SEO Basics for Small Businesses: Where to Start and What to Avoid
Updated: 7 days ago
Search engine optimization (SEO) means making your website easy for search engines to understand and useful for the people who arrive from a search. For a small business, it is less about tricks and more about clear pages, helpful content and a site that works well on a phone.
Here is how search works, where to start, what to avoid and how to track your progress with free tools.
How search engines find and rank pages
Google describes its search process in three stages:
Crawling: automated programs called crawlers discover pages, for example by following links, and download their content.
Indexing: Google analyzes each page and stores what it learns in its index.
Serving results: when someone searches, Google returns the pages it judges most relevant to that search.
Google says it does not accept payment to crawl a site more often or to rank it higher, and it does not guarantee that every page will be crawled or indexed. It also states that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google, so be cautious with anyone who promises one.
Start with the words your customers use
Customers do not always describe what you sell the way your industry does. Before you change any page:
List your main services and the places you serve, for example "commercial cleaning in Edmonton" or "bookkeeping for contractors in Edmonton".
Note the questions customers ask by phone and email. People often search for the same questions.
Search your main phrases and look at the suggestions and the pages that already appear, to see what searchers want.
Give each important page one main topic, such as a single service.
Use these phrases naturally. Keyword stuffing, meaning filling a page with repeated keywords, is against Google's spam policies.
Get the page basics right
Check these on your most important pages first:
Title: write a unique, descriptive and concise title for each page, such as "Commercial Cleaning in Edmonton | Business Name". Avoid vague titles such as "Home".
Meta description: write a short summary that is unique to the page. Google mainly builds search snippets from the page content, but it sometimes uses your description.
Headings: use one clear main heading and simple subheadings so readers can scan the page.
Web addresses: use readable words in URLs, such as /commercial-cleaning, rather than random strings of characters.
Images: add short alt text describing each meaningful image, which helps screen reader users and search engines.
Internal links: link related pages with descriptive link text, such as "our commercial cleaning services", rather than "click here".
Google does not use the keywords meta tag, so you can skip it.
Publish content that answers real questions
Google says its ranking systems are designed to prioritize helpful, reliable information created to benefit people, not content made mainly to attract visits from search engines. For a small business, that usually means:
A page for each main service: who it is for, what is included, how it works and how to get in touch.
Clear answers to common questions, on a frequently asked questions page or within each service page.
Details only you can provide, such as your process, your service area and photos of your own work.
Clear information about who is behind the business and who wrote the content.
A regular review of older pages to correct outdated information.
Avoid shortcuts. Google's spam policies cover doorway abuse, such as many near-identical pages aimed at different cities or similar searches, and scaled content abuse, such as using AI or other tools to produce many pages without adding value.
Check the technical basics
You do not need to be a developer to cover the essentials:
Check every page on a phone. Google uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking, so mobile pages should include the same important content as desktop pages.
Use a secure connection. Your web address should start with https, and pages should load without security warnings.
Watch speed and usability. Core Web Vitals measure loading performance, interactivity and visual stability, and Google's PageSpeed Insights tool can check them. Also avoid intrusive pop-ups that cover the main content.
Set up Google Search Console. It is free at the time of writing and helps you monitor how your site appears in Google Search. Its URL Inspection tool shows whether a page is indexed and lets you ask Google to crawl it.
Confirm you have a sitemap. Many website platforms create one automatically. A sitemap helps search engines discover your pages, but it does not guarantee they will be crawled or indexed.
If your site is in more than one language
Many Canadian businesses serve customers in English, French or other languages. If you publish translated pages:
Give each language version its own web address, rather than switching languages with cookies or browser settings.
Translate the main content, not only the menus and buttons.
Let visitors choose their language instead of redirecting them automatically.
Ask your developer or platform about hreflang annotations, which tell Google which pages are translations of each other.
Build local signals and measure progress
If you serve a local area:
Keep your business name, address, phone number and hours consistent on your website, your Google Business Profile and any directories you use.
Earn links and mentions through real relationships, such as local business associations, partners, suppliers and community involvement.
Never buy or sell links for ranking purposes. Google treats this as link spam.
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and how well known a business is, and that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
To measure progress, check the Performance report in Search Console each month. It shows which searches your pages appeared for, how often they appeared, how many clicks they received and their average position. Also track what matters most: calls, inquiries and bookings. Be patient, because Google notes that some changes take effect in a few hours while others can take several months. Google also updates its guidance regularly, so check Google Search Central for current advice.
If you use analytics or other tracking tools, explain what they collect and why in your privacy policy. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada offers tips for a better online privacy policy.
How First Global Citizen can help
As part of our marketing and digital presence services, we review your website's structure and content, help you find the words your customers use, improve your titles, descriptions and service pages, and set up Google Search Console with a simple monthly tracking routine. Each project has a fixed fee set out in a written proposal. We do not promise rankings, traffic or sales, because search engines make their own ranking decisions.
When a project needs specialized advice, such as a legal review of your privacy policy, we can coordinate with independent licensed professionals. To learn more, see our marketing and digital services, read about how we work or book a free consultation.
This article is general information only. It is not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. For advice about your situation, consult a qualified professional.
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