As you likely know, I have a new obsession with SEO (search engine optimization). Recently, I worked with Tanja Aelbrecht, SEO specialist at Chunky Squirrel and her tips and web visibility strategies were incredible. When we work every day in our industry it can be challenging to remember how a new customer finds us. Tanja took me through that journey from a search perspective.
The more I learn about SEO, the more I see how closely it connects with PR. Great PR helps get your story out into the world through media coverage, partnerships, and visibility, while strong SEO helps people actually find you online. Together, they work hand-in-hand to build credibility, increase discoverability, and keep your brand showing up where it matters.
Below, Tanya shares some SEO basics every small business should be using to make sure their great work doesn’t get lost online.
Because SEO is often “shrouded in mystery”, there is unfortunately a lot of room for misinformation, overpromising and expensive “shortcuts” that don’t lead to sustainable results.
At Chunky Squirrel, we work with small business owners that want their website to attract more of the right kind of website visitors. And while I’d love to share a magical solution with you, there are no secrets or quick hacks. But when you put in the work, you will get the results!
Understanding the fundamentals will help you make informed decisions when working on your own SEO or when working with a third party. You might even feel confident enough to ignore those pesky unsolicited SEO emails!
So let’s break down some timeless basics. Yes, even in this fast changing digital environment, and with AI, certain basics remain true!
Before sharing practical tips, it helps to understand what search engines are trying to do.
How do Search Engines Work
First, they discover pages. They use programs called crawlers (also named spiders) that scan the internet and find new pages.
Second, they store and organize all the information from these crawlers. The pages are added to a massive index. (Think of it as a massive library with all the website pages.)
Third, they rank results. When someone enters a search term into Google, Google sorts through its index and decides which pages are most helpful and relevant for that search.
This is the essence of SEO: helping search engines understand which pages are the most helpful and relevant for a specific search.
So what that means for your website: you need to help search engines understand what your page is about and it needs to be relevant for a search query/keyword.
What does that mean in practice?
When search engines crawl a page, they look for signals that help them understand the topic of that page. These signals come from different elements on the page, such as the page title, headings, text content, image descriptions, and links.
When all of these elements clearly point to the same topic, it becomes much easier for search engines to understand what your page is about and when it should appear in search results.
Timeless SEO Basics
Even though algorithms change constantly, the way search engines (and now also AI bots) evaluate website content has remained surprisingly consistent. At its core, every website is simply a collection of code organized in a structured way.
Because of that structure, search engines rely on certain elements of a page to understand its topic. When these elements consistently point to the same keyword or search topic, it becomes much easier for search engines to connect your page with the searches people are making.
Some of the most important places where your main keyword can appear include:
- the title tag (SEO title)
- the H1 title on the page
- relevant headings such as H2 titles
- in the main text on the page
- image file names and alt text (only when relevant, don’t just stuff keywords in alt text)
- the page URL when creating a new page
- anchor text when other pages link to this page
One important tip is to focus on one main keyword per page. If several pages on your website try to rank for the same keyword, search engines may struggle to decide which one should appear in the results.
In other words, your own pages start competing with each other. Instead of strengthening your SEO, this can weaken your overall visibility.
When every page has a clear focus, it becomes easier for search engines to understand the structure of your website and match your content with the right searches.
Content Quality Still Matters
While keywords help search engines understand your page, the quality of your content is just as important. If someone searches for a question or a service, Google wants to show pages that provide helpful answers.
This means your page should genuinely help the visitor. For example, if you are a photographer creating a page about “headshots in Vancouver,” that phrase should appear in important places such as your title tag, your H1 title and the main text on the page.
Length alone is not the deciding factor, but depth can help. In our photographer example, imagine one website only has a short paragraph about headshots. Another photographer shares pricing, explains the shoot, and describes the booking process. Which one do you think will be more helpful to someone searching?
If your page briefly mentions a topic while another website provides a clear and detailed explanation, the more helpful page will usually perform better in search results.
Internal Links Help Search Engines Navigate Your Website
Links are another important signal. External links from other websites can also be very valuable, but that’s more of a PR topic. Ask Jenn about earning links through media features. Here we’ll focus on internal links, meaning links between pages on your own website.
Search engines discover and understand websites by following links from one page to another. This is why internal links between related pages are important.
For example, if you write a blog post that mentions one of your services, linking to that service page helps search engines understand the relationship between those pages. It also helps visitors find more relevant information.
Good internal linking creates a logical structure across your website and makes it easier for both users and search engines to navigate.
Technical Basics Also Matter
Even though SEO often focuses on content, the technical side of your website still plays a role.
Your website should load quickly, work well on mobile devices and avoid broken pages or error messages. A technically healthy website helps search engines crawl and index your pages more efficiently.
Many modern website platforms handle a lot of these basics automatically. Still, it is worth checking occasionally that your website is running smoothly. Tools like Google Search Console can alert you to technical issues and help you keep your website healthy. If you want to monitor how Google sees your website, you can follow this guide on how to set up Google Search Console.
Ready to Get Started With Your SEO?
SEO can seem complicated at first, because there are so many moving parts. But when you focus on the fundamentals, it becomes much more manageable. One topic per page, helpful content and a well-structured website are the way to go! Over time, these small improvements add up and help search engines better understand and trust your website.
If you’d like a practical starting point, you can download my free SEO checklist, an easy-to-use checklist, complete with handy checkboxes. And if you’d prefer hands-on help, my SEO Power Hour is a focused session where we review your website together and identify the most impactful improvements you can make.
