Your First 3 Steps in SEO

Let me start with a truth bomb: most businesses approach SEO like they’re trying to solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. They jump straight into keyword stuffing, buying dodgy backlinks, or obsessing over meta descriptions without understanding the foundation. Here’s the thing—SEO isn’t rocket science, but it does require a methodical approach.

You know what? After working with hundreds of websites over the years, I’ve noticed that the most successful SEO campaigns all share one common trait: they started with proper groundwork. Think of it like building a house—you wouldn’t start with the roof, would you?

This article will walk you through the three fundamental steps that’ll set your SEO strategy on solid ground. We’re talking about foundation assessment, keyword research strategy, and setting up your technical infrastructure. No fluff, no outdated tactics from 2019—just practical steps you can implement today.

SEO Foundation Assessment

Before you even think about ranking for “best pizza in Manchester” or whatever your dream keyword is, you need to understand where you currently stand. I’ll tell you a secret: most website owners have absolutely no clue about their site’s actual performance. They think they know, but they don’t.

My experience with foundation assessments has taught me that 80% of SEO problems stem from issues you can spot in the first 10 minutes of analysis. But here’s the kicker—these aren’t complex technical problems. They’re usually basic oversights that are surprisingly easy to fix.

Current Website Audit

Right, let’s get our hands dirty. Your current website audit isn’t about finding every tiny issue—it’s about identifying the big rocks that are blocking your path to better rankings.

Start with the basics: Can Google actually crawl your site? You’d be amazed how many businesses have accidentally blocked search engines with their robots.txt file. I once worked with a client who’d been wondering why they weren’t ranking for six months, only to discover their developer had left a “noindex” tag on the entire site after a redesign.

Check your site’s loading speed using Google PageSpeed Insights. If your pages take longer than 3 seconds to load, you’re already losing visitors before they even see your content. According to GitLab’s documentation, even small improvements in loading times can significantly impact user engagement.

Next, examine your site structure. Can visitors (and search engines) easily navigate from your homepage to your most important pages in three clicks or fewer? If not, you’ve got a problem. Your site architecture should flow like a well-organised filing cabinet, not a jumbled drawer of random papers.

Don’t forget to check for duplicate content issues. Many websites accidentally create multiple versions of the same page (with and without “www”, HTTP vs HTTPS, trailing slashes, etc.). These duplicates confuse search engines and dilute your ranking potential.

Competitor Analysis Framework

Now, let’s talk about spying on your competition—legally, of course. Competitor analysis isn’t about copying what others do; it’s about understanding the playing field and finding opportunities they’ve missed.

Start by identifying your actual SEO competitors. These might not be your direct business competitors. For instance, if you run a local bakery, your SEO competitors might include recipe blogs, food delivery services, and even grocery stores—anyone competing for the same search terms.

Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyse their top-performing pages. What keywords are they ranking for that you’re not? What content gaps can you spot? I’ve found that the most successful SEO strategies often involve targeting the keywords your competitors have overlooked.

Research from the U.S. Small Business Administration emphasises the importance of gathering demographic information and understanding market limitations when conducting competitive analysis.

Look at their backlink profiles too. Where are they getting their links from? Are there directories, industry publications, or local business listings where you should also have a presence? Speaking of directories, quality business directories like Jasmine Directory can provide valuable backlinks and help establish your online presence.

Pay attention to their content strategy. How often do they publish? What topics do they cover? What’s their tone and style? This isn’t about copying—it’s about understanding what works in your niche and how you can do it better.

Technical Infrastructure Review

Right, here’s where things get a bit more technical, but don’t worry—I’ll keep it digestible. Your technical infrastructure is like the plumbing in your house. When it works, nobody notices. When it doesn’t, everything goes to hell.

First up: mobile responsiveness. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly in 2025, you’re basically invisible to Google. More than 60% of searches now happen on mobile devices, and Google’s mobile-first indexing means they primarily use the mobile version of your site for ranking.

Check your site’s mobile performance using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. But don’t just rely on automated tools—actually test your site on different devices. I can’t tell you how many “mobile-friendly” sites I’ve seen that are technically responsive but practically unusable on a phone.

Next, audit your site’s security. HTTPS isn’t optional anymore—it’s a ranking factor. If you’re still running HTTP in 2025, you’re not just hurting your SEO; you’re telling visitors that their security isn’t important to you.

Don’t overlook your hosting quality either. Cheap hosting might save you a few quid monthly, but if your site goes down regularly or loads slowly, you’ll lose far more in potential business. Invest in reliable hosting—your future self will thank you.

Lastly, implement proper analytics and tracking. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Set up Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console. These tools will become your best friends in monitoring your SEO progress.

Keyword Research Strategy

Alright, let’s study into the meat and potatoes of SEO—keyword research. But here’s where most people get it wrong: they think keyword research is just about finding high-volume terms and stuffing them into their content. That’s like trying to catch fish with a megaphone—lots of noise, no results.

Effective keyword research is more like being a detective. You’re looking for clues about what your potential customers actually search for, how they phrase their queries, and what intent lies behind those searches.

I’ve seen businesses spend months optimising for keywords that sound impressive but bring zero qualified traffic. Don’t be that business. Let’s approach this systematically.

Primary Keyword Selection

Your primary keywords are your bread and butter—the terms that define what your business is in essence about. But selecting them requires more strategy than just picking the most obvious terms.

Start with your business goals, not keyword tools. What actions do you want visitors to take? Are you trying to drive local foot traffic, generate leads, or sell products online? Your primary keywords should align with these objectives.

For local businesses, this often means focusing on geo-targeted terms. Instead of competing for “plumber” (good luck with that), target “emergency plumber Birmingham” or “24-hour plumber near me”. These longer phrases might have lower search volumes, but they’re gold mines for conversion.

E-commerce sites should focus on commercial intent keywords—terms that indicate someone’s ready to buy. Best running shoes for marathon” shows much higher purchase intent than “running shoes history.

Consider your resources too. If you’re a small business going up against major corporations, targeting ultra-competitive keywords is like bringing a water pistol to a gunfight. Focus on terms where you can realistically compete.

Use the “restaurant test” I’ve developed: if you overheard someone asking for your primary keyword at a restaurant, would it make sense for them to end up at your business? If not, reconsider your selection.

Search Volume Analysis

Now, let’s talk numbers—but not in the way you might expect. Search volume data is useful, but it’s not the holy grail many make it out to be.

Google Keyword Planner gives you search volume ranges, but these are often broader than helpful. A keyword showing “1K-10K” monthly searches could be 1,000 or 9,999—that’s a massive difference for planning purposes.

Here’s what I’ve learned: focus on trends rather than absolute numbers. Is search volume for your target keywords increasing, stable, or declining? Seasonal patterns matter too. “Christmas decorations” peaks in November and December but flatlines in July.

Use multiple data sources. Tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and SEMrush often show different volume estimates for the same keyword. The exact number matters less than understanding the relative popularity and trends.

Don’t ignore zero-volume keywords either. Keyword tools can’t capture every search query, especially newer terms or very specific long-tail phrases. If a keyword perfectly describes what you offer, it’s worth targeting even without volume data.

Consider voice search impact too. People search differently when speaking versus typing. “Best Italian restaurant London” might become “Where’s the best Italian food near me?” when spoken. Both versions matter for your strategy.

Keyword Difficulty Evaluation

Keyword difficulty scores are helpful, but they’re not gospel truth. These scores typically range from 0-100, with higher numbers indicating more competition. But here’s the thing—they don’t tell the whole story.

A keyword might have a high difficulty score because of strong domain authority competitors, but if their content is rubbish or outdated, you might still have a chance. Conversely, a “low difficulty” keyword might be dominated by perfectly optimised pages that’ll be tough to outrank.

Look beyond the scores. Manually search for your target keywords and examine the top 10 results. Are they all major brands with massive budgets? Are the pages well-optimised and comprehensive? This manual review often reveals opportunities that automated scores miss.

Check the search results for diversity too. If the first page shows a mix of different page types (product pages, blog posts, videos, local listings), there’s room for different approaches. If it’s all e-commerce product pages, you’ll need a product page to compete.

Pay attention to SERP features too. If Google shows featured snippets, local packs, or shopping results for your keyword, traditional organic rankings become less valuable. You might need to optimise for these specific features instead.

Consider your timeline as well. High-difficulty keywords might take 12-18 months to rank for, while easier terms could show results in 2-3 months. Balance your strategy between quick wins and long-term targets.

Long-tail Opportunity Mapping

Long-tail keywords are the unsung heroes of SEO. While everyone fights over “insurance“, you could be quietly dominating “car insurance for young drivers with accidents” and similar specific phrases.

These longer, more specific phrases typically have three advantages: lower competition, higher conversion rates, and clearer search intent. Someone searching for “red leather handbags under £100” knows exactly what they want and is likely ready to buy.

Use the “question method” to find long-tail opportunities. What questions do customers ask you? What problems do they need solved? Tools like Answer The Public can help, but your customer service team is often a goldmine of real search queries.

Don’t forget about “near me” searches. Even if you’re not a local business, location-based long-tail keywords can be valuable. “Web designer near me” or “accountant Manchester” capture high-intent local traffic.

Map your long-tail keywords to specific pages or content pieces. Each page should target one primary keyword and several related long-tail variations. This approach helps you capture more diverse search traffic without keyword cannibalisation.

Monitor long-tail performance closely. These keywords often show different patterns than head terms—they might have lower but more consistent traffic, and their performance can be more sensitive to content quality and user experience factors.

Future Directions

So, what’s next? You’ve audited your foundation, researched your keywords, and hopefully identified some quick wins. But SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it game—it’s an ongoing process that requires consistent attention and adaptation.

Your immediate priorities should focus on fixing any technical issues you’ve discovered, creating content around your primary keywords, and building a sustainable SEO workflow. Don’t try to tackle everything at once—that’s a recipe for overwhelm and abandoned projects.

Start with the technical fixes. These often provide the biggest impact with the least ongoing effort. Fix your site speed, ensure mobile responsiveness, and get that SSL certificate sorted. These changes benefit every page on your site immediately.

Content creation should follow your keyword research, but remember—write for humans first, search engines second. Google’s algorithms are sophisticated enough to understand natural language and user intent. Keyword stuffing will hurt more than help.

Build relationships within your industry. Guest posting, local partnerships, and community involvement often provide better long-term SEO benefits than any technical trick. Plus, these relationships can drive direct business beyond just search traffic.

Keep learning and adapting. SEO changes constantly, and what works today might not work next year. Follow reputable SEO news sources, test new strategies on a small scale, and always measure your results.

Most importantly, be patient. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. The businesses that succeed in search are those that consistently apply effective methods over months and years, not those looking for overnight miracles.

Remember, these three steps—foundation assessment, keyword research, and technical setup—form the bedrock of successful SEO. Master these fundamentals, and you’ll be well-positioned to compete in search results, regardless of what algorithm changes Google throws your way.

Now stop reading and start implementing. Your future search rankings depend on the actions you take today.