Google publishes detailed guidance on how to make your site perform well in search results. Most people never read it. Instead, they pay someone to tell them what Google already says for free … and I will honestly and gladly take your money to help you suceed.

But if you wanted to do-it-yourself, you’d read the Google Developer website SEO guidelines … or my outtakes from it here … and just do what it says.

This is a plain-English action list drawn directly from Google’s own Search documentation. No tricks, no hacks, no “one weird SEO secret.” Just what Google says works.

And what Google says works typically translates fairly well to Bing, DuckDuckGo, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Siri, etc.

Foundation & Technical Setup

Register with Google Search Console. This is step zero. Search Console tells you how Google sees your site, what’s working, what’s broken, and what queries are bringing people to you. If you haven’t done this, nothing else on this list matters yet.

Claim your Google Business Profile. This controls how your business appears on Google Maps and in local search results. If you serve customers in a specific area, this is non-negotiable.

Update your Google Knowledge Panel. Provide your site name, contact information, and social profiles so Google can surface accurate information about your business in search results. Whenm the knowledge panel appears click the three dots and suggest an edit.

Submit a sitemap. An XML sitemap tells Google what pages exist on your site and how they relate to each other. Most modern website platforms can generate these automatically. Make sure yours is current and submitted through Search Console.

Ensure your site is mobile-first ready. Google uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. This is called mobile-first indexing. If your site doesn’t work well on a phone, it doesn’t work well for Google either.

Use proper redirects. When you move or remove a page, set up a redirect to tell both visitors and Google where the content has gone. Don’t leave dead ends.

Site Structure & URLs

Use descriptive, human-readable URLs. Include words that are meaningful to the page topic. /wedding-celebrant-hobart/ is better than /services/page-3/. Parts of the URL can appear as breadcrumbs in search results.

Group topically similar pages in directories. For example, /blog/wedding-tips/ or /locations/tasmania/. This helps Google understand how your pages relate to each other.

Organise your content in a logical hierarchy. Think about how every page connects to the rest of your site. Your site structure is your taxonomy — it tells search engines (and visitors) what your site is about and how it fits together.

Eliminate duplicate content. If multiple URLs serve the same or very similar content, Google may waste crawl resources on pages you don’t care about. Use canonical tags, redirects, or noindex directives to clean this up.

On-Page Content

Write unique, original content for every page. Don’t copy others’ content, in part or in full. Don’t just rehash what’s already been published elsewhere. Create content based on what you actually know about the topic.

Keep your content up to date. Review and refresh existing pages regularly. Outdated content signals neglect to both readers and search engines.

Break up long content with headings and paragraphs. Well-structured, scannable content performs better. Use a proper heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3) and keep paragraphs focused.

Write naturally, and write well. Content should be easy to read, well organised, and free of spelling and grammatical mistakes. If your writing is sloppy, your credibility takes a hit before Google even gets involved.

Anticipate your readers’ search terms. Think about what people actually type when they’re looking for what you offer. You don’t need to stuff exact phrases into your content — Google’s language matching systems are sophisticated enough to connect your page to relevant queries even if you don’t use the exact words.

Make visual content accessible in text form. Don’t rely on images or videos alone to convey important information. If it matters, it needs to be in the text as well.

Metadata & Search Appearance

Write descriptive, compelling title tags for every page. The title tag is the headline in search results. It directly influences whether someone clicks through to your site or scrolls past. This is worth getting right.

Write meta descriptions for every page. Google sometimes uses the meta description as the snippet beneath the title in search results. Treat it as ad copy for your page — a reason to click.

Don’t bother with the keywords meta tag. Google explicitly states they don’t use it. Save your time.

Add structured data. At minimum, implement Organisation schema, a site logo, and breadcrumbs. If you’re a local business, add LocalBusiness and Service schema too. Structured data helps Google understand your content and can enhance how your pages appear in results.

Images

Use sharp, clear images placed near relevant text. The text surrounding an image helps Google understand what the image is about and how it relates to the page.

Write descriptive alt text for every image. Alt text should explain the relationship between the image and your content. “Couple exchanging vows at sunset on a beach in Tasmania” is useful. “Photo” is not.

Use descriptive anchor text for all links. The clickable text of a link tells Google what the linked page is about. “Read our guide to writing personal vows” is far better than “click here.”

Make sure every important page is linked from other pages on your site. Google discovers pages by following links from pages it has already crawled. If a page isn’t linked to from anywhere, Google may never find it.

Build inbound links naturally. Links from other websites remain a fundamental ranking signal. Google uses PageRank as one of its core algorithms. But it’s one signal among many — focus on earning links through quality content and genuine relationships rather than chasing link schemes.

Content Quality: E-E-A-T

Google’s ranking systems look for content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Of these, trust is the most important.

Demonstrate experience. If you’ve done the thing you’re writing about, show it. Real, first-hand experience is a quality signal that’s hard to fake.

Demonstrate expertise. Show your depth of knowledge on the topic. Don’t just skim the surface — go deep enough that readers (and Google) can see you know what you’re talking about.

Build authoritativeness. Testimonials, credentials, media mentions, industry recognition — make these findable on your site. Authority is earned and evidenced, not just claimed.

Establish trust. Accurate information, clear contact details, transparent business practices. Google says trust is the most important factor in E-E-A-T. Earn it.

Apply the “Who, How, and Why” test. For every page, ask: Who created this content? How was it created? Why was it created? If the answer to “why” is anything other than “to help people,” you’ve got a problem.

Promotion & Discovery

Actively promote new content. Don’t just publish and hope. Social media, community engagement, online and offline advertising, and word of mouth all contribute to faster discovery by both readers and search engines.

Prioritise word of mouth. Google explicitly calls this “one of the most effective and lasting ways” to promote your content. People who know your site telling their friends, who then visit — that’s the gold standard.

The Bigger Picture

Provide an overall great page experience. Don’t obsess over one signal or one metric. Google’s core ranking systems reward pages that are good across many dimensions. There’s no single trick that makes up for a poor experience everywhere else.

Be patient. Some changes take effect in hours. Others take months. SEO is cumulative work, not a switch you flip.

Your domain extension barely matters. Whether you’re on .com, .com.au, .co.uk, or .guru, the TLD is a low-impact signal unless you’re specifically targeting users in a particular country … like Australia … in which case that .au domain name might be a winner.

“Interesting and useful” beats everything else. Google says it directly: creating content that people find compelling and useful will likely influence your website’s presence in search results more than any other suggestion in their guide. Content quality is the foundation. Everything else on this list is optimisation built on top of that foundation.

And if all of that is too hard, get an expert like me to help.