“Can I do SEO myself” is a question lots of small businesses and start-ups ask since they have to be very careful with how they spend their (usually) limited budget.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, can feel like a monster in the digital marketing world. It’s a vast topic, and just like any other big marketing beast, it has its tame and wild sides.
The good news?
You can tackle some SEO aspects yourself! But there are also areas that require either serious training or a helping hand from a pro.
Here are some of the key SEO activities that go into getting your business on the first page of Google Search results.
Google My Business – optimise and update your profile regularly
Google My Business is a brilliant free tool that allows you to control what information is presented to users about your business in Google Search and Maps results. You can update basic information like your contact information, opening hours, and business description as well as more detailed areas like products and business categories.
Many business owners go through the process of setting it up but fail to optimise it properly. While a primary ranking factor for GMB listings is location, a well optimised profile will often rank higher than a poorly optimised one in the same area. The Google My Business platform is very simple to use so it’s something you can optimise yourself – but make sure to read up on the best way to optimise a Google My Business listing before getting started to make sure you don’t miss anything!
Example:
Susie, cupcake queen at ‘Susie’s Scrumptious Cupcakes’ wants to attract more customers to her store. She wants her GMB profile to be one of the top searches when people are looking for cupcakes in her area. Susie optimises her GMB by:
- Crafting a mouth watering description with keywords like “cupcakes” and “custom cakes.”
- Uploading drool-worthy photos of her creations.
- Responding to reviews to build trust and engagement.
- Using GMB Posts to announce new flavours and promotions.
- Susie’s GMB listing becomes a sweet magnet for cupcake lovers.
Keyword research – what search terms are popular in your niche?
‘Keyword Research’ can sound scary to some people because, as the name suggests, it’s quite research intensive.
This process helps you to identify what searches (aka keywords) people are making that are relevant to your business so that you can target the most appropriate ones with your SEO activity. This involves analysing all of the potential keywords for search volumes, competitiveness and SERP features to prioritise the best target keywords for your business in a documented keyword strategy.
The keywords identified during the research will then be used to inform key rankings factors like your website copy, title tags, meta descriptions, blog content and anchor links.
Example:
Sam owns an e-commerce website selling socks, but he wants to know – what are people searching for online?
Keyword research tools like SEMrush become his secret weapon. He uncovers gems like “bamboo socks” and “socks for runners” have high search volumes.
But hold on! Super popular keywords might be hard to compete with. Sam filters for high-performing keywords with low competition/difficulty. He starts to use these search terms in his website copy, letting the Google algorithm know what he’s about.
Can’t compete with industry titans yet? Niche down!
Sam discovers a passionate following for ‘compression socks for travel’ and tailors his content accordingly.
Keyword research lets Sam speak directly to his ideal sock-loving customers who are looking for what he sells. Sam’s aware that he might not appear on the first SERP for the word ‘socks’, but he’s in the top 3 on the first SERP for ‘compression socks’
Blogs – reach your audience
“Write a blog” is one of our top recommendations to budget-strapped SMEs they help you show up in search results, provide you with extra content to share on social media, attract links from other websites and influencers, show your audience your expertise and establish you as a thought leader in the industry.
While not an SEO-specific activity in itself, blog creation is undeniably a key part of any well-designed SEO strategy since it’s give you more opportunities to rank in Google Search results.
Depending on your confidence and capabilities when it comes to writing, you might be able to do this yourself to some degree – just make sure you learn how to write SEO-friendly blog posts or you’ll just end up wasting your time.
If you don’t have the skills or time to write a blog (or you’ve tried and are not seeing results), you should consider working with an SEO expert or SEO-trained copywriter.
Example:
Laura, the marketing manager at ‘Tech Tamers’ wants to dominate IT support searches.
Laura uses keyword research to uncover what businesses are searching for (think “IT support agency” or “how to choose an IT company”).
She writes problem-solving blog posts targeting those keywords, showcasing her expertise and building trust.
As businesses find Laura’s informative blogs, ‘Tech Tamers’ rockets to the top of search results.
More website visitors translates to more clients for Laura’s IT support services. Problem solved – both for businesses and Laura’s thriving company.
Link building – build the algorithm’s trust
When ranking your website in Search results, Google evaluates how reliable and trustworthy you seem. One of the ways it does this is by looking at how many links go to your website from other websites – think of a link to your site as a recommendation for your business (although be careful as not all links are created equal!)
Link building is simply the process of getting more links to your website from other websites.
Link building and blogs go hand-in-hand as they’re the most likely type of content another website will link to. In theory, great blog content will get linked to anyway so link building activities aren’t necessary. But in reality, with so much content available online competing for those same links, your blogs will often need a little help to generate those first few links.
A link building campaign involves reaching out to other websites and asking for a link to your content. We recommend always using a professional for this as link building is a very involved activity that includes vast amounts of research and analysis as well expert outreach and relationship-building.
Example:
Ashley, the rising fashionista at ‘Style Tea with Ash’ needs more brand sponsorships and traffic to her site. Link building becomes her secret weapon.
She focuses on high-quality content like trend forecasts, then uses link building to get established fashion websites to link back to her blog.
Think of it as online recommendations – the more high-traffic sites linking to Ashley, the more legit she appears.
Ashley identifies relevant fashion websites and reaches out, suggesting collaborations like guest posts or creating fashion guides for their site (with a link back to hers, of course!).
As websites link back to Ashley, her traffic explodes. This surge in popularity attracts potential sponsors who see her blog as a perfect platform to reach their target audience.
Ashley’s link-building efforts pay off. Her blog becomes a fashion authority, attracting sponsorships and a loyal following.
Website copy – the meat of your site
Website copy is where Google will get the majority of its information about your business to determine where you should rank so it’s crucial that you get it right.
Focus on understanding your ideal customer – their needs, desires, and the language they use. Speak directly to them, highlighting the benefits your product or service offers. Clear, concise language is key.
Avoid jargon and technical terms, opting for short, impactful sentences that deliver your message quickly. Don’t forget strong calls to action! Tell visitors what you want them to do next, whether it’s contacting you, subscribing, or making a purchase.
Finally, proofread meticulously to ensure professionalism – typos and grammatical errors are a turn-off.
Technical SEO – learn SEO online
Straight away, we’ll say that unless you’re very comfortable with HTML and have some SEO knowledge, you shouldn’t attempt technical SEO yourself.
Technical SEO covers everything from a broken link to slow page speed and can involve A LOT of work within your website’s code.
Google is looking for well-functioning websites that are easy for it’s spiders to crawl and provide a good user experience which is why technical SEO is so important. Optimising the technical elements of your website ensures that it runs efficiently, is logical to use, and that users never reach a point where something is broken or cannot be reached (meaning they have to go back a step in their journey rather than forwards).
Optimising the technical elements of your website ensures that it runs efficiently, is logical to use, and that users never reach a point where something is broken or cannot be reached (meaning they have to go back a step in their journey rather than forwards).
With a solid IT background and a thirst for knowledge, you can tackle technical SEO yourself. YouTube offers a wealth of tutorials on topics like website structure, robots.txt, and core web vitals.
Many SEO experts also host free online seminars, providing valuable insights and practical strategies. While there’s always a benefit to professional guidance, these resources can equip you with the knowledge to take control of your website’s technical SEO foundation.
Performance measurement and analysis – regularly optimising your site
SEO is not a one-time activity. You need to constantly monitor, measure and analyse performance so that you can replicate what is working and change what is not. SEO performance measurement and analysis is the cornerstone of SEO activity.
There are a variety of ways to measure SEO performance, the method you choose should be informed by your marketing goals.
Example:
Coffee Cabana, a local coffee chain, keeps their SEO brewing with constant monitoring. Here’s how:
- Traffic & keyword tracking: They track website traffic (especially organic) and keyword rankings to see if their SEO efforts are attracting searchers.
- Content optimisation: Underperforming pages get a refresh with better content, relevant keywords, and optimised meta descriptions.
- Backlink monitoring: They keep an eye on backlinks (links from other sites) through tools like Ahrefs, seeking opportunities for high-quality backlinks.
- Mobile & speed first: Coffee Cabana ensures a flawless mobile experience and fast loading speeds using Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
- Competitor analysis: They learn from the competition by studying their SEO strategies and identifying areas for improvement.
- Regular reporting & adjustments: Data analysis helps them identify trends and adjust their SEO strategy to stay ahead of the curve.
By constantly measuring and analysing, Coffee Cabana stays on top of their SEO game, ensuring their website remains a top destination for coffee-craving searchers. Contact a digital marketing SEO agency for help if needed
With proper training, you could likely carry out some SEO performance analysis yourself however an SEO professional will be more likely to uncover issues and find appropriate solutions with detailed analysis.
Even if you don’t work with an SEO professional full time, we recommend using them at least once a quarter to analyse your performance and make suggestions for improvement.
It is possible to do some basic SEO without a professional, providing you put the proper time and effort into research and activity. However, an SEO professional like those at Logic Digital can help you complete more advanced SEO activities and achieve results more efficiently.
Check out our SEO Archives for more resources.
Think you need some help with SEO? Book a call with our team for a friendly chat!
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