How to Do SEO on Your Own Website

If you’ve been Googling “how to do seo on your own website”, you’re probably not looking for a 300-page textbook or vague marketing advice. You want a clear, practical plan you can follow—without hiring an agency, learning to code, or living inside SEO tools all day.

This guide is built for that exact use case: a DIY SEO workflow that focuses on the four areas that move the needle most for business owners:

Technical SEO (speed, Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, and quick health checks)
On-page SEO (H1, page titles, meta descriptions, headings, and content signals)
Backlinks (building trust and authority—your “digital street cred”)
Google Business Profile + reviews (local visibility and reputation signals)

If you implement what’s below, you’ll cover the fundamentals that search engines consistently reward—and you’ll set your site up to earn organic traffic over time.

The 15-Minute “Get Started” Plan (So You Don’t Overthink This)

If you only have one short block of time, do these steps in this order:

Run a speed + Core Web Vitals check on your homepage and your top money page
Confirm your site is HTTPS (secure) and not loading “http” versions
Choose ONE primary keyword for ONE page (don’t spread one keyword across 5 pages)
Fix the basics on that page: H1 + page title + meta description all match the same topic
Set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap
If you’re a local business: optimize your Google Business Profile and start a review system

That’s it. That checklist alone puts you ahead of most websites.

1) Technical SEO (The Foundation That Makes Everything Else Work)

Technical SEO sounds intimidating, but for most business websites it’s simply a list of preventable issues that stop your pages from ranking—no matter how good your content is.

Think of technical SEO like your building’s foundation: if it’s cracked, everything on top struggles.

Run a Lighthouse / Core Web Vitals check

The simplest place to start is a free lighthouse speed report:

Run a test on your homepage
Run a test on your best service page (or best product/collection page)
Write down the top 2–3 issues it flags

What you’re looking for (in plain English):

Does your page load fast enough to keep people from bouncing?
Does your page “jump around” while it loads?
Is it heavy because of images, videos, apps, or scripts?

Quick reality check about “Core Web Vitals”

There are two types of speed data:

Lab data (what tools measure in a test environment)
Real user data (how actual visitors experience your site)

Your goal isn’t perfection. Your goal is removing obvious bottlenecks that slow down real customers.

The #1 speed win: keep images under 1MB (and ideally smaller)

If you only do one thing for performance, do this.

Basic rule: keep website images under 1MB whenever possible. Even better, aim for:

~200–500KB for most images
only use larger images when absolutely necessary

What usually slows business sites down:

Huge banner images
Sliders/carousels with multiple full-size images
Background videos
Too many apps/plugins loading scripts

If your website feels slow, it’s often not your hosting—it’s what you’re loading.

Make sure every important URL uses HTTPS

HTTPS means your site is encrypted and secure.

Quick check:

Type your domain in the browser with http://
Then with https://
The http:// version should automatically redirect to https://

If important pages load over HTTP (or some pages do and others don’t), get it fixed. It’s a trust issue for users and a technical problem for search engines.

Fix the “silent killers” most owners miss

These issues quietly weaken your SEO without you realizing it:

1) Broken pages (404s) on important URLs

If an important page returns “not found,” Google can’t rank it—and your backlinks (if any) are wasted.

2) Redirect chains

If Page A redirects to Page B, and Page B redirects to Page C, you’re creating extra loading time and weaker signals.

3) Duplicate versions of the same page

This one is common. Your site might have multiple versions of the same page because of:

tracking parameters
“www” vs non-“www”
http vs https
trailing slash vs no trailing slash

Your goal is one clean canonical version of each page.

Submit a sitemap and connect Google Search Console

If you want to do SEO on your own website, Google Search Console is non-negotiable. It helps you:

see what keywords you’re showing up for
find indexing issues
submit your sitemap
diagnose technical problems

Most platforms automatically generate a sitemap. You just need to submit it.

Mobile friendliness: don’t assume it’s “fine”

Most traffic is mobile for many industries.

Do this simple test:

open your site on your phone
can you read it instantly?
can you tap buttons easily?
do things overflow off the screen?
does the page load quickly on cellular?

If it looks perfect on desktop but feels clunky on mobile, you’re losing rankings and customers.

2) On-Page SEO (How to Make Each Page Easy for Google to Understand)

On-page SEO is the part most business owners can improve quickly because it’s mostly writing and structure.

The biggest on-page mistake is trying to rank a page without clearly telling search engines what the page is about.

The 3 most important on-page SEO elements

If you fix nothing else, fix these three on every important page:

H1 (main page heading)
SEO title / meta title (the headline in Google results)
Meta description (the snippet under the title in Google results)

These three should align to the same topic.

H1: one per page, describing the page’s main topic

Your H1 is the main visible headline on the page.

Best practices:

Use one clear H1 per page
Make it describe what the page is about in plain language
Put it near the top of the page
Don’t make your logo or business name the H1 unless that truly describes the page

Example (service page):

H1: “Kitchen Remodeling in Charlotte, NC”

That instantly tells Google (and your customer) what you do and where you do it.

SEO title: aim for under ~60 characters

Your SEO title is the big blue link people click in search results.

Simple formula that works:
Primary keyword + benefit/angle + optional brand

Examples:

“Kitchen Remodeling in Charlotte, NC | Free Design Consult”
“Emergency Plumbing Repair | Same-Day Service”

You want it short enough that it doesn’t get cut off, but specific enough that it matches the search intent.

Meta description: aim for under ~160 characters

Your meta description is your “pitch” under the SEO title.

Simple formula:
Who it’s for + what you do + trust + next step

Example:
“Need a kitchen remodel in Charlotte? Licensed pros, clear pricing, and a smooth process. Schedule a free consult today.”

Use the character count tool below (so Google doesn’t truncate your copy)

Before you publish your metadata, run it through the character count tool on this page.

Goal:

SEO title: under ~60 characters
Meta description: under ~160 characters

H2s and H3s: the easiest “content signal” you can add

Headings are not just for design—they organize your content for humans and search engines.

How to structure headings:

H1: the main topic of the page
H2s: major sections that support the topic
H3s: sub-points inside those sections

Example outline for a service page:

H1: Kitchen Remodeling in Charlotte, NC
H2: What’s Included in Our Kitchen Remodels
H2: Our Process (Step-by-Step)
H2: Typical Timelines + Pricing
H2: FAQs
H2: Recent Projects / Reviews

This makes the page scannable and improves clarity.

The “one page = one job” rule (avoid cannibalizing yourself)

Another DIY mistake: creating multiple pages that all target the same keyword.

Example:

“kitchen remodeling charlotte”
“charlotte kitchen remodeling”
“kitchen renovation charlotte nc”

If those are separate pages with mostly similar content, you force Google to guess which one should rank—and you weaken all of them.

Better approach:

Create one excellent page for the main service
Then create supporting pages for related subtopics (if needed)

Internal links: your underrated DIY SEO advantage

Internal links help Google understand:

what pages matter
how topics connect
what your site is “about”

They also help users move through your site.

Best practice: use descriptive link text.
Bad: “click here”
Good: “kitchen remodeling process” or “emergency plumbing service”

3) Backlinks + Domain Authority (Your “Digital Street Cred”)

Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to yours. Think of them like endorsements.

If trusted sites in your industry link to you, search engines treat you as more credible—especially compared to new sites with no references.

Domain authority, in plain English

Domain authority is basically:
“How much does the internet trust your website?”

You don’t need to obsess over the number. What matters is this:

One great link from a respected site can beat 50 weak links
Relevance matters (a link from your industry is worth more than a random link)
Relationships beat spam tactics every time

The best backlink strategies for business owners (without shady SEO)

Here are backlink approaches that actually work and won’t get you in trouble.

1) Partner links (start with real relationships)

Ask for links from:

vendors and suppliers
contractors you collaborate with
associations you belong to
charities/events you sponsor

If you do real work with real people, you can earn real links.

2) Local links (especially if you serve a city/region)

Chamber of commerce listing
local business directories that are legitimate
sponsorship pages (schools, events, local nonprofits)
local news mentions (if earned)

3) Unlinked brand mentions (easy win)

If someone wrote about your business but didn’t link to you:

email them politely
ask them to add the link

This is one of the easiest “high success rate” link tactics.

4) Create one “linkable” resource

Most business blogs fail because they publish generic posts.

Instead, create one genuinely useful resource people would reference, like:

a pricing guide
a buyer’s checklist
a comparison page (“Option A vs Option B”)
a “how it works” guide that clears up confusion in your industry

That’s the type of page that earns links over time.

4) Google Business Profile + Reviews (Local SEO Power)

If you serve a geographic area, your Google Business Profile (GBP) can be one of your biggest traffic drivers—sometimes even bigger than your website.

Optimize your Google Business Profile (the basics)

Make sure your profile is complete:

business name (consistent everywhere)
address / service area
phone number
website link
categories
business hours
photos
services/products (where relevant)

Then keep it active with occasional updates if it makes sense for your industry.

Reviews are both a ranking signal and a conversion engine

Reviews matter for two reasons:

They influence local visibility and credibility
They massively impact whether a customer chooses you

Simple review system (that doesn’t feel awkward):

Ask right after a “win” (job completed, happy customer, successful delivery)
Send one simple link
Make it easy: “Would you mind leaving a quick review? It helps a lot.”

Also: respond to reviews—especially negative ones. Calm, professional, helpful responses build trust.

Putting It All Together: How to Do SEO on Your Own Website (The DIY Checklist)

Use this as your repeatable system.

Technical SEO checklist

Run speed/Core Web Vitals test on key pages
Compress images (keep under 1MB when possible)
Confirm HTTPS across all important pages
Fix broken pages (404s) and redirect chains
Remove duplicate page versions (one canonical URL per page)
Set up Google Search Console + submit sitemap
Confirm mobile usability

On-page SEO checklist (for every money page)

One clear H1 describing the page topic
SEO title under ~60 characters, aligned with the page keyword/topic
Meta description under ~160 characters, aligned with the same topic
H2/H3 structure supports readability and topic clarity
Add internal links to related pages using descriptive anchor text
Include FAQs if they match real customer questions

Backlinks checklist

Get partner/vendor links
Build local listings and local relationship links
Convert unlinked brand mentions into links
Create one genuinely useful “linkable” resource page

Google Business Profile + Reviews checklist

Fully complete GBP
Keep NAP consistent (name/address/phone)
Add photos and update occasionally
Build a consistent review request process

FAQ

Can I really learn how to do SEO on my own website?

Yes. DIY SEO is completely doable if you focus on fundamentals and follow a checklist. Most businesses don’t need complex strategies to win—they need consistency and clean execution.

What should I focus on first if I’m starting from scratch?

In this order:

technical basics (speed + HTTPS + mobile)
on-page alignment (H1 + title + meta description)
Google Business Profile (if local)
backlinks (relationships + authority building)

How long does DIY SEO take to work?

SEO is not instant, but it compounds. You can often see early improvements within weeks (indexing, better click-through rates, early ranking movement), and bigger gains over a few months as trust and authority build.

Final Thought

If you want a simple mindset for SEO, here it is:

Make your website fast and trustworthy, make each page clearly about one topic, and build real credibility through relationships (links + reviews).

That’s the core of how to do SEO on your own website—without getting lost in jargon or chasing shortcuts.

If you want, paste your blog platform (WordPress/Webflow/Shopify/etc.) and I’ll tailor the “where to edit H1/title/meta” instructions into a short, platform-specific section you can drop into the post.