Guide
SEO basics: how to get your website found on Google
Search engine optimisation (SEO) makes sure your website is found on Google when customers search for your products or services. Unlike ads, good SEO brings in visitors over the long term without you paying for every click. In this guide, we explain the SEO basics in a clear, practical way.
Key points at a glance
- Google assesses pages on relevance, quality, user experience and trust.
- Everything starts with keyword research: what are your customers really searching for?
- Every important page needs a clear topic, a good page title and genuinely helpful content.
- Technology and loading speed are the foundation; links from other websites build trust.
- SEO takes weeks to months to work, but the results are lasting.
Contents
- What is SEO?
- How does Google decide the order of results?
- How do you find the right search terms?
- What does on-page optimisation involve?
- Which technical basics matter?
- Why are links from other websites important?
- What is local SEO?
- How do you measure SEO success?
- Which SEO mistakes should you avoid?
- How should you approach the first 90 days?
- What role do guides and FAQs play?
- Checklist: SEO basics for your website
1. What is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimisation) covers all the measures that help a website appear higher in the unpaid search results of Google and other search engines. The aim is to attract more of the right visitors, who then turn into enquiries or sales.
SEO consists of three areas: the technical side of the website, the content on the page itself (on-page) and external signals, above all links and mentions (off-page). All three need to work together.
2. How does Google decide the order of results?
Google tries to find, for every search query, the page that answers the question best, most reliably and in the most user-friendly way. To do this, pages are crawled, indexed and assessed against a large number of factors.
| Area | What Google looks at |
|---|---|
| Relevance | Does the content match the search intent? Is the question answered in full? |
| Quality | Is the content helpful, accurate and written from first-hand experience? |
| Trust (E-E-A-T) | Experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness of the author and the company |
| User experience | Loading speed, ease of use on smartphones, no intrusive elements |
| Links | Do other trustworthy websites link to your site? |
Search intent is crucial: someone searching for “website design agency” wants a provider. Someone searching for “how to build a website” wants an explanation. One and the same page can rarely serve both intents well.
3. How do you find the right search terms?
Search terms are the right ones when your customers use them shortly before making a decision, not necessarily when they have the highest search volume. Specific terms such as “SEO agency for online shops” often generate more enquiries than a generic “SEO”.
- Collect the questions and terms your customers use in conversations.
- Add suggestions from Google Search and the “People also ask” section.
- Check search volume and competition, for example with the Google Ads Keyword Planner.
- Look in Google Search Console to see which terms you already appear for.
- Assign exactly one page to each important term.
Avoid having several pages target the same term. Otherwise your own pages compete with each other, and none of them ranks really well.
4. What does on-page optimisation involve?
On-page optimisation means structuring every page, in content and form, so that users and Google immediately understand what it is about.
| Element | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Page title (title tag) | Around 50 to 60 characters, main term as close to the start as possible, brand name at the end |
| Meta description | Around 140 to 155 characters, describes the benefit and invites a click |
| H1 heading | Exactly one per page, containing the main topic |
| Subheadings | Logically structured (H2, H3), ideally phrased as questions |
| URL | Short, descriptive, with hyphens, for example /en/guides/seo-basics/ |
| Images | Compressed, with a descriptive file name and alt text |
| Internal links | At least three links to relevant pages on your own site with descriptive anchor text |
The most important factor is still the content itself. Answer the user’s question better than other pages do: more completely, more clearly, with examples and your own experience.
5. Which technical basics matter?
Technical SEO ensures that Google can find and read your pages and add them to its index correctly. Mistakes here can make even the best content invisible.
- Indexing: important pages must not be set to “noindex” or blocked via robots.txt.
- XML sitemap: lists all important pages and is submitted in Search Console.
- HTTPS: the entire site runs encrypted.
- Mobile-friendliness: Google primarily assesses the mobile version of your site.
- Loading speed: the Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) should be in the green.
- Canonical URLs: every page is accessible at exactly one address.
- Structured data: schema markup for your business, articles, products and FAQs.
We explain in detail how fast your site should be in our guide Creating a website.
6. Why are links from other websites important?
Links from other trustworthy websites act as a kind of recommendation for Google and strengthen your site’s authority. What counts is quality, not quantity.
- Good links come from useful content, partnerships, press work and industry directories.
- Bought link packages and large-scale link swaps violate Google’s guidelines.
- Mentions of your brand, even without a link, also help your visibility in AI search engines.
Find out more in our blog post Link building today.
7. What is local SEO?
Local SEO ensures you are found in location-based searches and on Google Maps, for example for “tax advisor Larnaka” or “dentist near me”. For businesses with customers in their region, this is often the fastest route to enquiries.
- Complete your Google Business Profile in full and choose the right primary category
- Use exactly the same name, address and phone number everywhere
- Actively ask customers for reviews and reply to every review
- Create one page per location or region on your website, with real information
You will find a step-by-step guide in our post Google Business Profile.
8. How do you measure SEO success?
Measure SEO by organic visitors, enquiries and revenue, not just by individual rankings. The most important tools are free of charge.
| Tool | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Rankings, clicks, impressions, indexing errors |
| Google Analytics 4 | Visitors, behaviour and conversions from organic search |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Visibility in Bing, which also matters for some AI assistants |
| PageSpeed Insights | Loading speed and Core Web Vitals |
Review the figures monthly and compare periods spanning several months. Short-term fluctuations are normal.
9. Which SEO mistakes should you avoid?
SEO mistakes most often arise from unclear page topics, thin content and technical blocks that nobody notices.
- Several pages on the same topic competing with each other
- Copied or automatically generated text with no added value of its own
- Missing redirects after a relaunch
- Important pages accidentally set to “noindex”
- Keyword stuffing: search terms repeated unnaturally often
To learn how to protect your rankings during a redesign, read our guide Website relaunch.
10. How should you approach the first 90 days?
A proven way to get started is a 90-day plan: first the technical side, then the most important pages, then new content and links. This gives you visible improvements early on and lets you build systematically from there.
| Period | Focus | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 30 | Check the technical set-up, set up Search Console, fix errors | All important pages are indexable and fast |
| Days 31 to 60 | Assign keywords, improve page titles and content on the most important pages | A clear topic per page, better click-through rates |
| Days 61 to 90 | New guide content, Business Profile, first links and mentions | More rankings for new search terms |
An example from practice: a service provider had described all of its services on a single page. After splitting them into five dedicated service pages with suitable titles and FAQs, each page ranks for its own search terms. The number of enquiries from organic search rises, without any additional advertising budget.
For businesses that need enquiries quickly as well as SEO, combining it with Google Ads pays off. Our Google Ads guide shows you how to go about it. To find out how to appear in AI answers as well, read our GEO guide.
11. What role do guides and FAQs play?
Guides and FAQs reach people who are still researching and make your business known early in their decision-making process. Many searches are questions, such as “How long does it take to set up a company in Cyprus?”. Answer them well and you win visitors who may later become customers.
Good guides answer one main question thoroughly, break it down into sub-questions and link to relevant service pages. They name the author and the date of the last update and are revised regularly. Over time, this builds a topic area in which Google and AI systems recognise your business as a competent source.
Checklist: SEO basics for your website
SEO basics: the key points at a glance
- Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are set up
- Every important page has its own main topic and its own page title
- Every page has exactly one H1 and a logical structure
- The site is fast, mobile-friendly and runs on HTTPS
- All important pages are linked internally and included in the sitemap
- The Google Business Profile is fully maintained
- Success is measured monthly by enquiries and revenue
Frequently asked questions about SEO
How long does it take for SEO to work?
Initial improvements often show after a few weeks, for example following technical fixes. Stable rankings for competitive terms usually take several months. New websites generally need longer than established domains that already have authority. Track your progress in Google Search Console, where you can see impressions and clicks for each search term.
Can I do SEO myself?
The basics, yes: you can look after page titles, good content, your Google Business Profile and Search Console yourself. For technical analysis, strategy and competitive markets, professional support usually pays off, either as ongoing management or as training for your team. Many businesses combine both, saving costs without going without expert knowledge.
How much does SEO cost?
That depends on the competition, the state of your website and your goals. Reputable agencies first analyse the starting point and then put together an individual quote. Be wary of guarantees of first place: nobody can guarantee rankings. Also look for clear service descriptions and regular reports, so you can see what you are paying for.
Does SEO still matter now that AI is here?
Yes, even more so. AI assistants and Google’s AI Overviews rely on pages that are easy to find. SEO is therefore the foundation for visibility in AI answers. GEO adds to this by preparing content so that AI cites it, for example with direct answers, tables and clear facts under every heading.
How often should I publish new content?
Quality matters more than frequency. One thorough guide a month achieves more than four short posts with no added value. It is also important to update existing content regularly so that it stays accurate. A simple editorial calendar helps you prioritise topics based on customer questions and keep up a steady rhythm over time.
Does Google Ads help with rankings?
No. Ads have no direct influence on organic rankings. However, Google Ads data quickly shows which search terms bring in enquiries, helping you target your SEO more precisely. Ad copy with a high click-through rate can also serve as a template for page titles and meta descriptions. That way, both channels benefit from each other.
Want to be found more easily on Google?
We analyse your website, show you the most important levers and implement SEO: technically, in terms of content and measurably.