SEO articles

Start SEO with one page, not your entire website

Choose a page that matters to your customers, then make one useful change you can finish.

Choose a page with a clear job

A search for SEO advice quickly turns into a list of keywords, links, loading times and unfamiliar technical terms. It is easy to spend your available time reading instead of making a change. Start with one page that someone needs before they can buy from you or get in touch. A main service page or a product description is usually a more manageable starting point than the whole website.

Read that page as a new visitor. Can you tell what is offered, who it is for and what to do next? Think of a question customers actually ask you. If the answer is missing, adding a clear paragraph may be your first task. Google’s guidance puts useful, readable content at the center of SEO. You do not need to turn an ordinary explanation into a string of keywords.

Read more: Google Search Central · SEO Starter Guide

Make the title and first screen agree

Imagine a fictional business called Maple Grove Tutoring. Its reading program page has “Programs” in the browser tab and “Time to grow” as the first heading. A parent still has to work out whether the program is right for their child. A title such as “Reading tutoring for grades 3–5” makes the purpose clearer. The first screen can then explain the small-group sessions. Use details the business actually offers, rather than adding locations or services just to catch more searches.

Next, try reaching the page from your homepage. Does the link take you where you expect? A label such as “Reading tutoring for grades 3–5” gives parents more context than an unexplained “Learn more.” You can improve this one route without redesigning the entire menu. Keep your attention on helping someone find and understand the page you chose.

Read more: Google Search Central · SEO Starter Guide

Keep a small record of the change

Save the old wording, make your change and open the published page on your phone. Check the heading, line breaks and contact button. Record the date, page URL and what you changed. That short note is enough to help you remember what happened when you come back to review it.

If Search Console is connected, you can later review that page’s queries, impressions and clicks. Compare periods of the same length and consider other changes, such as a seasonal promotion. A single day is a poor basis for deciding whether something worked. Search results can take time to reflect edits. For this week, aim to finish one page that is easier for a customer to understand.

Read more: Google Search Console · Performance report

Keep reading

01

“Render-blocking resources”: what should you actually do?

Find out which files delay the first screen, what they do and how to check a change.

02

What to put in your page title and description

Understand the two fields, write something useful and check that your changes were published.

Put it to work on your website

See what to change on each page and how to apply it.

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