You have a website. That's great. But here's the thing: if nobody can find it on Google, does it really matter?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Fancy term, simple concept. It's just the stuff you do to help Google find your site, understand what it's about, and show it to people who are searching for what you offer.

No magic. No secrets. Just some basics that actually work.

Let's break it down

Keywords: Where It All Starts

Think about how you use Google. You type in a question or a few words and hit enter. Those words are keywords.

Your job is to figure out what words your potential customers are typing in. What problems are they trying to solve? What questions are they asking? What services are they looking for?

Once you know that, you can create content around those terms.

Here's the thing though: don't overthink it. Talk like a human. Use the same words your customers would use. If you're a plumber and people search "why is my faucet dripping," then write about that. Simple.

A few tips for finding good keywords:

• Think about your services and what problems they solve
• Ask your current customers what they searched for before finding you
• Use free tools like Google's autocomplete (just start typing and see what pops up)
• Check out what questions people ask in online forums or social media

You don't need to stuff keywords into every sentence. That's old-school and Google actually penalizes that now. Just write naturally and make sure your main topic is clear.

Content: Give People What They Want

Google's whole purpose is to give searchers the best answer to their question. So if you want to rank, you need to actually answer questions and provide value.

This means creating content that:

• Covers topics your audience cares about
• Answers their questions thoroughly
• Is easy to read and understand
• Stays updated and accurate

Blog posts are great for this. So are FAQ pages, how-to guides, and service descriptions that actually explain what you do.

Quality beats quantity every time. One really helpful article will outperform ten mediocre ones. Take your time and do it right.

And here's a tip: write for humans first, search engines second. If your content is genuinely useful to people, Google will notice.

On-Page Optimization: The Little Things That Matter

On-page SEO is about making sure each page on your site is set up correctly. It's the behind-the-scenes stuff that helps Google understand what your page is about.

Here are the basics:

Title tags – This is the headline that shows up in search results. Every page needs a unique, descriptive title. Keep it under 60 characters so it doesn't get cut off.

Meta descriptions – That little summary under the title in search results. It should be a brief, compelling description of what's on the page. Around 155 characters is the sweet spot.

Header tags – These are your H1, H2, H3 tags. They structure your content and help both readers and search engines understand the hierarchy of information. Your main title should be H1, subheadings H2, and so on.

Image alt text – Every image should have a description. This helps with accessibility and tells Google what the image is about.

URLs – Keep them clean and descriptive. "yoursite.com/seo-basics" is way better than "yoursite.com/page123?id=456"

None of this is complicated. It just takes a little attention to detail. And once you get in the habit, it becomes second nature.

Technical SEO: Don't Panic

Technical SEO sounds intimidating but most of it comes down to making sure your site works properly.

Here's what matters:

Your site needs to load fast. If it takes forever to load, people leave. And Google notices.

Your site needs to work on phones. More than half of all web traffic is mobile now. If your site looks terrible on a phone, you're losing visitors and rankings.

Google needs to be able to crawl your site. This means your pages need to be accessible and linked together in a logical way. A sitemap helps with this: it's basically a roadmap of your site that you can submit to Google.

Your site should be secure. That means HTTPS, not HTTP. Most hosting providers make this easy to set up.

If your web design is solid and your site is built properly from the start, most of these technical issues take care of themselves.

Links: The Internet's Voting System

Links are a big deal in SEO. There are two types you need to know about.

Internal links are links from one page on your site to another page on your site. They help visitors navigate and help Google understand how your content is connected. Use them throughout your content where it makes sense.

Backlinks are links from other websites to your site. Think of them like votes of confidence. When a reputable site links to you, Google sees that as a signal that your content is trustworthy and valuable.

You can't control who links to you, but you can create content worth linking to. Helpful guides, original research, useful tools: these are the kinds of things people naturally want to share and reference.

Don't buy links or participate in shady link schemes. Google is smart and will penalize you for it.

Site Structure: Keep It Simple

How your site is organized matters. You want a clear, logical structure that makes sense to both visitors and search engines.

A few guidelines:

• Keep your navigation simple and intuitive
• Group related content together
• Make sure every important page is reachable within a few clicks from your homepage
• Avoid burying content deep in complicated menus

Think of your site like a filing cabinet. Everything should have a logical place, and anyone should be able to find what they're looking for without too much effort.

Putting It All Together

SEO isn't a one-time thing. It's ongoing. You need to:

• Regularly create useful content
• Keep your site updated and running smoothly
• Monitor what's working and what isn't
• Adjust your approach based on results

It takes time to see results. We're talking months, not days. But the payoff is worth it: steady, organic traffic from people actively searching for what you offer.

Need Some Help?

Look, SEO can feel overwhelming when you're trying to run a business at the same time. That's where we come in.

At WorldWise, we offer search engine optimization services that take the guesswork out of getting found online. We'll handle the keyword research, content strategy, technical optimization, and everything in between.

Want to see how it all fits together with a solid website? Check out our web design services or take a look at our portfolio to see what we've done for other businesses.

Ready to get started? Reach out to us and let's talk about getting your business found on Google