DIY SEO if you can't hire anyone yet

You can do more than you think

SEO isn't magic, and most of what helps a small business is well within an owner's reach. You know your customers, your services and your area better than any outsider. What you need is a plan, a few free tools and a routine you'll actually keep.

Your first month

Week 1: set up the tools

• Google Search Console. Verify your site and submit your sitemap. It shows how Google sees your site and which searches show your pages.
• Google Analytics 4. Install it and set up a key event for enquiries.
• Google Business Profile, if you serve customers locally. Claim and verify it.
• Bing Webmaster Tools. Import your site from Search Console. It takes minutes.

Week 2: fix the obvious

• Check your main pages are indexed using URL Inspection in Search Console.
• Make sure your site loads over HTTPS.
• Check your site on your phone. Can you tap the phone number? Is the text readable?
• Fix any obviously broken links or outdated details.

Week 3: improve your three most important pages

Pick the pages that bring in the most valuable work. For each:

• Rewrite the title so it says what you do and where.
• Make the main heading clear.
• Make sure the opening paragraph answers what, where, for whom and how to get in touch.
• Add details customers ask about: prices, timescales, process.
• Add real photos and reviews.

Our on-page checklist walks through each step.

Week 4: local basics

• Complete every relevant field on your Business Profile.
• Ask five recent happy customers for a review.
• Check your details on the main directories and trade body registers in your sector.

An hour a week routine

Once the basics are done, an hour a week keeps things moving:

• Week one of each month: check Search Console for errors and look at which pages and searches are growing or falling. Use our audit checklist.
• Week two: improve one existing page. Update details, add questions customers ask, add photos.
• Week three: reply to reviews, add Business Profile photos, ask for new reviews.
• Week four: write or update one piece of useful content, or reach out to one local organisation, supplier or partner about a mention.

Small, steady progress adds up.

Free tools worth knowing

• Google Search Console, the most important one.
• PageSpeed Insights, for speed.
• Rich Results Test, for structured data.
• Google Trends, for seasonal patterns.
• Google Keyword Planner, for rough search ranges, if you have a Google Ads account.
• A free crawler, for finding broken links and duplicate titles on small sites.
• Google's SEO starter guide, worth reading once.

What to skip

DIY time is limited. Don't spend it on:

• Chasing third-party "authority" scores.
• Submitting your site to hundreds of directories.
• Reading every SEO news story.
• Tweaking things daily.
• Buying cheap link packages.

When DIY stops being enough

Consider getting help when:

• You're planning a redesign, platform move or domain change.
• Search traffic dropped sharply and you can't work out why.
• You've done the basics and results have plateaued in a competitive market.
• You simply don't have the time any more, and the routine has stopped.

There are several ways to get help: agencies, freelancers, automated services and training. Our comparisons set out the trade-offs, and our guide to briefing an SEO provider helps you get value from whoever you choose. Whatever you choose, keep ownership of your Search Console, analytics and Business Profile accounts.

A worked example

A self-employed carpet fitter in Peterborough had a website a friend built years ago and no time for marketing. He spent one evening setting up Search Console and claiming his Business Profile, which had been created automatically with the wrong phone number.

Over the next month he fixed the number, added photos of recent jobs, wrote a proper page for each of his three main services (carpet fitting, vinyl flooring and stair runners) with typical prices and what's included, and texted his last ten customers asking for reviews.

He then kept to a simple habit: ask every customer for a review, add a few photos to his profile each month, and check Search Console once a month over a cup of tea. A year on, he was getting enquiries from Google he'd never had before.

Questions