If you’re an in-house content writer or marketer, SEO can feel… exhaustingly technical. And with AI reshaping how content gets discovered, that feeling has only intensified.
Even so, whether you’re aiming for Google rankings or showing up in AI-generated summaries, the fundamentals of SEO still matter.
Thankfully, as a Senior Copywriter at RM, I work closely with our clients’ SEO agencies – including the switched-on team at Spicy Web. That means I get a front-row seat to how the small stuff creates a seriously big impact.
So naturally, I’m keen to pass those learnings on to you. Read on for seven non-scary SEO best practices you can start doing today. No coding required.
1. Shift your mindset
I confess: I used to think SEO was mostly about keywords and back-end tweaks I’d never touch.
What I’ve learned since? SEO is just as much about howcontent is written, structured and experienced as it is about the technical stuff.
Good copywriting matters. Clear structures matter. Whether someone stays on the page – or bounces immediately – really matters (but more on that later).
These days, search engines are paying attention to:
- How easy your content is to scan
- Whether it answers specific questions
- How credible and up-to-date your site feels
- Whether real humans engage with it
Which is actually good news if you (like me) don’t consider yourself overly ‘technical’. Because, as it turns out, a lot of SEO wins live squarely in content territory.
2. Structure your content like you want it to be read
Search engines don’t read pages like humans do. Go figure. Instead, they scan them – so you should, too. Here are a few easy structure wins:
- Use heading hierarchies properly: H1, Shmaysh1, right? Wrong. Headings tell Google what information on the webpage matters most. So, you need one clear H1 per page. Logical H2s and H3s underneath it. And if it’s important information, do not under any circumstances bury it under a H5 subheading.
- Add TL;DR summaries to longer pages: I know, your webpage is beautiful. But some busy humans won’t stick around long enough to find out. TL;DR boxes reduce bounce rates and help people decide whether to keep reading. Plus, they’re an easy way to help AI tools summarise your content.
- Break information into lists and tables: Dense paragraphs are hard work and slightly intimidating. Lists are easier to scan, easier to understand and easier for search engines to parse.
- Use pull quotes or call-outs: Features that visually break up the page will increase your engagement and make Google think you’re fun – and therefore, that your content is worth checking out.
- Bring back FAQs: An FAQ section with conversational phrasing is great for the emerging phenomenon, voice search. Think, Hey Siri, ask Google who the best copywriting agency in the world is. Targeting a similar cadence and tone in your FAQs will help your website be featured in its answer.
- Avoid putting years in URLs: This one is kind of straightforward, but it’s best to keep your website evergreen and future-proof. Google won’t recommend an article from 2004 for a search query asked today.
3. Use your keywords wisely
I’m sorry to bring up the K word, but we have to talk about it. Because, yes, keywords are important. But forcing them into every sentence won’t do you any good.
Instead, use your main keyword in the page title, H1 and maybe a few subheadings. Maybe. Remember: you’re writing for clarity first, optimisation second.
And as far as the actual content goes? Focus on answering the question behind the search – not just boosting that keyword count. If your content is painful to read, people leave. And when people leave quickly, search engines notice.
To steal an analogy from our Founder Vikki Maver, a solid SEO ranking only invites your friends to the party – the actual words on the page are what keep them there. And if your friends are dipping before they’ve even sat down to have a drink? Google will think your party is lame, and it’ll stop inviting people to it.
4. Master the metadata basics
Really, to improve your metadata, all you need is to pay a little bit of attention.
Check your page titles: Your page title (what shows up in search results) should:
- Match or closely align with your on-page headline
- Include your primary keyword
- Make sense to a human skimming Google results
Rewrite your meta descriptions: Meta descriptions don’t directly affect rankings, but they do affect click-through rate. So, treat them like tiny ads:
- Keep them clear and specific
- Include relevant keywords naturally
- Make sense to a human skimming Google results
Add alt text to every image: Google can’t ‘see’ images. Alt text tells it what’s there – and helps with accessibility, too. Describe the image plainly and move on.
5. Increase your (internal) linking
Internal linking is one of the easiest SEO wins around – and it’s wildly underused.
Aim for around 7-9 internal links per blog post. Yes, that sounds like a lot. No, Google doesn’t care.
The best way to link is to use descriptive anchor text (never ‘click here’), and lead people to relevant service pages, blogs or resources. This helps search engines crawl your site properly and builds authority around your key pages.
It also helps humans discover more of your content, which is never a bad thing.
6. Prioritise freshness signals
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to publish new content every week to stay relevant. Sometimes, updating what you already have is just as powerful.
Updating older blog posts, refreshing examples, fixing broken links, adding internal links and showing a ‘last updated’ date can breathe new life into existing content. Search engines like it. Humans trust it more. Everyone wins.
It’s also a great way to make sure you’re consistently checking in on the content you’ve already posted. Who knows? You might just find some opportunities for repurposing while you’re at it.
7. Make full use of your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the highest-impact SEO assets you have. And it’s completely free.
An optimised profile – with photos, services, reviews, links and regular updates – sends strong signals of credibility. It helps you show up in local results and map listings, and it tends to drive higher-intent traffic than many paid ads.
In fact, optimised GBPs lead to 7x more clicks.
Plus, they look pretty swish.
Need a website that’s written for humans and search engines? Get in touch to tell us more. And if you want an SEO agency that’ll monitor your performance? We couldn’t recommend Spicy Web enough.
