Marketing Toolbox

SEO
Rank. Be Found. Win.

On-page optimization checklists, technical SEO fundamentals, keyword research frameworks, and the local SEO tactics that move small businesses from invisible to page one.

On-Page SEO Technical SEO Local SEO Keyword Strategy
68% Of all online experiences begin with a search engine
53% Of all website traffic comes from organic search
0.63% Of Google searchers click to page 2, the rest never see you
14.6% Close rate for SEO leads vs. 1.7% for outbound marketing
Best Practices

What Actually Moves the Needle in SEO

SEO is one of the most misunderstood marketing channels because results take time and the rules change constantly. These are the principles that have remained true across every algorithm update.

🎯 Search intent beats keyword density every time Google's job is to match searchers with the most useful result. The page that best answers the specific question being asked wins, regardless of how many times it uses the keyword. Before writing any page, ask: what does someone searching this phrase actually need? Information, a comparison, a product, a local service? Match your content to that intent exactly. Foundation
📄 One page, one primary keyword topic Every page on your website should target one specific topic, not five loosely related ones. When a single page tries to rank for too many topics, it ranks well for none of them. Create dedicated pages for each service, location, or topic your business wants to be found for, with a clear primary keyword and supporting related terms throughout. Critical
⚡ Page speed is a direct ranking factor Google's Core Web Vitals measure loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability, and they are built into the ranking algorithm. A page that loads in under 2.5 seconds consistently outranks a slower competitor with better content. Compress images, minimize scripts, use a fast hosting provider, and check your scores monthly in Google Search Console. Technical
🔗 Internal linking builds topical authority Every time you link from one page of your site to another relevant page, you pass ranking authority and help Google understand your site structure. Create a hub-and-spoke content model: build a strong pillar page for your main topic, then link to and from supporting pages on subtopics. This is one of the highest-leverage SEO activities that requires no external help. Pro tip
🏅 E-E-A-T is Google's trust framework Google evaluates pages on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. For small businesses, this means: include an About page with real people and credentials, get reviews and display them, earn mentions and links from reputable local sites, list a real address and phone number, and add author bios to blog content. Trust signals are not optional in competitive niches. Google's standard
📱 Google indexes mobile first Google crawls and ranks your website based on its mobile version, not desktop. If your site is slow, hard to navigate, or has content that is hidden on mobile, that is what Google is judging. Test your site on a real phone monthly, fix any mobile usability issues immediately, and ensure every key piece of content is visible on mobile without expanding accordions or tabs. Non-negotiable
✍️ Long-form content dominates competitive keywords For competitive search terms, the top-ranking pages typically contain 1,500 to 3,000 words of genuinely useful content. This is not about keyword stuffing, it is about comprehensiveness. If your page answers five questions and a competitor's page answers twenty questions on the same topic, their page wins. Cover the topic more thoroughly than anyone else. Pro tip
🔄 Update existing content before writing new content Refreshing an existing page that already has some ranking history is often faster and more impactful than writing a new page from scratch. Add new sections, update statistics, improve the structure, and re-optimize the title and meta description. Google rewards freshness, and a refreshed page often jumps several positions within weeks. Quick win
📊 Google Search Console is your most important free tool Search Console shows you exactly which queries bring people to your site, which pages rank for which keywords, your average position, your click-through rate, and any technical issues Google has found. Check it at least monthly. The "Queries" report alone will give you a roadmap of exactly which pages to optimize next based on ranking positions between 4 and 20. Use this
SERP Preview

How Your Page Appears in Search Results

Your title tag and meta description are your organic ad copy. They determine whether someone clicks your result or the one below it. Here is what a well-optimized result looks like versus a poorly optimized one, and the exact character limits to stay within.

🔍 family law attorney richmond va
smithashcraft.com › family-law-attorney-richmond-va Richmond Family Law Attorney | Divorce, Custody and Support Well optimized 4.9 ★★★★★ · 87 reviews · Open now Smith | Ashcraft helps Richmond families navigate divorce, child custody, and spousal support with experienced, compassionate legal representation. Call for a free consultation today.
example-lawfirm.com Home - Example Law Firm Welcome to our website. We are a law firm serving the greater Richmond area. Contact us for more information about our legal services and how we can help you.
On-Page Checklist

On-Page SEO Checklist for Every Page

Apply this checklist to every page you want to rank. These are the elements Google evaluates when deciding where to place your page in the results for a given keyword.

✓
Title tag: 50 to 60 characters including keyword Include your primary keyword near the beginning of the title. Add your brand name at the end separated by a pipe or dash. Keep it under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results.
✓
Meta description: 120 to 155 characters, includes a CTA Write a compelling summary that includes the primary keyword and a clear reason to click. This does not directly affect rankings but significantly affects click-through rate, which does.
✓
H1 tag: one per page, includes primary keyword Every page should have exactly one H1. It should include the primary keyword and clearly tell the visitor what the page is about within the first second of reading it.
✓
URL slug: short, keyword-rich, no stop words Use hyphens to separate words, include your primary keyword, and omit filler words like "the," "a," and "and." Good: /richmond-family-law-attorney. Bad: /home-our-attorneys-richmond-va-services.
✓
Images: compressed, descriptive alt text on every image All images should have alt text describing what is in the image, including the keyword where it is natural. Compress images to under 200KB using WebP format where possible to improve page speed.
✓
Internal links: at least 2 to 3 links to related pages Every page should link to at least 2 to 3 other relevant pages on your site using descriptive anchor text that includes keywords. This distributes authority and helps Google understand your site structure.
✓
Schema markup: LocalBusiness, Service, or FAQ schema Schema markup tells Google explicitly what type of content is on your page. LocalBusiness schema can earn rich snippets with your rating, hours, and phone number directly in search results.
✓
Mobile usability: no horizontal scroll, tappable buttons Test the page on a real mobile device. Every button should be at least 44px tall, text should be readable without zooming, and content should never require horizontal scrolling.
✓
Page speed: Core Web Vitals all in "Good" range Check your page in Google PageSpeed Insights. Target an LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200ms, and CLS under 0.1. Fix any "Poor" signals immediately as they directly suppress rankings.
✓
Content depth: answers the top 5 questions on this topic Search the keyword yourself and read the top 3 results. What questions do they answer? Ensure your page answers all of those questions, plus additional ones competitors have missed.
✓
Google Search Console: page submitted and indexed After publishing, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to request indexing. Without this step, Google may take weeks to discover your new page on its own.
✓
GA4 or analytics: page view and conversion tracking confirmed Verify that the page is being tracked in your analytics platform and that any conversion actions on the page, form submissions, phone number clicks, or booking links, are firing correctly.
Work with me

Show up when
it matters most.

SEO is the most cost-effective long-term marketing investment a small business can make. Unlike paid ads that stop the moment you stop spending, well-executed SEO compounds over time and delivers leads and traffic for years after the work is done.

→ Technical SEO audit and fixes covering Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, crawlability, site structure, and any indexing issues currently holding your rankings back.
→ Keyword research and content strategy identifying the specific terms your ideal customers are searching, mapped to a content plan that closes the gaps in your current site.
→ On-page optimization of your existing pages, including titles, meta descriptions, H-tag structure, internal linking, and schema markup implementation.
→ Monthly Search Console reporting showing ranking movement, traffic trends, and a prioritized list of the next optimizations to make based on actual performance data.
Book a free discovery call See my work
SEO result +420% Increase in organic search traffic for a local service business within 6 months of a full SEO overhaul
Ranking improvement Pg 4 → 1 Position improvement for a primary local keyword after on-page optimization and schema implementation
How it works
1 Discovery call Your current rankings, website platform, and what keywords matter most to your business. 30 minutes.
2 Full SEO audit I audit your technical setup, existing content, keyword gaps, and competitor rankings before touching a single page.
3 Optimize and report Ongoing on-page work with monthly Search Console reporting and a clear roadmap of what gets done next.