4 Quick Ways to Tidy Up Your SEO
SEO can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not a full-time digital marketer. But here’s the good news: you don’t need to spend hours buried in analytics to give your website’s SEO a healthy boost.
As a web designer, I often find that clients overlook a few basic (but powerful) areas that can make a real difference. So today, I’m sharing four quick ways to tidy up your SEO, most of which you can do in under an hour.
Add Meta Descriptions with Keywords to Every Page
Meta descriptions are the short blurbs that appear under your page title on Google. If you don’t add them manually, Google will just grab any text it can find and it might not be the most helpful.
Every page on your site should have its own unique meta description that includes a few keywords you want to be found for. Make it human-friendly, clear, and relevant.
For example, if you're a Cambridge-based garden designer, a good meta description might be:
“Award-winning Cambridge garden design service creating stylish, low-maintenance outdoor spaces. Book a free consultation today.”
Clear? Yes. Keyword-rich? Yes. And it gives people a reason to click.
Label Your Images Properly
This is one of the quickest wins in SEO.
Before uploading images, rename the files with descriptive keywords and your business name. For instance, instead of DSC100298.jpg, name it something like cambridge-garden-design-courtyard-yourbrand.jpg.
Also make sure each image has alt text, alt text is a little description you add to images on your website. It’s not visible on the page itself, but it sits behind the scenes and it helps Google understand the image, and it’s better for accessibility too.
Tip: Don’t overstuff keywords, keep it natural and relevant.
Clear Out Unused or Hidden Pages
Got any “test” pages, old content, or half-finished drafts still floating around your website? Time for a tidy.
Google crawls everything, and if it finds pages that are outdated, broken, or not relevant anymore, it can hurt your site’s overall performance.
Go through your site and either:
Delete pages you don’t need
Or deactivate/hide them from search engines using a noindex setting
It’s like decluttering your digital house and it makes your sitemap much cleaner for both Google and your users.
Make Your Headings Work Harder
Most websites use headings (H1, H2, H3 etc.) just for styling, but search engines rely on them to understand the structure of your content.
Go through your pages and check that:
Each page has just one H1 tag, ideally with your main keyword
Subheadings (H2s and H3s) follow a clear, logical order
Your headings include relevant keywords without sounding robotic
Think of headings like signposts, they help both your readers and Google navigate your content better.
SEO doesn't have to be scary or time-consuming. These small updates can make a genuine difference in how your site performs, especially if you're a local business trying to stand out online.
Pick one of these tips and knock it out this week. You might be surprised how much cleaner (and more searchable) your website feels.
