DIY SEO: A Practical Guide for Business Owners

You don’t need to become an SEO expert to help your website get found.

If you’re a small business owner, you might have heard that you “need to do SEO.” The thought of keywords, backlinks, and algorithms makes your eyes glaze over, you’re not alone.

SEO doesn’t have to be overwhelming and you don’t need to invest a lot of money (unless you want to offload this mental-task).There are a handful of things you can do yourself that will make a difference to your website over time.

Whether you’re a flower farmer, photographer, artist, interior designer, or coach, this guide will help you build a stronger foundation for your website—without the jargon.

Quick Alignment: What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of helping search engines like Google understand what your website is about, so they can show it to the right people (ie your ideal clients).

Think of your website as a beautiful independent shop on a quiet street. SEO is the collection of signposts that help people find it.

While a lot of experts will focus on metrics and keywords suggestions, SEO is not about appeasing Google. Rather, it’s about  making your business easier to discover but people.

1. Know what your customers are searching for

One of the biggest mistakes I see is businesses writing about what they call their services instead of what their customers are searching for. Businesses like to treat this website like a CV or, bare with me, a dating profile. Businesses often celebrate themselves and what they do rather than centering their focus on how they can help their clients. 

For example:

❌ Botanical celebrations

✅ Wedding flowers

Or:

❌ Visual storytelling

✅ Brand photography

Ask yourself:

• What would someone type into Google if they’d never heard of my business?
• What problems are they trying to solve?
• What location might they include?
• Write down 10–20 search phrases your ideal customer might use. These don’t have to be perfect—they’re simply a starting point.

2. Give every page a clear purpose

Each page on your website should answer one main question. As a user clicks through your website, you are affirming to them that you are an expert in your industry, and that you are great to work with. You are also building the user’s confidence that they are your ideal client so they reach out to you.

Examples:

• Home – Who are you and how can you help?
• About – Why do you do what you do?
• Services – What do you offer?
• Contact – How can someone work with you?
• Avoid trying to squeeze everything onto one page.

The clearer your pages are, the easier they are for both visitors and search engines to understand.

3. Write for humans first

Google has become much better at recognising genuinely helpful content, and they recognize when you “keyword stuff,” and try to squeeze too much on one page. These practices serve a machine, not a person. So write naturally. Explain your process. Answer common questions. Share your expertise.

The goal isn’t to impress Google—it’s to help your future customers.

4. Keep your website fresh

One of the easiest ways to improve your website over time is to add useful content regularly, but this doesn’t mean publishing every week. It could mean writing a blog post each month that answers a question you hear all the time.

Some examples:

• How much does wedding photography cost?
• How do flower subscriptions work?
• What should I bring to an interior design consultation?
• Every helpful article becomes another opportunity for people to discover you and your business.

5. Don’t forget your page titles and descriptions

Page titles and page descriptions are what appears on a search engine results page. It’s the easier thing for Google to see and the clearer signal to the algorithm what the webpage is about. But it’s also the first thing a user sees about you, and it’s before they even click on your website! It will influence whether or not a user visits your

Every page should have:

• A unique page title
• A clear meta description
• Think of these as your shop window.

6. Create internal links

Creating internal links throughout your website sounds really technical, and it is the most technical thing on this list, but let’s walk it back. 

“Linking Internally” means you link to another page on your website. Alternatively, external linking is linking to a page on a different website (but we’re not talking about that). When your homepage links to your About page and your Service page, that’s internal linking. The value of doing this is to:

• Help signals to Google how all the pieces of your business fit together.
• Affirms to Google your expertise in your field, meaning you are a better suggestion to clients than a competitor might be. 
• Helps a web user navigate your website. 

Whenever you mention a service, link to a page specifically about that service. 

If you are a real estate business, write content about the areas you serve, building a strong linking circle between content about the area and the services you provide the area.

If you reference another blog post, link to it.

7. Make sure your website works on mobile

More and more people browse the web on their phones, so making sure your beautiful website is still beautiful on a smaller screen (and that it still works on a smaller screen) is key. You can always review your website analytics to see how much or your traffic is on a desktop versus a phone. 

To check this, take five minutes and review the following from your phone:

• Is the text easy to read?
• Are buttons easy to tap?
• Does your contact form work?
• Do images load quickly?

A great mobile experience isn’t optional anymore—it’s expected.

8. Keep your Google Business Profile up to date

If you serve customers locally, your Google Business Profile is just as important as your website.

Make sure it includes:

• Accurate opening hours
• Contact details
• Recent photos
• Your website
• Customer reviews

It’s one of the simplest ways to improve your visibility in local searches.

9. Be patient

SEO is not a quick fix. It’s more like planting a garden than flicking a switch. Every helpful page, every thoughtful blog post, and every improvement you make builds on the last. The businesses that see the greatest long-term success are usually the ones that keep showing up consistently.

A simple monthly SEO checklist

SEO doesn’t have to be a heavy lift. A little bit of attention every month can produce a big impact. Here is a rough monthly to do list for business owners: 

Publish one helpful piece of content.

• Check for broken links.
• Update one existing page.
• Add new photographs.
• Ask one happy customer for a Google review.
• Review your website on your phone.
• Answer one question your customers ask regularly.
• Small improvements really do add up.

You don’t have to do everything yourself

DIY SEO is a fantastic place to start. Many business owners can make significant improvements just by understanding the basics and being consistent.

There may come a point where you’d rather spend your time doing what you love—whether that’s growing flowers, photographing weddings, designing interiors, or making beautiful products. When that happens, having someone review your website, develop an SEO strategy, or help optimize your content can save you time and help you focus on your craft. 

After all, your website should be working for your business—not sitting on your to-do list. 

Email me if you’re ready to take SEO off your to-do list: molly@mollykoe.com