Search engine optimization has a reputation for being mysterious and expensive. Consultants charge thousands of dollars a month, and it's hard to know what's actually moving the needle. But beneath all the complexity, there's a set of fundamentals that every website needs — and most small business sites are missing at least a few of them.
This is the checklist we run through on every project.
Technical Foundations
Page speed. We covered this in a previous post, but it bears repeating: Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking signal. If your site is slow, everything else you do for SEO is working against a headwind.
Mobile responsiveness. Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. If your site doesn't work well on phones, you'll rank worse for everyone — including desktop users.
HTTPS. Every site should be on HTTPS. This has been table stakes for years, but we still see HTTP sites in the wild. There's no excuse.
Crawlability. Make sure Google can actually find and index your pages. That means a proper sitemap.xml, a sensible robots.txt, and no accidentally blocking search engines with noindex tags.
Canonical URLs. If your content is accessible at multiple URLs (with/without trailing slash, www/non-www), canonicalize them so Google knows which version to index.
On-Page Basics
Title tags. Every page should have a unique, descriptive <title> tag. Keep it under 60 characters. Include your primary keyword and your brand name.
Meta descriptions. These don't directly affect rankings, but they appear in search results and affect click-through rates. Write compelling descriptions under 160 characters for every page.
Heading structure. Use one <h1> per page (your main topic), followed by <h2> subheadings and <h3> sections. This helps both search engines and screen readers understand your content structure.
Image alt text. Every meaningful image should have descriptive alt text. This helps with accessibility and gives Google more context about your content.
Internal linking. Link between related pages on your site. This helps Google understand your site structure and distributes ranking authority from strong pages to weaker ones.
Content Fundamentals
Target real keywords. Write content that matches how people actually search. Tools like Google Search Console (free) and Ahrefs or SEMrush (paid) can show you what queries bring people to your site and what your competitors rank for.
Answer the question. For any keyword you're targeting, look at the top-ranking results and understand what format and depth of content Google is rewarding. Match that intent.
Don't neglect local SEO. If you serve a specific geographic area, claim your Google Business Profile and make sure your NAP (name, address, phone number) is consistent across the web.
What We Do on Every Project
Every site we build ships with:
- Proper Next.js metadata configuration (title, description, Open Graph)
- A generated
sitemap.xmlthat updates automatically - Semantic HTML structure
- Optimized images with alt text
- Schema markup where appropriate (local business, FAQ, article)
These aren't add-ons — they're part of our standard build. If you want a site that's positioned to rank from day one, get in touch.