Guide
Google SEO readiness for small business websites.
Before chasing clever SEO tactics, make sure Google can crawl the site, understand the page and trust the business behind it.
1. Crawl and index readiness
Important pages should return a successful status, use HTTPS, avoid accidental noindex tags, have a sensible canonical URL and be discoverable through a sitemap or links.
2. Page basics
Each key page should have a specific title, useful meta description, clear H1, logical headings and image alt text where images matter.
3. Helpful content
Google's public guidance is clear that SEO should support people-first content. A page should answer the real visitor question, explain what happens next and avoid thin keyword-stuffed copy.
4. Trust and local signals
Small businesses should make ownership, contact route, service area, reviews, examples and policies easy to find. This helps visitors and gives search systems stronger confidence.
5. Structured data
Structured data can help Google understand page meaning, but it must match visible content. Do not mark up fake reviews, hidden claims or misleading business details.
6. Internal links
Important pages should not be isolated. Link related services, FAQs, guides, contact and pricing pages with useful anchor text.
Next step
Run the scanner, fix the top issues, rescan and keep a before-and-after record.