SEO Hints and Tips

Starting can feel overwhelming when you’re faced with dozens of articles, but we’ve got you covered with a clear path forward.
Your SEO learning journey
Start here – the foundations (Week 1):
Beginners guide to the language of SEO – Learn what all those confusing terms actually mean
Technical Jargon Glossary – Keep this handy as your reference guide
SEO for Beginners Tip #1 – Your first practical steps

Quick wins you can implement immediately (Week 2): 4. Setting up Google My Business – Essential for local businesses and charities 5. How to get a free SSL certificate – Important for rankings and security 6. 6 Ways to Clean Up your Website SEO – Simple improvements you can make today.

Building your knowledge (Weeks 3-4): 7. DIY Website Optimisation – Step-by-step optimization guide 8. How fast does SEO work? – Set realistic expectations 9. 404 errors and SEO – Fix common problems
For charities specifically: Start with Enhancing Your Website Reach: A Guide for Smaller Charities – this addresses your unique challenges and opportunities.

Our recommendation: Don’t try to read everything at once! Pick one article, implement what you learn, then move to the next. Small consistent improvements work better than trying to do everything simultaneously.

Still feeling overwhelmed? That’s completely normal. Consider starting with our Website Planning Book or joining The Website Club for structured, step-by-step guidance alongside these articles.

Can’t find what you need? We’re always adding new guides. Let us know what topics you’d like us to cover and we’ll write about them!

This is such an important question because many UK small businesses and charities struggle with time as much as budget.
The honest answer: You can make meaningful improvements with just 2-4 hours per week, but consistency matters more than marathon sessions.

Time breakdown for different approaches
Minimum commitment (1-2 hours weekly):
– Read one article and implement one improvement
– Update one page with better SEO practices
– Write or optimize one blog post
– Check Google Analytics for 15 minutes to spot trends
– Respond to Google Business Profile reviews
This pace works if you’re: Very time-limited, learning as you go, or supplementing with occasional professional help.

Optimal commitment (3-4 hours weekly):
– Implement 2-3 improvements from the guides
– Create one quality blog post with proper keyword research
– Work on technical fixes identified in articles
– Monitor and respond to analytics data
– Research competitors and keywords
This pace works if you’re: Serious about growth, have dedicated time, and want to see results within 3-6 months.

How UK small businesses typically manage it:
Solo entrepreneurs/freelancers: Often dedicate Friday afternoons or Monday mornings to SEO work. Blocking out consistent time works better than squeezing it in randomly.
Small teams: Assign one person as the “SEO champion” who dedicates a few hours weekly, supported by team members contributing content occasionally.
Charities with volunteers: Many successfully train a reliable volunteer to handle SEO using these guides. Investment in training pays off long-term.

Time-saving strategies:
Batch similar tasks:
– Research keywords for multiple blog posts at once
– Update several pages in one session
– Schedule social media posts monthly rather than daily
Use the guides efficiently: Each article is designed to be actionable – read it, implement it, move on. You don’t need to become an SEO expert; you just need to follow the guidance.
Focus on what matters: Not every guide will apply to your business. If you don’t have an e-commerce site, skip those articles. If you’re purely local, focus on local SEO guides.
Realistic expectations: If you can only spare 30 minutes weekly, that’s still better than nothing. Even small, consistent improvements compound over time.

When DIY might not work: If you genuinely can’t find 1-2 hours weekly, consider our SEO packages where we handle it for you. Sometimes paying for help is more cost-effective than struggling to find time.

There’s genuinely no catch! We believe UK small businesses and charities should have access to quality SEO information without having to pay for it. But let’s be honest about when free guides work and when you might need paid support.

Why these guides are completely free:
We want to demystify SEO and empower business owners to help themselves. Many small businesses and charities genuinely can improve their rankings by following our articles – and we’re happy to help them do that at no cost.
The guides cover real, practical SEO techniques that work. This isn’t watered-down content designed to force you into buying services – it’s genuinely useful information.

When free guides work brilliantly:
You’ll likely succeed with DIY SEO using these guides if you:
– Have time to dedicate to learning and implementation
– Are reasonably comfortable with technology
– Have a relatively straightforward website
– Serve a local area rather than competing nationally
– Can write your own content
– Are patient and understand results take months
– Enjoy learning new skills

When you might need paid help:
Technical issues beyond your skills: If guides mention things like “schema markup,” “canonical tags,” or “htaccess redirects” and you’re completely lost, you might need technical support for those specific fixes. Our PAYG service works perfectly for this.
You’re overwhelmed and need direction: If you’ve read articles but don’t know which to tackle first or how it applies to your specific situation, a Power Hour consultation or SEO report gives you a personalized roadmap.
You want accountability and structure: The Digital Mentoring package combines these free resources with monthly guidance and accountability – perfect for people who need that extra push.
You simply don’t have time: If you understand SEO from reading these guides but genuinely can’t find time to implement it, the ‘Done For You’ package means it actually gets done.
You need faster results: DIY SEO takes longer because you’re learning as you go. Professional help accelerates results because we already know what works.

The hybrid approach most UK small businesses take:
Many successful businesses use our free guides for content optimization and simple improvements, then pay for occasional help with:
– Initial technical setup and audits
– Complex integrations or fixes
– Periodic check-ins to ensure they’re on track
– Training sessions on specific topics they’re struggling with

For UK charities specifically:
We understand charity budgets are tight. Use these guides as much as possible for free, and only pay for help when you’re genuinely stuck or need technical expertise you don’t have. We’re not trying to upsell – we genuinely want you to succeed, paid or not.

What we get from free guides:
Transparency matters: Yes, some people who use these guides do eventually hire us because they’ve seen our expertise and trust our approach. But plenty don’t, and that’s absolutely fine. We’d rather you succeed using free resources than struggle unnecessarily or waste money on services you don’t need.

Bottom line: Start with the free guides. Implement what you can. Only consider paid help when you hit genuine roadblocks or time constraints. There’s no obligation, no pressure, and no “gotcha” moment where we suddenly start charging for information.