SEO basics every small business website needs
Search engine optimisation sounds complicated. And it can be — if you’re competing for national keywords with a big budget. For a local small business, it’s much simpler. Here are the five things that actually move the needle.
1. A clear, descriptive page title
The page title is the blue link in Google results. It should say what you do and where. “Boiler repair and installation — Amsterdam | Smeets Plumbing” beats “Home — Smeets Plumbing” every time. Keep it under 60 characters.
2. A meta description that earns the click
The grey text below the title doesn’t affect ranking, but it affects whether someone clicks. Write one sentence on what you offer and why someone should choose you. Under 155 characters.
3. A fast-loading, mobile-friendly site
Google measures how quickly your site loads on a phone, and it affects your ranking. The main culprits are large images and heavy scripts. A good host (like Cloudflare’s global network) takes care of the delivery side; keeping images reasonably sized takes care of the rest.
4. Your business name, address and phone number — consistently
If you’re a local business, Google wants to know exactly where you are. Put your NAP (name, address, phone) on your site — ideally in the footer of every page — and make sure it matches what’s in Google Business Profile.
5. One page per topic
Don’t cram all your services onto one page with no headings. Give each major service its own section, or its own page if it’s a significant offering. Google ranks pages, not websites — each well-structured page is its own opportunity to appear in results.
What you don’t need to worry about
Keyword density, backlink schemes, meta keywords (obsolete), or daily publishing. For most small local businesses, getting the basics right consistently beats any clever tactic.
How PagePal handles this for you
Every PagePal site is built with proper page titles, meta descriptions, clean HTML, fast Cloudflare hosting, and a sensible page structure — so the SEO foundations are in place from day one. You focus on your business; the technical groundwork is already laid.