SEO is how you get found without selling your soul to the algorithm

SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, if you want to impress your LinkedIn connections, is basically the sad, eternal struggle to make sure your website doesn’t die alone on page 47 of a Google search. It’s about getting more people, and ideally, the right people, to stumble across your site without paying for ads.

So, What’s SEO, exactly?

SEO is like putting a giant flashing arrow over your website that says: “Hey, I’m kind of relevant!” to search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo! Yes, somehow Yahoo is still a thing – albeit it’s holding on for dear life by its pinkie. It’s the art, science and soul-crushing process of trying to rank higher in organic (read: free) search results.

Your goal:

• Get more visitors to your website.
• Get better visitors to your website.
• Pretend you’re not slowly losing your will to live whilst doing it.

How search engines work aka why it feels like witchcraft

Here’s the gist: search engines send their little robot minions out to crawl the internet. They sniff around, gathering info to toss into their giant, incomprehensible databases. All to decide who gets to sit at the cool kids’ table based on the mysterious, ever-changing algorithms.

Translation:

• Search engines are moody.
• The rules change constantly.
• You’re not imagining it. It is exhausting.

Your Web Presence

Spoiler | A website alone means NOTHING.

Bad News | Just because you built a website doesn’t mean anyone will find it.

Worse News | There are literally over a billion websites out there.

Actual Nightmare | Your competition is doing SEO too. Probably badly (we hope). But still.

And the cherry on top?

🍒 A website is NEVER “done”.

It’s a needy, constantly evolving entity. Neglect it and it will absolutely ghost you when you need it most.

Good News (kind of) | You can absolutely improve your odds without sacrificing your last shred of sanity. A few basics go a long way.

First things first: Analyse your site like it’s a crime scene

Before you start blaming the algorithm, check your own site for:

• Broken Links | Both within your site and outgoing ones
• Site Speed | If it loads like it’s powered by a hamster wheel, you’re doomed
• Mobile Layout | It should work well on a phone, that’s a given. It’s 2025, not 2005.

Fix your broken stuff. Make it easy for both humans and robots to find things. It’s not glamorous, but neither is being invisible.

Content SEO, because (unfortunately) words still matter

If you take away one thing, make it this:

Content is THE boss.

Three things control whether your content stands a fighting chance:

• Site Structure | Can a sleep-deprived squirrel find their way around your site? No? Fix it.
• Keywords | Use words people actually search for, not just what sounds fancy.
• Copywriting | If your site’s content is as bland as a beige buffet, Google won’t like it. Neither will people.

Pro Tip | If your site builder has an SEO plugin, use it. Those little traffic-light buttons are your new best frenemies.

Keyword Research aka why your Google searches now feel personal

Good SEO isn’t about guessing. It’s about stalking what your audience is already searching for.

Ways to do this without spontaneously combusting:

• Use keyword tools – they exist so you don’t have to suffer alone.
• Type stuff into Google and creep on the auto-suggestions. Shockingly effective. Free. Also, slightly unsettling. (You’ve been warned.)

If you’re not using actual search terms your people use, you’re basically handing out flyers in a ghost town.

SEO is an insufferable journey. Not a destination.

Once you’ve patched up your SEO basics, you can dive into the heavy stuff:

• Link-building
• Local SEO
• Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) – yes, it’s as boring as it sounds.

But honestly? Our advice:

Start small. Stay alive.

Nail the basics first. That alone will make your site 1000x less invisible, and complement anything else you’re doing like ads, carrier pigeons or interpretative dance.

The real question to ask is: how deep into SEO hellscape do you want to go? Figure that out and act accordingly.