How to do SEO: the steps to show up on Google
SEO is the work that gets your site to appear on Google for the searches your customers make. Here is where to start, in order.
What is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimisation) is the work that gets a site to appear in search results without paying for ads. It has three parts: Google being able to read the site, pages answering the searches people really make, and other sites mentioning you.
The order matters. Adding content to a site Google cannot read gets you nowhere. That is why the work starts on the technical side and continues with content.
Step one: can Google see your site?
Type site:yourdomain.com into Google. The results are the pages Google has indexed. If nothing comes up, or important pages are missing, the problem is access and not content.
A free Google Search Console account is the main tool here. Submit your sitemap there and look at why any pages are left out of the index. Then move on to speed and how the site looks on a phone, because Google judges the site by its mobile version. We cover that in how to make a site mobile friendly.
Which searches should you target?
A popular keyword does not always bring customers. Someone looking for information types different words from someone ready to buy. Phrases like "price", "near me" and "which company" are close to a purchase, and pages for those come first.
Each important search should have one page. The page title should contain the search itself, and the first paragraph should answer the question directly. Splitting one topic across several pages makes those pages compete with each other.
Local searches and the map
If you serve a city, some searches are answered with map results. For that you open a Google Business Profile and verify it. The name, address, phone and opening hours should match what your site says.
Customer reviews affect the map ranking. Make a habit of asking for a review when a job is finished, and reply to the reviews you get.
Measure and wait
Search Console shows which searches you appear for, at what position, and how many people click. Put your target searches in a table and note your position next to each one every month. If the table shows no progress, the plan should change.
Technical fixes show their effect sooner, while climbing in competitive searches takes months. Ads are the way to cover that gap. Appearing in the answers of AI assistants rests on the same foundation. We cover it in how to do GEO. We do this work in our search visibility service.