Your website isn’t getting traffic. You’ve had it for two years, you’ve added pages, you’ve even tried a few things you read about online. Nothing’s changed.

The problem isn’t that SEO is hard. It’s that most advice you’ll find online is aimed at people who need to rank for competitive terms, scale to thousands of visitors, or compete with brands with bigger budgets. That’s not you. You need visibility where it actually matters – the searches your real customers are doing.

Here’s what I’ve learned from running my own businesses and working with small business owners: SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. It does have to be deliberate. These seven things will move the needle.

1. Know what your customers actually search for

Before you optimise anything, spend time in Google Search. Type in what you think people search for when they need what you offer. Look at the actual results. Look at the suggestions Google shows you. Look at the “people also ask” section.

Write these searches down. You’re looking for patterns. If you run a dog walking service in Manchester, people might search “dog walker near me” or “affordable dog walking Manchester” or “who can walk my dog during work.” These are different problems. Each one needs a different answer.

Most small businesses guess at this part. Don’t.

2. Create content that answers specific searches

Once you know what people are searching for, answer those specific questions. Not generally. Specifically.

If someone searches “how to prepare a room for a professional photographer,” they need step-by-step practical advice. If someone searches “photographer for small product photography,” they’re looking to find a photographer who does that specific thing.

Write the page as if you’re having a conversation with that person. Tell them what to do. Answer their actual question. Don’t make it about selling them yet.

3. Put the answer in your page title and first paragraph

Google needs to understand what your page is about quickly. Your page title and the first paragraph should tell Google (and the person reading) exactly what the page is for.

If you’re answering “how to prepare a room for product photography,” your title might be “How to Prepare Your Room for Product Photography: 5 Steps That Actually Work.” Your first paragraph explains the problem the reader has and hints at the solution.

This seems obvious. It’s not. Most small business websites bury their answer under flowery language or brand story that nobody asked for.

4. Use the same words your customers use

If your customers search for “affordable graphic designer” but your website talks about “accessible design services,” Google doesn’t make that connection as well as you’d think.

This doesn’t mean stuffing keywords everywhere like it’s 2005. It means if you know people search for something, use that phrase naturally in your content. Use it in headings. Use it in the first paragraph.

If you offer a service, use the actual name people search for. If they say “dog boarding,” don’t call it “canine accommodation.” They won’t find you.

5. Make sure Google can actually read your website

This is technical, but bear with me. Google needs to be able to crawl your site and understand the structure. This usually means:

Your website loads fast. Bloated plugins and massive images slow sites down. Faster sites rank better.

Your site works on mobile phones. Most of your traffic comes from mobile. If your site is slow or broken on mobile, you’re invisible.

Your links work. Broken links confuse Google and frustrate visitors. Check them regularly.

You don’t need fancy technical SEO. You need functional, fast, mobile-friendly.

6. Get other websites to link to you

When another website links to yours, Google sees that as a vote of confidence. But not all links are equal.

A link from a relevant website (another local business, an industry publication, a community site) matters more than a random link from nowhere.

Start local. Get listed in local directories. Ask local partners if they’ll link to you. If you write guest posts for other websites or publications, include a link back. If you sponsor something in your community, ask for a link.

Quality over quantity. Five links from relevant local sources beats fifty random links.

7. Keep your best content up to date

One post isn’t enough. One page isn’t enough.

The websites that rank well have multiple pieces of content that answer related questions. If you write about “how to prepare your room for photography,” you might also write about “what to avoid in product photography” or “photographer tips for small product businesses.”

These pages link to each other. Together, they tell Google you’re actually knowledgeable about this thing.

Revisit your best content every few months. Update it. Add new information. Fix broken links. Google favours fresh, maintained content.

What matters most with SEO in 2026

These seven things aren’t tricks. There are no hacks here. They’re the fundamentals that actually work for small businesses competing locally or in specific niches.

You don’t need to do all of them perfectly. You need to do them consistently. Pick the two that are easiest to start with and actually finish them before moving to the next thing.

Most small businesses fail at SEO because they start something and stop before it has time to work. Consistency beats perfection every single time.

Your visibility online is built gradually. But it’s built. Search visibility for the right terms (the ones your actual customers use) is achievable even with a small budget and a tight schedule.

You can join my free skool community if you want to learn more tips on how to get your SEO working for you.

If you want to talk through what this looks like for your specific business, I offer discovery calls. But honestly, start with number one. Write down the actual searches. Everything else makes sense once you know what your customers are looking for.