1. Confirm the site can be crawled and indexed
Check status codes, robots.txt, XML sitemap, canonical tags and page-level robots directives. Important pages should return 200 and should not accidentally carry noindex.
Choose one HTTPS hostname and redirect other public versions directly to it. Canonicals are useful signals, but they should not replace consistent redirects.
- HTTPS and preferred hostname
- 200 status on indexable pages
- Self-referencing canonical
- Robots and sitemap agreement
- No accidental noindex
2. Give every important page one clear purpose
A service page should answer a different need from an industry page or article. Use one descriptive H1, supporting H2 sections and unique title and meta description.
Do not create many near-identical location or industry pages. A page needs enough distinct information to help a real visitor.
3. Build contextual internal links
Connect the homepage to services, services to industries and case studies, and articles to the most relevant commercial pages. The sentence around the link should make its destination clear.
Use varied, natural anchor text. Repeating the exact target keyword dozens of times does not improve the reading experience.
4. Make local information accurate
Publish genuine areas served, showroom or clinic details, opening information and contact data. Do not invent offices to target more cities.
Local pages should contain unique service and proof context. If that context does not exist, strengthen the main service page instead.
5. Optimise images without damaging the work
Use descriptive filenames where practical, accurate alt text and explicit dimensions. Select modern formats and sizes that preserve the detail customers need to evaluate.
Lazy-load below-the-fold media, but keep the main page image prioritised. Stable aspect ratios reduce layout shift.
6. Measure the enquiry journey
Organic traffic matters only when it supports a useful business outcome. Define important actions such as calls, quote forms, bookings or purchases and test them on mobile.
Search Console and analytics can reveal what happened; they cannot replace a clear offer, credible evidence and an accessible next step.