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Fixes & Checks to Improve SEO Performance

The technical side of SEO made clear. Learn how site speed, structure, mobile-friendliness, broken links, and on-page elements impact your rankings - and what to do about them.

Ways to Improve SEO and Boost Your Search Engine Ranking

If you’re trying to get more traffic to your site, improving your SEO is one of the most reliable ways to do it. This isn’t about tricks or hacks – it’s about getting your website in better shape so that search engines, like Google, understand what you offer and users find what they need.

In this guide, we’re going to walk through proven, straightforward ways to improve SEO that will help boost your ranking and bring in more of the right visitors.

Outline

  1. What Is SEO and Why Should You Care?

  2. How Does Google Decide What to Rank?

  3. How Can You Use Keywords Without Overdoing It?

  4. What Makes Website Content Good for SEO?

  5. What Does On-Page SEO Actually Involve?

  6. Does Website Speed Really Affect SEO?

  7. Why User Experience Is Now a Ranking Factor

  8. What Can Google Search Console Tell You?

  9. Are Technical SEO Issues Holding You Back?

  10. What Are the Quickest Ways to Improve SEO?

1. What Is SEO and Why Should You Care?

SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the process of making your website more visible in search engines. When someone searches for something you sell or talk about, you want your site to appear in the results – preferably near the top.

Done well, SEO drives consistent, organic search traffic without the need for ads. It puts your business in front of people right when they’re looking for what you offer. If you ignore SEO, chances are your competitors won’t.

Search engines look for the most relevant, useful, and trustworthy content. SEO helps you align with what they’re looking for and show up in search results more often.

2. How Does Google Decide What to Rank?

Google’s search engine uses a mix of factors to decide which sites deserve top spots. It considers things like:

  • Relevance to the keyword or search query

  • Site speed and mobile usability

  • How trustworthy your site looks (links from others help)

  • Whether your content matches search intent

It’s not just about ticking boxes. Google's search algorithm is designed to find the best possible answer for what people search. If your site provides that, you’ve got a much better chance of being shown in search engine results pages.

Think about what someone really wants to know – not just what they typed in. That mindset helps Google understand why your site deserves to be there.

3. How Can You Use Keywords Without Overdoing It?

Keywords are still important in SEO, but it’s not about stuffing them in everywhere. That doesn’t help your readers, and it won’t help your rankings either.

Here’s what to do instead:

  • Choose one main keyword or search term per page

  • Use variations and related phrases naturally in your writing

  • Add keywords in the page title, headings, and first paragraph

Use keyword tools to check search volume and difficulty before you start writing. That way, you’re targeting phrases people actually search for – and have a fair chance of ranking for.

Used properly, keywords help search engines understand your topic. Used badly, they just make content harder to read.

4. What Makes Website Content Good for SEO?

Google wants content that helps people – not just content that exists to chase rankings. That means your content needs to be:

  • Relevant to the topic

  • Easy to read and scan

  • Genuinely useful to the visitor

One way to boost SEO is to create content that answers common questions, solves problems, or explains things clearly. It’s also worth updating or adding new content on your website regularly.

Pages that serve a clear purpose tend to show up in search results more often. If your content stays on-topic and meets search intent, Google is more likely to treat it as worth showing.

5. What Does On-Page SEO Actually Involve?

On-page SEO means all the elements you can control directly on your website to help search engines understand and index your content.

This includes:

  • Titles, meta descriptions, and headers

  • Alt tags on images

  • URL structure and internal linking

Search engines may favour pages that are well-organised and clearly marked up. You don’t need to overdo it – just make sure your page is clean and focused.

A clear on-page SEO structure also helps users navigate your site more easily, which sends positive signals back to Google.

6. Does Website Speed Really Affect SEO?

Yes – and it affects your visitors too. If your website loading speed is poor, people leave. And if people leave quickly, your rankings can drop.

Simple fixes to improve your website speed include:

  • Compressing large images

  • Reducing scripts that slow things down

  • Choosing reliable web hosting

  • Using caching and a content delivery network

Google uses page speed as a ranking signal, especially for mobile users. A slow website doesn’t just feel bad – it actually works against your SEO performance.

7. Why User Experience Is Now a Ranking Factor

User experience isn’t just about design – it’s how easy and enjoyable it is to use your site. If people struggle to navigate or can’t find what they want, they won’t stick around. Google sees that and may rank you lower.

Good user experience includes:

  • Fast loading pages

  • Clear structure and navigation

  • Mobile responsiveness

  • Readable text and clear calls to action

Improving your SEO means improving your site for real users. If your site feels better to use, it’ll likely perform better in search too.

8. What Can Google Search Console Tell You?

Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google to help website owners understand how their site performs in search.

With it, you can:

  • See which search queries drive clicks

  • Find out which pages are being indexed

  • Get alerts about mobile or security issues

  • Submit new content for indexing

It’s a direct line into how Google views your website. If you want to check your rankings, fix SEO issues, or understand where your traffic comes from, Search Console is where to start.

You’ll also see how your site is shown in search results and where improvements can be made.

9. Are Technical SEO Issues Holding You Back?

Technical SEO covers all the stuff under the hood. If your site has broken links, duplicate pages, or slow response times, it can harm your visibility in search.

Things to look for:

  • Broken or incorrect internal links

  • Duplicate meta descriptions

  • Pages blocked by robots.txt

  • Messy site structure

Search engines like Google want to scan your website easily. If something’s blocking them, you’re going to struggle. Fixing technical SEO doesn’t always need a developer – tools like Semrush or Screaming Frog can flag most issues.

If in doubt, fix it. Even small changes can help Google crawl and understand your site better.

10. What Are the Quickest Ways to Improve SEO?

Some SEO improvements take time – but others can have a fast impact.

Try these:

  • Update old blog posts with better content

  • Improve title tags and meta descriptions

  • Link between related pages on your site

  • Add alt text to all images

  • Submit updated pages via Google Search Console

These tweaks help boost your search engine visibility without needing a full site rebuild. They also improve how your content is shown in search results.

If you’re short on time, focus on pages that already rank but aren’t in the top 3. A few smart changes could push them up.

Key Takeaways: Ways to Improve SEO That Actually Work

  • SEO helps your site get found in search engine results for relevant keywords.

  • Google ranks pages based on relevance, speed, usability, and quality.

  • Keyword use matters, but stuffing them won’t help.

  • Write content that matches search intent and answers real questions.

  • On-page SEO helps both users and search engines navigate your content.

  • Website speed has a direct impact on user satisfaction and SEO.

  • A good user experience improves your chances of ranking well.

  • Google Search Console gives you valuable data to shape your SEO strategies.

  • Fixing technical SEO issues removes roadblocks for search engines.

  • Simple wins like metadata updates and content tweaks can still move the needle.

Want to improve your site’s rankings without the fluff? Start with these basics and keep things clear, fast, and user-focused. Everything else builds on that.