SEO has a reputation for being a dark art. For small sites it mostly isn't — it's a handful of fundamentals done consistently, plus the patience to let them compound.
Write for one query per page
Each page should answer one clear question. When a page tries to rank for everything, it ranks for nothing. Decide the question, then make the title and first paragraph answer it directly.
The boring checklist that works
- A descriptive title tag under ~60 characters.
- A meta description that reads like ad copy, not keywords.
- One H1, then a logical H2/H3 outline.
- Real alt text on images.
- Fast load and clean mobile layout.
Speed is ranking
Search engines reward pages that load fast, and so do humans. If you only fix one thing this quarter, make the page fast and let everything else follow.
