I work with loads of small and micro businesses, and as soon as I mention SEO, the very next thing I hear is often… “What is SEO?”
It’s a great question, and one that sounds much scarier than it is.
So, what is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. In simple terms, it’s how well your website is set up to help search engines like Google understand what you do and show you to the right people.
When someone ‘googles’ something, Google decides which websites are the most relevant and useful for that search. The better optimised your website is, the better your chance of landing higher up the results.
Well that’s not too hard, what do I need to do to get on the first page of Google?
Hold up buddy, not so quick!! Let me give you a little more information about how it all works first.
How Google finds your website
Google finds websites using little bots called crawlers. These crawl the web like spiders, following all the little links and trails from one page to the next.
As they crawl through your pages, they read your words, look at how your content is formatted, and then add your website to Google’s index. Think of the index as a giant library catalogue that Google searches through every time someone types in a question.
This is why links matter so much. They’re the threads of the web the crawlers follow, so you want:
- Internal links between the pages on your own website (other than your main menu). They help Google understand how your pages connect, and they help your visitors find where to go next.
- External links to helpful, trusted websites, like the source of a statistic or a useful resource. These show you’re backing up what you say.
- Backlinks, which are links from other websites to yours. Each good backlink is like a vote of confidence that tells Google your website is worth visiting.
How Google decides who ranks
Over the years, plenty of ‘SEO experts’ worked out ways to trick Google into ranking their websites higher. One of the classics was stuffing pages with keywords, sometimes even making them the same colour as the background so visitors couldn’t see them but the bots could.
These days, tricks like that will get your website penalised!
Google has become very good at recognising websites that are genuinely helpful. It looks at hundreds of different signals, but they mostly come back to one thing: does this website give people a great experience and answer their question?
So, the best way to improve your SEO is to improve the experience for the people visiting your website.
Simple ways to improve your SEO
Here are some places to start. None of them need a big budget, just a bit of time and care.
- Make your layout easy to follow. Visitors should be able to tell what you do and where to click within a few seconds. If people land on your website and leave straight away, Google takes that as a sign your page didn’t help.
- Write for people, not robots. Use the words your customers would actually search for, but use them naturally. If a sentence sounds odd when you read it out loud, it’s probably stuffed with too many keywords.
- Make it easy to read. Short paragraphs, clear headings and plain language make your content easier to scan. This is especially important on a phone screen.
- Check it on your phone. Google now looks at the mobile version of your website first when deciding how to rank it. If it’s hard to read or use on a phone, your rankings can suffer.
- Speed it up. Nobody likes waiting for a website to load. Large images are one of the most common culprits, so resize them before you upload them.
- Keep your content fresh. Update your pages and add new content regularly. There’s nothing worse than finding information in Google that’s no longer relevant!
- Show there’s a real person behind the business. Google likes to see experience and trust. A proper About page, your own photos, real examples of your work and customer reviews all help.
Don’t forget local SEO
If you’re a local business, this one’s a biggie. When someone searches for “web designer near me” or “plumber in Wanneroo”, Google shows a map with local businesses before the main results.
To show up there, you’ll need a Google Business Profile. It’s free, and it’s often one of the quickest SEO wins for small businesses. Fill it out completely, add photos, keep your hours up to date, and ask happy customers to leave you a review.
SEO in the age of AI search
Here’s something that’s really changed since I first wrote this post. More and more people are getting their answers from AI, whether that’s Google’s AI Overviews at the top of the search results, or tools like ChatGPT.
The good news? The same foundations still apply. AI tools pull their answers from websites that are clear, helpful and trustworthy. So, if your website explains what you do in plain language, answers the questions your customers ask, and shows real expertise, you’re giving yourself the best chance of showing up there too.
A great place to start is adding a short FAQ section to your key pages, answering the questions you get asked all the time.
Frequently asked questions
How long does SEO take to work?
SEO is a long game. It usually takes a few months to start seeing results, and it keeps building over time as you add and improve your content.
Can I do my own SEO?
Yes. Many of the basics, like writing helpful content, setting up your Google Business Profile and checking your website on mobile, are things you can do yourself.
Do I need to pay for SEO?
Not to get started. Paying for SEO help can speed things up and save you time, but the foundations can be done on a small budget.
Is SEO still worth it with AI search?
Absolutely. AI tools rely on well organised, helpful websites for their answers, so good SEO helps you show up in both.
Start with your visitors
If you remember just one thing, make it this: start your SEO with the intention of improving the experience for your visitors, and better search rankings will follow.
So, which of these tips are you already doing, and which one are you going to tackle this week?
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