by The Computing Australia Group | A Business Owner’s
Guide to SEO
If you run a business, you’ve almost certainly heard that you “need SEO.”
The short answer is yes – SEO is absolutely worth it.
The longer answer is that how well it works depends on:
- How competitive your industry is
- How strong your website and content are today
- How well planned and consistently executed your SEO strategy is
Search engine optimisation (SEO) isn’t a magic switch. It takes time, specialist skills and ongoing effort. But for most businesses, it’s one of the highest-ROI marketing channels available because it builds an asset you own: long-term, organic visibility in Google and other search engines.
This guide is written specifically for business owners. You don’t need to be “technical” to understand it – but by the end, you’ll be able to:
- Understand what SEO actually is (beyond the buzzword)
- See how search engines like Google work
- Recognise the main types of SEO and what they do
- Set realistic expectations for timeframes and results
- Ask the right questions when you work with an SEO agency or consultant
What Is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving your website so it appears more prominently in organic (unpaid) search results for the keywords your potential customers are using.
SEO does this by:
- Making it easier for search engines to discover and understand your website
- Improving the quality, relevance and structure of your content
- Enhancing the speed, usability and experience for visitors
- Building authority and trust signals from other websites and platforms
A well-optimised website doesn’t just “rank higher”; it also:
- Attracts more of the right visitors
- Converts more of those visitors into enquiries, bookings or sales
- Supports your brand as a whole, both online and offline
How Search Engines Work (in Plain English)
To understand SEO, it helps to know the basics of how Google and other search engines operate. They follow a three-step process:
1. Crawling – Finding Content
- These bots follow links from one page to another
- They also read XML sitemaps and use other discovery methods
- If the bots can’t access a page (because of technical issues or blocked resources), it may never appear in search results
2. Indexing – Understanding and Storing Content
Once a crawler finds a page, the search engine tries to understand what it’s about:
- It analyses the text, headings, images, structured data and internal links
- It looks at language, topic, intent and context
- It then stores this information in a massive database called the index
If your content doesn’t get indexed, it can’t rank – even if it’s excellent.
3. Ranking – Choosing the Best Results
When someone enters a query, Google instantly:
- Searches its index for relevant pages
- Evaluates hundreds of signals (relevance, quality, location, device, freshness, user behaviour and more)
- Ranks and displays the pages in the order it believes is most helpful for the user
SEO is about influencing all three stages – crawling, indexing and ranking – so that:
- Your pages are found
- They are understood correctly
- They are seen as high-quality and relevant enough to appear near the top
The Core Pillars of SEO: Content, Technical Performance & User Experience
1. Content – Are you answering the searcher’s question better than your competitors?
2. Technical Performance – Is your website fast, secure and easy for search engines to crawl?
3. User Experience (UX) – Is your site simple, helpful and enjoyable to use?
You create “happy” users – and happy search engines – by:
- Fulfilling search intent
- Matching the content of your page to what the user is really looking for
- Presenting information clearly and attractively
- Helpful headings, easy-to-scan layout, visuals where appropriate
- Loading quickly
- Slow pages cause users to drop off, which hurts your conversions and can affect rankings
- Being responsive and mobile-friendly
- The site should work perfectly on phones, tablets and desktops
Let’s break down how SEO is usually grouped in practice.
On-Page (On-Site) SEO
On-page SEO is everything you do on your own website to optimise content and structure.
It includes:
- Keyword research – Understanding the phrases your customers use
- Content creation and optimisation – Articles, service pages, product descriptions, FAQs, landing pages
- Title tags and meta descriptions – The snippets users see in search results
- Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) – Structuring your content logically
- Internal linking – Connecting related pages on your site
- Image optimisation – File sizes, alt text and filenames
- Technical SEO basics – Page speed, mobile responsiveness, secure HTTPS, clean URLs, structured data
Off-Page (Off-Site) SEO
The main goals are to:
- Build trust and credibility
- Earn high-quality backlinks (links from other websites to yours)
- Grow brand awareness and positive sentiment
Important off-page elements include:
- Backlinks – Links from reputable, relevant websites pointing to your pages
- Brand mentions – Even when there’s no direct link, mentions can still help your brand reputation
- Online reviews and ratings (Google, industry directories, Facebook, etc.)
- Social media presence – Not a direct ranking factor, but powerful for reach, sharing and visibility
- Digital PR – Being featured in news outlets, blogs, podcasts, or industry sites
Off-page SEO is how you show Google (and real people) that others trust and recommend you.
Local SEO: Being Found in Your Area
If you have a physical location or serve a local service area, local SEO is crucial.
Local SEO helps you appear for searches like:
- "plumber near me”
- "accountant in [your city]”
- “best café in [suburb]”
Why Local SEO Matters
Consider these typical behaviours:
- Many people who search for a local business visit or contact one within a day
- Local searchers often have high buying intent (they’re ready to act)
- Mobile devices dominate local searches – people search on the go
Key Local SEO Elements
- Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) – Your local listing on Google Maps and local search
- Consistent NAP details – Name, Address, Phone number across your website and directories
- Local reviews – On Google and other trusted platforms
- Location-based content – Service area pages, local landing pages, local case studies
- Local backlinks and citations – Links and references from local directories, chambers of commerce, local news sites, etc.
For many service businesses, local SEO delivers some of the fastest and most measurable ROI within the broader SEO strategy.
Mobile-First: Why Your Website Must Work Brilliantly on Phones
For many service businesses, local SEO delivers some of the fastest and most measurable ROI within the broader SEO strategy.
If your site:
- Is hard to use on a phone
- Has tiny text or buttons
- Loads slowly on mobile data
- Hides important content on mobile
…you’re likely losing both rankings and revenue.
A mobile-first website should:
- Load quickly on 4G/5G
- Use responsive design (adapts to any screen size)
- Have readable text without zooming
- Use tap-friendly buttons and forms
- Show core content and navigation clearly on mobile
Investing in mobile UX is no longer optional – it’s central to both SEO and customer satisfaction.
How Long Does SEO Take to Show Results?
This is one of the first questions most business owners ask – and it’s an important one.
The honest answer
SEO takes time. It’s not a quick-fix or overnight solution.
In many cases you can expect to:
- Start seeing early indicators (better rankings for some terms, more impressions, small traffic lifts) within 4–6 months
- See more significant, consistent growth over 6–12 months and beyond
Timeframes depend on factors like:
- Your starting point (new vs. established site)
- How competitive your industry and keywords are
- The quality and frequency of your content
- The strength of your competitors’ SEO
- The resources and consistency you commit
Short-term tricks might provide a temporary spike – but they can also lead to penalties or loss of visibility later.
Think of SEO as building:
- A reputation with Google
- A library of useful content
- A long-term traffic asset that keeps working even when you’re not paying for ads
Why Invest in SEO Instead of Just Advertising?
You might be wondering:
It’s not either/or. SEO and PPC (pay-per-click ads) play different roles.
Benefits of SEO
- Compounding returns – A good piece of content can keep attracting leads for years
- Lower cost per lead over time – Once content ranks, you don’t pay per click
- Brand authority – High organic rankings build strong perceived trust
- Better user experience – SEO improvements also benefit other channels
Benefits of PPC
- Immediate visibility
- Perfect for time-sensitive offers or new product launches
- Precise targeting for specific audiences, locations, and keywords
- Useful for testing keyword demand and messaging
For most businesses, the best approach is a blend:
- Use PPC for quick wins and campaigns
- Use SEO for sustainable, long-term growth and authority
Website Migration & SEO: Will I Lose My Rankings?
If you plan to:
- Redesign your website
- Change domains
- Move from one platform to another
…you’ll likely hear the term “website migration.”
A poorly handled migration can damage your rankings temporarily – or in a worst-case scenario, long term.
However, with proper planning and SEO oversight, you can:
- Preserve your existing rankings and equity
- Redirect old URLs to new ones correctly
- Update internal links, sitemaps and technical settings
- Regain lost traffic within weeks rather than months
Always involve your SEO team or specialist before you launch a new site or change domains.
Google Business Profile (GMB) – Is It Really Necessary?
If your SEO consultant is pushing you to claim and optimise your Google Business Profile, they’re right.
Google Business Profile is:
- Free
- Essential for local search and map visibility
- A key source of reviews, photos and up-to-date business info
Optimising your profile helps you:
- Appear in the local map pack
- Build trust through ratings and reviews
- Provide accurate contact details, opening hours and services
- Share updates, offers and posts directly in Google
Can You Track SEO Performance?
Yes – and you should.
SEO isn’t guesswork. With the right tools, you can measure:
- How many people are finding your site via organic search
- Which pages they land on
- Which keywords are driving traffic
- How many leads or sales are coming from organic visitors
- How your rankings change over time
Common tools include:
- Google Analytics – Tracks website traffic and conversions
- Google Search Console – Shows search queries, impressions, clicks, indexing issues
- Other specialised SEO tools for rank tracking, audits and backlink analysis
Your SEO team should provide regular, clear reports that focus on:
- Business outcomes (leads, enquiries, revenue)
- Key trends and opportunities
- Work completed and planned next steps
Black-Hat vs White-Hat SEO
You may have heard about “black-hat SEO” tactics.
Black-hat SEO
These are manipulative or disapproved techniques that try to trick search engines, such as:
- Buying or exchanging large volumes of low-quality backlinks
- Hiding text or links
- Using auto-generated or spun content
- Keyword stuffing and other unnatural practices
While these might deliver short-lived gains, Google is constantly improving at detecting them – and penalties can be severe (loss of rankings, deindexing).
White-hat SEO
White-hat SEO follows search engine guidelines and focuses on:
- High-quality, original content
- Legitimate link-building and PR
- Technical best practices
- Honest, customer-focused optimisation
It takes longer, but it builds a sustainable foundation for long-term success.
SEO FAQs for Business Owners
Here are answers to some of the common questions business owners ask.
1. Should I invest in PPC or SEO?
It depends on your goals and timeframes.
- Choose PPC for fast results, time-sensitive campaigns or when you’re launching something new.
- Invest in SEO for long-term visibility, brand authority and compounding returns.
In most cases, a combined strategy works best.
2. Will I get a clear timeline for SEO results?
A good SEO professional can give you an estimated timeframe based on:
- Your industry and competition
- Your starting point
- The planned scope of work
Be wary of anyone guaranteeing specific rankings by a specific date. A trustworthy SEO partner will first:
- Learn about your business and goals
- Audit your current site and competitors
- Then provide a realistic, tailored timeline and roadmap
3. Is SEO a one-off project or an ongoing process?
SEO is ongoing.
Search engines change, competitors update their sites, and user behaviour evolves. To maintain and grow your results, you need to:
- Keep creating and improving content
- Monitor technical health
- Build and maintain authority signals
- Adapt to new opportunities and trends
4. Can I “do a bit of SEO” and then stop?
You can certainly make one-off improvements that help – like speeding up your site or fixing major technical issues. But to compete seriously, especially in busy markets, SEO needs to be treated as a continuous marketing channel, not a one-time task.
Final Thoughts: Why SEO Is Worth It for Business Owners
SEO is not the fastest channel, but it’s one of the most powerful for long-term growth.
Done properly, it can help you:
- Be discovered by people actively searching for what you offer
- Reduce reliance on paid ads over time
- Build a strong, credible online brand
- Turn your website into a consistent source of leads, bookings or sales
The digital space is more level than traditional advertising: even smaller businesses can compete with larger brands if they commit to a smart, well-executed SEO strategy.
SEO is hard work. It is skilled work that needs constant attention. With over 20 years of experience in the digital space, The Computing Australia Group brings you the advantage of a team of creative and experienced professionals. Our Perth SEO team takes a holistic approach to your marketing strategy with approved white hat SEO strategies that help you be found by your clients. Contact us or reach out to us at sales@computingaustralia.group for an obligation-free chat.
Jargon Buster
Searchbots : Also known as spiders or crawlers, are automated software that is used by search engines like Google or Bing to travel the internet and look at websites, understand their content and index them to be retrieved later.
Search intent : Is the purpose behind a search query on the internet. For example, a transactional query is done with purchase intent.
Technical SEO : Refers to optimising the technical aspects of a website to improve crawling and indexing.
PPC : Pay-per-click is an internet marketing model in which advertisers pay for each click that is made on their ads.
Website migration : Is a process through which a website migrates to another host or domain and goes through major changes to its structure, content, location or design.
Backlinks : Backlinks or incoming links are links from an external website to your webpages.
Responsive websites : Websites that function well across multiple devices, windows, screen sizes and browsers.
FAQ
What exactly is SEO in simple terms?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of improving your website so it appears higher in organic (unpaid) search results on Google and other search engines. The aim is to attract more relevant visitors who are already searching for your products or services, without relying solely on paid ads.
Is SEO really necessary for my business?
If your customers use Google (or any search engine) to find what you offer, then yes, SEO is highly valuable. It helps your business get in front of people who are actively looking for solutions like yours, increases your online visibility and supports long-term growth. Even local, bricks-and-mortar businesses benefit significantly from SEO.
How long does it take to see results from SEO?
SEO is a long-term strategy, not a quick fix. Many businesses start to see early improvements within 4–6 months, but more substantial growth usually takes 6–12 months or longer, depending on competition, your starting point and how consistently work is done. The upside is that well-executed SEO continues to deliver results over time.
What is local SEO and do I need it?
What are black-hat SEO tactics and why should I avoid them?
Black-hat SEO refers to manipulative or disapproved techniques like buying spammy backlinks, hiding text, keyword stuffing or using automated content. These tactics may produce short-lived gains but risk severe penalties from Google, including loss of rankings or removal from results. It’s safer and smarter to invest in ethical, long-term (white-hat) SEO.
