SEO Fundamentals for Modern Websites

    February 2024
    7 min read

    Why SEO Still Matters

    SEO hasn't died. It's evolved. Organic search still drives qualified traffic to most B2B and B2C websites. But the tactics that worked five years ago won't cut it today.

    Modern SEO isn't about keyword stuffing or building links in forums. It's about three interconnected things: technical excellence, valuable content, and genuine user experience. Get these right, and rankings follow.

    Let's explore each one.

    The Three Pillars

    1. Technical SEO

    Google needs to crawl, understand, and index your website efficiently. This includes:

    • • Site speed and Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS)
    • • Mobile responsiveness
    • • Clean URL structure and proper redirects
    • • XML sitemaps and robots.txt
    • • Structured data markup
    • • HTTPS encryption

    2. Content Strategy

    Your content should answer questions your audience is actually asking. This means:

    • • Research search intent and topics your audience cares about
    • • Create comprehensive, authoritative content
    • • Use appropriate keywords naturally (not forced)
    • • Build topical authority through clusters of related content
    • • Keep content fresh and updated
    • • Optimise headings, meta descriptions, and alt text

    3. User Experience

    Google measures how users interact with your site. Poor UX kills rankings:

    • • Intuitive navigation and clear information architecture
    • • Fast load times and smooth interactions
    • • Mobile-first design that works on all devices
    • • Clear calls-to-action and conversion paths
    • • Content that's easy to scan and read
    • • Low bounce rates (people stay on your site)

    Practical Next Steps

    Start with a technical audit. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and SEMrush will identify obvious technical issues holding you back.

    Then focus on content. Which topics would your ideal customers search for? Create authoritative content around those topics. Not every page needs to rank—a handful of high-traffic keywords can drive significant business.

    Finally, measure what matters. Not rankings—conversions. Which pages drive inquiries, sales, or other business outcomes? Optimise for those, and SEO becomes a business metric rather than a vanity metric.

    Want a Technical SEO Audit?

    We can identify technical issues, content gaps, and opportunities to improve your search visibility.

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