In this guide you will learn tips, tools and techniques that maybe you have never heard of before.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the key to helping your website show up when people search online. Google constantly updates its rules to make sure people find the most helpful and relevant websites. This guide breaks down those rules into simple steps that anyone can follow.

Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to refine your strategy, this guide provides easy-to-understand advice so you can improve your site’s performance and ranking.

SEO doesn’t just help with visibility; it also makes your site better for visitors. Following these steps can help you attract more traffic, keep visitors engaged, and ensure that your site meets the latest standards. By learning the basics and applying them correctly, you’ll set your website up for success now and in the future. Let’s dive in!

Essential SEO Tools You Need

Using the right tools or plugins depending on how your website has been developed makes SEO much easier and helps you track your progress. Here’s a list of essential tools to include in your SEO toolkit:

  • SEMrush or SE Ranking: For keyword research, competitor analysis, and tracking your rankings.
  • Google PageSpeed Insights: To check your site’s loading speed and identify areas to improve.
  • Ahrefs or Moz: For finding backlinks, tracking keyword rankings, and analysing your domain authority.
  • Screaming Frog – SEO Spider: To find technical issues like broken links, duplicate content, or missing metadata.
  • Google Analytics: To monitor your site’s traffic, user behaviour, and performance.
  • Google Search Console: To track your indexing status, keyword performance, and resolve crawl issues.
  • TinyPNG: For compressing images to improve site speed.
  • AnswerThePublic: To find popular questions related to your keywords.
  • BrowserStack: To test how your site performs on different devices and browsers.
  • PitchBox: Great for building quality backlinks, guest posting and connecting with influencers

These tools will help you cover all aspects of SEO, from content and keywords to technical issues and user engagement. Begin by either installing the relevant tools into your website or open an account before getting started, this will save you time going forward.

Step 1: Learn About Google’s Core Web Vitals

What Are Core Web Vitals? Google cares about how easy your website is to use. Head over to Google’s Page Speed Insights  here you will be able to check all of the vital points below on your website to determine what will need correcting. They check three things:

  1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How fast your website loads its main content. A slow site can make people leave quickly.
  2. First Input Delay (FID): How fast your site reacts when someone clicks or taps something.
  3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Keeping your website steady while it loads so parts don’t move around.

What You Can Do:

  • Speed Up Your Site: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to find problems.
    • Upgrade your hosting if your server is slow.
    • Use caching so your site loads faster for returning visitors.
  • Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly: Test how your site looks on phones and tablets with tools like BrowserStack.
  • Fix Images: Make your pictures smaller using tools like TinyPNG.
  • Simplify Links: Cut down on redirects that send visitors through extra pages.
  • Lazy Loading: Load images and videos only when people scroll to them.

Step 2: Use E.A.T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Why It’s Important: Google wants websites to be written by expert humans not AI robots, especially on serious topics like health or money. They look for sites that people trust the more trust that you build with Google the more likely they are to rank your website.

What You Can Do:

  • Show Expertise: Add detailed author bios for your writers, highlighting their credentials, certifications, or relevant experience. Link to their LinkedIn profiles or professional portfolios to validate their authority. If possible, include references to any awards, publications, or industry recognition.
  • Build Trust:
    • Use HTTPS: Secure your site with an SSL certificate. Not only does this protect user data, but it also improves trustworthiness and rankings.
    • Share Policies: Include clear and easy-to-find privacy policies, refund policies (if applicable), and terms of service.
    • Respond to Reviews: Actively manage and respond to reviews on platforms like Google Business Profile, Trustpilot, or Yelp. Address negative reviews professionally and thank users for positive feedback.
  • Back Up Your Info: Support your content with evidence by linking to reliable sources like peer-reviewed studies, government sites, or trusted industry leaders. This not only builds credibility but also aligns your site with authoritative entities.
  • Get Backlinks:
    • Guest Posting: Write valuable, original articles for other trusted websites in your niche. Include a contextual backlink to your site in the content or author bio.
    • Broken Link Building: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to find broken links on relevant websites. Reach out to the site owners and suggest your content as a replacement.
    • Resource Page Outreach: Search for “[your niche] resources” or “[your topic] useful links” pages. Pitch your content as a useful addition to these lists.
    • Create Linkable Content: Develop high-value content such as infographics, how-to guides, case studies, or original research that other sites will want to link to. Share this content via email outreach or social media to attract attention.
    • Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with industry influencers or bloggers who can link to your site from their own blogs, increasing your exposure and credibility.

Step 3: Find the Right Keywords

Why It’s Important: Keywords are the words people type into Google. Using the right ones helps people find your site.

What You Can Do:

  1. Use Tools: Try SEMrush or Google’s Keyword Planner to find popular words people search for.
  2. Think About Intent:
  • Informational: People looking for tips (e.g., “How to bake bread”).
  • Navigational: People looking for a specific site (e.g., “Amazon login”).
  • Transactional: People ready to buy (e.g., “Buy running shoes”).
  1. Focus on Long Phrases: Use detailed phrases like “affordable SEO for small businesses.”
  2. Check Competitors: See what keywords other websites use.
  3. Group Keywords: Write about related topics together on one page to make your site more organised.

If you are an AI nerd you can use the likes of ChatGPT to run  keyword research, here is a command to get you going that will

Your task is to research the for high volume search terms that have low and high keyword difficulty. Once you have found those keywords you must the research the clients competitors to find and exploit keywords that they are ranking for, here are their main competitors:

This is the clients website –

The keywords that you’re going to list must be based around their core services that include:

When you are listing the keywords you need to split them into short & long tail terms with around “list number of keywords” keywords each. List the keywords in a grid format with keyword difficulty and search volume

*make sure to include a list of your services or products that you’d like to focus on then ‘list the number of keywords’ that you’d like ChatGPT to find for you.

Step 4: Improve Your Pages

What to Fix and How to Do It:

  1. Titles:
    • What to Do: Keep them short (under 60 characters) and include the main keyword to help search engines understand the page content.
    • How to Do It: Use tools like Yoast SEO or Rank Math if your website is built using WordPress, to preview your title length. Make it compelling by adding action words (e.g., “Learn,” “Discover,” “Guide to”). For example, “Guide to Easy SEO Tips.”
  2. Meta Descriptions:
    • What to Do: Write a concise summary of your page (under 160 characters) that includes the primary keyword.
    • How to Do It: Use your meta description to explain the page’s value, like “Learn the top SEO tips to rank your site faster.” Ensure it’s unique and encourages clicks by highlighting a benefit or solution.
  3. Headings:
    • What to Do: Use clear, descriptive headings (H1-H6) to structure your content. Include keywords naturally in some headings.
    • How to Do It: Start with one H1 per page (e.g., the main title), then use H2s for major sections and H3s for sub-sections. Tools like Grammarly can help ensure headings are clear and concise.
  4. Links:
    • What to Do: Add links to other relevant pages on your site (internal links) and make the anchor text clear. Use external links to high-quality, trusted sites where appropriate.
    • How to Do It: For internal links, use descriptive text (e.g., “Learn more about SEO tools” instead of “Click here”). Audit your links using Screaming Frog to find and fix broken links.
  5. Images:
    • What to Do: Add short descriptions (alt text) to every image, including relevant keywords, to improve accessibility and help search engines understand the image.
    • How to Do It: Write alt text that describes the image’s purpose (e.g., “Screenshot of SEO analysis tool interface”). Use an image optimisation tool like TinyPNG to compress images without losing quality.
  6. URLs:
    • What to Do: Keep URLs simple, readable, and keyword-rich to improve search engine ranking and user experience.
    • How to Do It: Avoid unnecessary numbers or symbols. Use words separated by hyphens (e.g., “example.com/seo-tips”). Use your CMS (e.g., WordPress) to edit URLs during content creation or updates.

Step 5: Write Great Content For Your Niche

Why It Matters: Good content keeps people on your site longer, answers their questions, and builds trust with your audience. High-quality content is also more likely to rank higher in search results.

What You Can Do:

  1. Write In-Depth Articles:
    • How to Do It: Choose a topic relevant to your audience and explore it thoroughly. Aim for at least 1,000 words, but focus on quality over quantity. Use keyword research tools like SEMrush or SE Ranking to identify related keywords and phrases to include naturally in your content. Use the SEMrush Writing Assistant to ensure your text is optimised for readability, SEO, and keyword usage.
  2. Make It Easy to Read:
    • How to Do It: Structure your content with clear headings and subheadings (H1, H2, H3). Use short paragraphs, typically 2-3 sentences long. Break up text with bullet points or numbered lists to make it more scannable. Tools like Grammarly can help refine sentence structure and grammar for clarity.
  3. Use Media:
    • How to Do It: Add engaging visuals like pictures, videos, infographics, and charts. Use tools like Canva to create custom graphics or Screencastify for quick video tutorials. Always optimise media files to reduce load times using tools like TinyPNG for image compression.
  4. Keep It Fresh:
    • How to Do It: Regularly review older content to ensure it remains accurate and up-to-date. Update statistics, add recent examples, and refresh visuals. Use Google Analytics to identify high-performing pages that might benefit from updates or additional content.
  5. Answer Questions:
    • How to Do It: Use tools like AnswerThePublic or Google’s “People Also Ask” feature to discover common questions in your niche. Create a dedicated FAQ section or address these questions directly in your content. You can also use schema markup to make your FAQs eligible for rich results in search engines.

Step 6: Fix Technical Problems

Why It Matters: Google can’t show your site to users if it has technical issues.

What You Can Do:

  1. Create a Sitemap: Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console so they can index your pages.
  2. Check Robots.txt: Make sure you’re not blocking important pages by accident.
  3. Use Canonical Tags: Avoid duplicate pages by telling Google which version is the main one.
  4. Make It Mobile-Friendly: Test how easy it is to use your site on a phone.
  5. Fix Broken Links: Use tools like Screaming Frog to find and fix pages that don’t work.
  6. Add Schema Markup: Use structured data to make your site show up as rich results (like star ratings or event times).

Step 7: Be Found Locally

Why It Matters: If you run a local business, showing up in local searches helps bring in customers.

What You Can Do:

  1. Update Your Google Profile:
  • Make sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are correct.
  • Add photos and your business hours.
  1. Use Local Directories: List your business on Yelp, Trustpilot, or similar sites.
  2. Use Local Keywords: Add phrases like “plumber in Manchester” to your pages.
  3. Get Reviews: Ask happy customers to leave Google reviews.
  4. Create Location Pages: Write pages for each city or area you serve.

Step 8: Build Backlinks

Why It Matters: Links from other sites show Google that your site is trustworthy. High-quality backlinks can boost your search rankings, drive more organic traffic, and establish your site as an authority in your niche.

What You Can Do:

  1. Guest Blogging:
    • How to Do It: Research authoritative blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to find sites with strong domain authority and good traffic. Pitch unique, high-quality topics that align with their audience, and include a natural, contextual link back to your site.
    • Example: If your site focuses on fitness, write a post about “Top 5 Exercises for Busy Professionals” and link to a detailed workout guide on your site.
  2. Replace Broken Links:
    • How to Do It: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to identify broken links on high-authority sites. Reach out to the webmaster, inform them about the broken link, and suggest your content as a replacement.
    • Pro Tip: Offer value in your email pitch by highlighting why your content is a better fit.
  3. Resource Page Outreach:
    • How to Do It: Search for resource pages in your industry by using queries like “[topic] resources” or “useful links for [topic].” Contact the site owner and suggest adding your high-quality resource to their list.
    • Example: If you run a website about eco-friendly products, propose adding your guide on sustainable living to their resource page.
  4. Create Linkable Content:
    • How to Do It: Develop unique, valuable assets like infographics, research studies, or how-to guides that naturally attract backlinks. Use tools like Canva for visuals or Google Sheets for data presentation.
    • Pro Tip: Promote your content via email outreach and social media to reach relevant audiences.
  5. Use PitchBox to Simplify Outreach:
    • What It Is: PitchBox is an outreach tool designed to streamline and scale your backlink-building efforts.
    • How to Use It:
      • Find Prospects: Use PitchBox to identify bloggers, influencers, and webmasters in your niche.
      • Automate Outreach: Craft personalised email templates and set up automated campaigns to contact multiple prospects efficiently.
      • Track Responses: Monitor replies and follow-ups directly in the PitchBox dashboard to stay organised.
      • Pro Tip: Always personalise your emails by mentioning the recipient’s name, site, or specific content to increase your response rate.
  6. Collaborate with Influencers:
    • How to Do It: Partner with industry influencers or bloggers who can mention or link to your content. Offer them something valuable, such as free access to your product, affiliate commissions, or exclusive data.
  7. Monitor Your Backlinks:
    • How to Do It: Use Ahrefs or Google Search Console to track your backlink profile. Regularly check for toxic links and disavow them to maintain a healthy link profile.

By combining manual outreach with tools like PitchBox, you can build high-quality backlinks more effectively and scale your efforts while maintaining a personal touch.

Step 9: Keep People Engaged

Why It Matters: Google notices if people stay on your site or leave quickly. Keeping them engaged helps your ranking.

What You Can Do:

  1. Add Fun Features: Use polls, quizzes, or videos to keep people interested.
  2. Use Clear CTAs: Add buttons or links to guide visitors on what to do next (like “Contact Us” or “Buy Now”).
  3. Make It Easy to Navigate: Organise menus and categories clearly so users can find what they need fast.

Ready to Get Started?

SEO takes time, but these steps can make a big difference. Keep learning, applying these tips, and adjusting your strategy to stay ahead of Google’s updates. With consistency and effort, your website can attract more visitors, rank higher, and provide a better experience for your audience!