Search engine optimisation is often surrounded by myths. For most business websites, good results come from a solid technical foundation and genuinely useful content, not from tricks.
Make the site crawlable
Search engines discover pages by following links. Use normal HTML links for navigation, keep important pages within a few clicks of the home page and publish an XML sitemap. Check that pages you want found are not blocked by robots rules or noindex tags.
One page, one URL
Each piece of content should be available at a single address. Redirect duplicate versions, such as http and www variants, to the preferred one and use canonical tags where duplicates cannot be avoided.
Titles and descriptions
- Give every page a unique, descriptive title that reflects its content.
- Place your brand name consistently at the start or end of titles.
- Write a short, accurate meta description that summarises the page; search engines may use it as the snippet.
Headings and content
Use headings to organise information so both people and search engines can follow it. Write for your audience first: answer their questions clearly, use the terms they search for naturally and keep information accurate and current. Search engines state that keyword stuffing is against their guidelines.
Images
Use real image elements with descriptive alternative text, sensible file names and responsive sizes. Place images near the text they relate to.
Structured data
Structured data in JSON-LD format can describe your organisation, breadcrumbs, articles and frequently asked questions. It helps search engines understand the page, although it does not guarantee any special display in results.
Speed and mobile experience
Pages should load quickly and work well on mobile devices. A fast, stable page is a better experience and supports visibility.
Local and brand signals
Keep your organisation’s name, contact details and location consistent across your website and your business profiles. Consistency helps search engines connect information about you.
Measure and maintain
Register the site with search engine tools such as Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to monitor indexing, errors and the queries people use to find you. Fix problems as they appear and update content that has become outdated.
SEO is a long-term practice. A technically sound, clearly written website gives search engines every reason to show it to the people looking for what you offer.
