If SEO feels like alphabet soup—HTML, GMB, CTR, E-E-A-T—you’re not alone. The good news: you don’t need to be “technical” to show up on Google.

With a few practical steps, you can improve your visibility, attract the right customers, and grow—minus the migraines.

This guide breaks SEO into three approachable parts:

• Technical SEO (the site foundations so Google can find and trust you)

• On-page SEO (content that answers real searches)

• Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) for local visibility.

Let’s keep it simple and actionable.

Technical SEO: Set the foundations (once) and forget the rest

Think of technical SEO like fitting signs and doors in a shop: it helps Google find, understand, and safely send people to your pages. You don’t need to code—just focus on the essentials.

Make your site fast enough

Aim for pages loading in under 3 seconds.

Quick wins include compressing images (use JPG/WebP; keep hero images under approximately 200 KB), enabling lazy loading for images and videos, removing unused plugins and heavy scripts, and enabling caching via your host or a performance plugin.

Ensure mobile-friendliness

Most searches are on mobile and Google uses mobile-first indexing.

Run Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and fix issues like text that’s too small, elements too close together, or layouts wider than the screen.

Use HTTPS

Your URL should start with https://.

Most hosts include free SSL (Let’s Encrypt). Turn it on in your hosting control panel.

Make it easy for Google to crawl

Create a sitemap—most CMSs do this automatically.

On WordPress, check yoursite.com/sitemap.xml (plugins like Yoast, Rank Math, or All in One SEO help).

Shopify, Wix, and Webflow generate sitemaps automatically. Ensure you have a sensible robots.txt that allows Google to crawl your content but blocks admin or system pages.

Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console.

Fix basic errors in Search Console

Look for pages not indexed (often due to noindex tags or duplicates), 404 errors (set up redirects from old URLs to new), and Core Web Vitals warnings.

Prioritise large layout shifts and slow LCP images for the biggest impact with the least pain.

Keep URL structure clean

Use short, readable URLs, like /services/loft-conversions rather than /p=123?ref=abc.

Avoid duplicate content

Keep one primary page per topic and use canonical tags if content overlaps.

Most SEO plugins can handle this automatically.

Remember: good enough is good enough. Don’t chase perfect scores—focus on removing obvious blockers.

On-Page SEO: Make pages that match what people search

On-page SEO is about clarity and relevance. Write for humans; structure for Google.

Start with search intent

What is the visitor trying to achieve—research, compare, buy, contact?

Align your page to one intent. Don’t cram everything into one page.

Choose a primary keyword and a few variations

For a local service, that could be “escape room Leeds” with variations like “escape room cost Leeds” and “Scary Escape Rooms Leeds.”

Use natural language—don’t stuff keywords.

Structure your page clearly

Use one H1 headline describing the main topic, then subheadings for sections such as Rooms, Pricing, Groups, FAQs, and Location.

Keep paragraphs short, use bullet points sparingly for clarity, and add internal links where helpful.

Write a compelling title tag and meta description

Keep the title around 50–60 characters, including your keyword plus an outcome or USP.

For example: Scary Escape Rooms In Leeds | Only £20pp.

For the meta description (about 120–155 characters), pair a clear benefit with a call-to-action: Scary Escape Rooms in Leeds, perfect for stags, hens & celebrations. Starting at only £20pp. Book your escape now.

Cover what buyers actually care about

Provide proof (reviews, photos), clarity (products, locations, availability, prices), and trust (guarantees, accreditations, FAQs).

Make your calls-to-action obvious—“Book now”, “Get a quote”.

Add internal links

Connect related pages such as products, reviews, FAQs, and contact. Use descriptive anchor text like “escape room prices” instead of “click here.”

Optimise images with descriptive filenames (loft-conversion-london.jpg) and contextual alt text.

Include local signals on relevant pages

Mention your city or region naturally in headings and copy.

Display your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistently sitewide—your footer is a good place. Embed a Google Map on your contact page.

Tip: If you serve multiple areas, create one strong page per primary location with unique content—products, reviews, and photos—rather than duplicating a page and swapping the city name.

Google Business Profile: Win local searches and Maps

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is free, powerful, and often the fastest route to more calls—especially for “near me” and local intent searches.

Claim and verify your profile

Search your business name on Google and claim it if it exists.

If not, create one at google.com/business and verify by post, phone, or email.

Perfect your core info and keep NAP consistent

Use your real trading name (avoid keyword stuffing). Set the correct address and service area, ensure your phone number and website match your site, and keep hours updated, including bank holidays.

Choose the right categories

Your primary category is critical—pick the specific one that matches your main products.

Add secondary categories only for products you actually offer.

Add services, products, and attributes

List services with short, benefit-led descriptions.

Use attributes such as “Wheelchair accessible,” “LGBT Friendly” or “Online nookings” where relevant.

Prioritise real photos and short videos

Upload exterior, interior, team, work-in-progress, and action shots.

Regular posting—weekly if possible—builds trust and improves engagement.

Use Posts for updates and offers

Share offers, tips, events, new work, and FAQs.

Always include a call-to-action.

Actively manage reviews

Ask after successful bookings; share your direct review link to make it easy.

Reply to every review—thank positive ones and address negatives calmly. It’s fine to mention products and locations naturally in your replies.

Enable messaging and track calls

Turn on messaging if you can reply promptly.

Use call history or a tracking number while still listing your main number as an additional one.

Tag your GBP website link with UTM parameters so you can see traffic and leads from GBP in analytics.

For example: ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp

Keep your details consistent across directories like Yelp, Yell, Bing Places, and Apple Business Connect. Consistent NAP reinforces your GBP and helps rankings.

A simple, low-effort SEO routine

1. Monthly, publish one useful page or post that answers a customer question, upload two to four new photos to GBP, ask for at least two reviews and reply to all, and check Search Console for issues—fix anything critical.

2. Quarterly, refresh key product pages with new proof (review, stats, photos), improve one page’s title tag and meta description based on performance, and prune thin or duplicate pages, redirecting obsolete URLs.

3. Twice a year, do a speed tune-up: compress images, review plugins, and check your caching setup. Also, have a quick look at competitors’ GBP categories, photos, and reviews for ideas.

Total time: a few hours per month.

Quick templates you can copy

Title tag formula: Primary product] in [City] | [Brand/USP]

Meta description formulas: [Product] for [Audience] in [City]. [Key Benefit/Proof]. [Offer/CTA].

H1 examples: Scary Escape Rooms In Leeds

Internal link anchor ideas:

• View our pricing

• See related [products] in [Area]

• Book now

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Don’t chase scores instead of outcomes. Core Web Vitals matter, but leads matter more.

• Avoid keyword stuffing—it reads badly and doesn’t help.

• Don’t clone location pages by swapping city names.

• Keep NAP consistent between your site, GBP, and directories.

• Don’t neglect reviews or leave negatives unanswered.

• Above all, don’t hide your phone number and CTAs behind menus.

Bottom line

You don’t need to be “technical” to win on Google.

Get the foundations right once, create genuinely helpful pages, and nurture your Google Business Profile.

Do that consistently, and you’ll show up more often, earn more clicks, and get more enquiries—without the tech headache.