What is covered by “Basic SEO”?
Basic SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of making a website easy for search engines like Google to understand and rank, while also making it useful for visitors. It covers the essential foundations every website should have before investing in more advanced SEO.
For a typical small business website, Basic SEO includes:
Page Titles
Unique, keyword-focused title tags for every page.
Meta Descriptions
Compelling descriptions to improve click-through rates.
Headings
Correct use of H1, H2 and H3 headings.
Keywords
Optimising pages around relevant search terms without keyword stuffing.
Image Optimisation
Alt text, compressed images and descriptive filenames.
Internal Links
Linking related pages together to help users and Google.
URLs
Alt text, compressed images and descriptive filenames.
Internal Links
Short, descriptive URLs (e.g. /web-design-surrey).
Mobile Friendly
Responsive design that works on phones and tablets.
Site Speed
Fast loading pages and optimised images.
SSL Certificate
Secure HTTPS website.
Robots.txt
Proper configuration for search engines.
Google Search Console
Connected and monitored.
Google Analytics
Visitor tracking installed.
Basic Schema
Organisation, Local Business or Website structured data.
404 Page
Custom error page to improve user experience.
What Basic SEO does not normally include
These are usually part of an ongoing SEO campaign:
- Regular keyword research
- Writing new SEO content
- Blog articles
- Link building
- Local citation building
- Competitor analysis
- Monthly reporting
- Technical audits
- Speed optimisation beyond basic setup
- Monitoring rankings
- Ongoing improvements