​Every online business needs some form of optimisation, but it doesn't have to be expensive. If you haven't got the budget but do have some spare time to learn, our guide on doing SEO for free in 2024 is just for you; We’ll show you how to use the latest strategies and free tools to optimise your website without spending a penny.

Whether you're a seasoned website builder or a beginner, this guide offers practical, actionable advice on keyword research, on-page optimisation, image optimisation, and how to check your rankings. We've split things down into 5 sections including keyword research, technical, on page, off page and analytics to help you optimise and rank your website for each section without breaking the bank. 

Having a well-optimised Google Business Profile is crucial for any SEO strategy. With proper optimisation, your local Google Business listing can immediately generate calls and website clicks by showing your business details at the top of the page for relevant search queries. But how do you optimise a profile so it starts to show in the local map pack? Were giving you 10 tips on how to optimise your profile!

We tested 105 websites to determine if Googles PageSpeedInsights scores are crucial for ranking in the most competitive industries in the UK. In today's digital landscape, having a well structured website that loads fast with no technical issues and great PageSpeedInsight scores can significantly impact its success, especially in fiercely competitive industries .....or does it?!

​To understand the real importance of these scores, we conducted an in-depth SEO study focusing on the UK's most competitive sectors.

​By analysing 105 websites, we aimed to uncover if websites with great scores have higher search engine rankings or if the emphasis on these metrics is merely overhyped, and more time should be spent on other ranking factors. Let's jump right in! 

​A backlink is simply a hyperlink (highlighted or bolded text) from another website that sends users back to yours,  think of these as recommendations from other websites telling people to trust and visit your website, Google likes these! Below is one of our other blogs posts that links out to Google for more information on using Google search Console.

For any local business a properly optimised Google Business Profile will be essential and the cheapest investment you can make because it's totally free, it can and will make your business money in the long run. Watch the video below for a full tutorial on how to set up a Google Business Profile with helpful tips.

Blogging is still a  powerful tool for your website, giving your audience lots of informational content helps prove you are an expert in your industry, this can aid people with a purchase decision and can boost your rankings

Heres 4 reasons why blogging is good for SEO:

The way your website looks will appear slightly different between a desktop PC and a mobile, it is now vital to prioritise how your website looks on a mobile device. Google has switched to a mobile-first indexing system which means it primarily looks at the mobile version of your website. Why has Google done this? User behaviour has changed quickly over recent years with the majority of all web searches (around 68%) coming from mobile devices, this has forced many web designers to change the way they build websites and SEO must prioritise mobile users.

Backlinks are an essential part of any SEO strategy, but be cautious some are good and some are toxic. Here are 5 types of bad backlinks you should avoid!

If you have just launched a new website the simplest reason why it might not be showing in Google is because it takes time for Google to discover and index brand new sites. To see if Google has indexed your website connect the website to Google Search Console or search: site:yourwebsite.co.uk to see a list of indexed pages.

​If you don't see any results it means Google hasn't indexed the website yet.

Looking for a new website? Head over to our friends at Smart Web Design Plymouth to see what they can do for you!