Small Business SEO Checklist: The Basics, in the Right Order

Before you start: is Google seeing your site?

Search Google for site:yourdomain.com. Google's SEO Starter Guide says that if you see results pointing to your site, you're in the index. No results? Check that your platform isn't set to hide the site from search engines, then work through the setup below.

1. Set up the free tools

• Google Search Console: verify your site. It shows how your pages perform in Google Search and flags problems Google finds.
• Sitemap: Google notes that platforms such as WordPress and Wix already make a sitemap available, so find its address in your platform's help center and submit it in Search Console's Sitemaps report. Google calls a sitemap a hint, not a guarantee, but it helps discovery.
• Analytics: any tool that shows which pages lead to enquiries or sales.
• Google Business Profile (local businesses): Google's guidelines say a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours to qualify, and online-only businesses aren't eligible. If you qualify, complete every field and keep your hours current.

2. Pick one main keyword per page

• Use the words customers type, not internal jargon: "boiler repair" rather than "heating solutions".
• Add your town or area for local services, such as "wedding photographer Bristol".
• Find real phrasing in Google's autocomplete, the related questions shown in results and, once you have data, the queries in Search Console.
• Give each page its own focus. If two pages target the same phrase, it's unclear which one should appear.

3. On-page basics for every page

Title tag

Google sets no character limit for titles, but it truncates them in results to fit the device width and may show a different title if yours isn't helpful. In practice, many site owners keep titles to roughly 50 to 60 characters so the important words stay visible. Google recommends titles that are descriptive, concise and distinct for each page, without repeated keywords or boilerplate. If you include your brand, put it at the start or end, separated by a hyphen, colon or pipe.

Boiler Repair in Leeds: Same-Week Visits | Smith Heating

Meta description

Google says there's no limit on meta description length, but snippets are truncated as needed. Google uses your description only when it describes the page better than the page text, so it isn't always shown. Write a specific, unique summary for each page, starting with your home page and most popular pages. Many people aim for roughly 140 to 160 characters so the main message appears before any cut-off.

Headings, URLs, images and links

• Headings: one clear main heading, with H2s for sections. Google says heading order doesn't matter to Search, so structure headings for readers.
• URLs: short and readable, like /services/boiler-repair. Google says useful words in a URL help users, while keywords in the domain name have hardly any effect.
• Images: compress them, and add short but descriptive alt text explaining what each image shows in the context of the page.
• Internal links: link related pages with descriptive link text ("see our boiler servicing prices") rather than "click here".

4. Content that deserves to rank

• One page per main service, answering what it is, who it's for, the price or price range, how it works and what to do next.
• An FAQ built from questions customers actually ask you.
• Proof: real examples of your work, real reviews, credentials.
• Fresh information. Google's Starter Guide says content that is helpful, unique, up to date and well organized likely matters more than any of its other suggestions.
• No near-identical pages for every nearby town. Write a location page only where you have something genuinely specific to say.

Drafting with AI? Google asks you to fact-check and review AI-generated content, including titles and meta descriptions, before publishing. These AI prompts for website copy include a claim checker for exactly that.

5. Local trust signals

• Business name, address and phone number written the same way on your site, your Business Profile and directory listings.
• Ask happy customers for reviews and reply to them, including critical ones. Never buy or invent reviews.
• Get listed where your customers look: trade bodies, local business groups, relevant directories.

6. Technical basics

• HTTPS on every page, with http redirecting to https.
• Every page works well on a phone.
• Pages load reasonably fast: compress images and remove apps or plugins you don't use.
• No accidental "hide from search engines" or noindex setting.
• Permanent redirects whenever you change or remove a page address.

Most of these belong in your website launch checklist, and a regular website maintenance checklist keeps them in place afterwards.

What you can safely skip

• Meta keywords: Google Search doesn't use the keywords meta tag.
• Keyword stuffing: repeating words excessively tires readers and goes against Google's spam policies.
• Word-count targets: Google says content length alone doesn't matter for ranking.
• Keyword-rich domain names: hardly any effect, according to Google.
• Fear of duplicate content: Google calls it inefficient but says it won't cause a manual action. Still, keep one clear version of each page.

Track it page by page

For a site of 5 to 15 pages, a simple table does the job: page, main keyword, title, description, status, next review date. The Site Pages database in the AI Website Launch & Care Kit does this in Notion and flags titles and descriptions that run long.

How long until you see results?

Google says some changes take effect in a few hours and others can take several months, and suggests waiting a few weeks before assessing the impact of your work. Make your changes, note the date, and compare in Search Console a month later.

Put the basics on autopilot

The AI Website Launch & Care Kit ($17) includes an SEO basics phase, a page tracker with automatic title and description length checks, AI prompts for meta tags and alt text, and a maintenance schedule. It runs on Notion's free plan and works with any website builder.

Facts checked on 2 November 2026 against Google Search Central documentation and Google Business Profile Help (see sources). Character ranges above are common practice, not Google rules.