague headings – make your headings clear and descriptive.
- Duplicate content – avoid copying content from other pages or websites.
- Missing alt text – add alt text to your images.
- Ignoring page speed – a slow website can hurt your search rankings.
Further reading
These are reliable external resources if you want to explore the subjects in more detail.
Google SEO Starter Guide
A beginner-friendly guide to how Google Search works and the practical SEO basics that can help search engines understand your website.
Google Search Console
A free Google tool for checking how your website appears in search, which queries bring visitors in, whether pages are indexed and whether Google has found any issues.
PageSpeed Insights
Tests the performance of a web page on mobile and desktop and highlights areas that may be slowing it down.
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