How to Do Basic SEO: Six Tasks, One Week
Basic SEO is six things: a title that matches what people search, a first paragraph that answers the question, internal links between related pages, alt text that describes each image, a sitemap search engines can read, and structured data that labels what the page is. Do those six and you have covered most of what actually moves a page.
No tools subscription needed. You need edit access to your site, about six hours for the first page, and a folder for your notes.
What Counts as Basic SEO?
Basic SEO is the handful of edits every page needs before promotion: a specific title, an opening paragraph that answers the search, links to related pages, descriptive alt text, a submitted sitemap and accurate structured data. None of it requires an agency, and all of it is checkable today.
If you want the wider definition first, the plain-language version is in Whats Is SEO? — this page is the hands-on half of that answer.
The Six-Piece Basic Kit
Each piece is small. Together they change how a page is read by both a person and a crawler. Do them in this order on one page, then repeat on the rest.
Title tag
One phrase, under 60 characters, keyword near the front. Written for a person deciding whether to click, not for a keyword counter.
First paragraph
Answer the query in the first two sentences, in plain words. A reader should not need to scroll to find out what the page is about.
Internal links
Link the page to two or three related pages using the other page's real title as the anchor. Point at what the reader needs next.
Image alt text
Describe the image as it relates to the page. Skip "image of" and skip keyword strings; one clear sentence is enough.
Sitemap
Generate it, keep it current, submit it once in Search Console, and make sure every page you care about is on it.
Structured data
Mark the page type (Article, Product, Service, FAQ) in JSON-LD. Validate it, then leave it alone until the content changes.
How Each Piece Is Actually Done
1. Title tag: write the click, not the keyword list
Start with the phrase someone would type, then add the reason to choose you. "Marine Cable Glands for Export Buyers" beats "Cable Glands, Cable Gland, Cable Glands Supplier" because it reads like a page a buyer wants. Keep it under 60 characters so the end does not get cut in the results. Every page gets its own; duplicated titles are the most common basic mistake we see.
2. First paragraph: answer first, context second
The opening paragraph should contain the answer in the first fifteen to twenty words, then explain. If the page is a product, say what it is and who it is for. If the page is a how-to, say the outcome and the time it takes. This one change often moves pages more than adding content, because it gives both the reader and the search engine a clean statement of the page's job.
3. Internal links: two or three, with real anchors
Open a draft page, find two or three pages a reader would want next, and link to them with the target page's actual title as the link text. Do not use "click here" and do not buy elaborate link schemes. Internal links pass context and tell a crawler which pages matter. For a ten-page site, a simple habit works: every page links to the one page above it and the two most useful pages beside it.
4. Image alt text: describe, do not stuff
Write what the image shows in the context of the page: "worker sealing a carton before export" rather than "export packaging export packaging". Alt text serves screen readers first and image search second. If an image is purely decorative, an empty alt is correct — but do not leave a filename like IMG_2043 as the description.
5. Sitemap: one file, current, submitted
Most platforms generate a sitemap automatically. Check that it exists, that it lists the pages you want indexed, and that it does not list redirects or error pages. Submit it once in Search Console; after that it is read on its own schedule. A sitemap does not force indexing, but a stale one sends confusing signals.
6. Structured data: label the page honestly
Add JSON-LD that matches what is on the page: Article for a guide, Product for a product, Service for a service, FAQPage only when the questions are really on the page. Validate it with a testing tool, fix errors, and do not add review stars you do not have. Structured data helps a page be understood; it does not buy a ranking.
The Six Tasks at a Glance
The same six pieces, with the edit each one needs and the signal that it is done. Times are for a first run on one page.
| Piece | First run | What you change | Done looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title tag | 10 min | One specific phrase under 60 characters | Every page has a different, readable title |
| First paragraph | 15 min | Answer in the opening sentence | A stranger can say what the page offers |
| Internal links | 15 min | Two or three anchors with real titles | No page is more than two clicks from home |
| Alt text | 10 min | One descriptive sentence per image | No filenames or keyword strings remain |
| Sitemap | 10 min | Generate, check, submit | Every important page is listed once |
| Structured data | 20 min | JSON-LD matching the page type | Validator shows no errors |
A One-Week Schedule That Fits Real Work
Six hours total, spread across five days. Pick your five most valuable pages: the ones that already get enquiries or should. Do not start with the blog.
Write the six titles and six opening paragraphs.One page at a time. Stop when the title reads like something a buyer would click.
Fix the first paragraphs on the remaining pages and check the heading order.One H1 per page. H2s under it. No skipped levels.
Add internal links in both directions between the five pages.Anchor text is the target page's title, not "learn more".
Rewrite alt text on the images that carry meaning.Skip decorative images. Describe what a buyer would want to see.
Generate the sitemap, submit it, add JSON-LD to the five pages, validate.Fix only real errors, then leave it alone.
Read it as a stranger and ask one customer to do the same.Anything unclear is a fix for next week, not a rewrite.
What to Check After the First Week
You will not see rankings in seven days, and anyone who says otherwise is guessing. What you can check is whether the machinery is now correct. In Search Console, confirm the sitemap status is "success" and that the five pages are indexed. Check that each page appears for its own title when you search the exact phrase in quotes. Look at the Pages report for anything excluded that should not be.
Then write the baseline down: impressions, clicks and average position for the five pages, dated. Without that baseline you cannot tell whether next month's change came from your edits or from the season. Repeat the check at thirty and sixty days, and only then decide whether the pages need more content or better links.
Five Mistakes That Waste the Week
- Optimising the blog first. Service and product pages pay the bills. Fix those before the articles.
- One keyword per page, repeated everywhere. Write for the question; a phrase repeated nine times reads like spam.
- Copying a competitor's title. You inherit their intent and compete for the same click with a weaker page.
- Adding schema for content that is not there. Markup must describe the visible page, or it is a liability.
- Stopping after week one. The kit is maintenance, not a one-off. Titles and paragraphs drift as products change.
Want a second pair of eyes on the six pieces?Send one URL. We will point at the three fixes that would matter most, in plain language, with no pitch attached.
When Basic Stops Being Enough
Six pieces will get a small site into reasonable shape. They will not fix a template that renders content after a script tag, a category structure that hides products three clicks deep, or a hundred pages that all target the same phrase. When the basics are done and growth stalls, the next layer is On-Page SEO Services: page-level architecture, query mapping, and rewriting at a scale one person cannot sustain.
There is a simple test. If every page on your site has a clear title, a real answer in the first paragraph, correct links, described images, a listed sitemap and honest markup — and you still do not appear for the phrases you care about — the problem is no longer the page. It is usually site structure, authority or intent mismatch, and those need a different kind of work.
Do the six first. They are cheap, they are within your control, and they make every later conversation sharper because you will be able to tell which part is actually broken.
Basic SEO Questions, Answered
Do I need a plugin or paid tool to do this?
No. You need edit access to the site and a free Search Console account. Paid tools speed up research, but the six edits on this page are all doable in the platform your site already runs on.
How long should a page be?
Long enough to answer the question completely. A service page often needs 600 to 900 words; a product page may need 200. Length is a result of the answer, not a target to hit.
Should the keyword be in the H1?
Usually yes, once, in a natural phrase. The H1 and the title can differ slightly. What matters is that the page's main subject is obvious in the first screen a visitor sees.
How many internal links per page?
Two to five meaningful ones for a small site. More than that and the reader stops choosing. Every link should answer "what would this person want next" rather than "which page do I want to push".
Does structured data improve rankings?
Not directly. It helps a page be understood and can make a result richer, which can improve click-through. Treat it as clarity, not as a lever for position.
What if my platform will not let me edit titles?
Most platforms expose the title field somewhere in the page settings, sometimes under "SEO" or "search appearance". If yours truly does not, that is a platform constraint worth pricing against a migration.
Run the kit on one page this week
Send a URL and we will tell you which of the six pieces is missing, in the order that would help most.
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