SEO Practices: How To Do SEO The Right Way

What Are SEO Practices?

SEO practices are the specific things you do to help your site rank in search. They include keyword research, writing clear titles and content, fixing technical issues, improving speed, earning backlinks, and tracking results. Good SEO practices are consistent. They are not one-time tricks. When you follow them over time, Google understands your site better and sends you more of the right traffic. You can use a simple seo practices list or checklist to stay on track. Seo practices examples for a local contractor might be: optimize your Google Business Profile, add service pages for each city you serve, and earn reviews from happy customers.

Core Types And Pillars Of SEO

Understanding the structure of SEO helps you prioritize. Here are the main types and pillars.

The 4 Types of SEO

• Technical SEO: Crawlability, site speed, and structure. Can Google find and read your pages?
• On-page SEO: Content, titles, headings, and keywords on each page. Does each page answer a real search?
• Off-page SEO: Backlinks and mentions on other sites. Who else trusts and links to you?
• Local SEO: Map results and local searches. Your Google Business Profile, NAP consistency, and location-focused content.

The 4 Types of Keywords

Keywords fall into four buckets. Informational keywords answer questions or how-to searches. Navigational keywords help people reach a specific brand. Transactional keywords show buying intent (e.g. "roofer near me"). Commercial keywords are for comparing options. A healthy SEO plan for your website uses a mix, plus local and long-tail phrases like "chiropractor Edmond OK."

SEO Best Practices You Should Follow

Here is a seo practices list you can actually use. Each item is something you can do to improve your SEO for your website.

Add Your Main Keyword Early In Your Content

Use your target keyword in the title tag, H1, and first paragraph. Do not stuff. One or two natural uses up front help Google understand the page.

Write Unique Titles, Descriptions, and Content

Every page needs its own title and meta description. No duplicate content. Write for people first. If your content would embarrass you in front of a customer, rewrite it.

Optimize Your Title Tag for SEO

Keep titles under 60 characters. Put the keyword near the front. Make them slightly compelling. A good template: [Keyword] | [Benefit] | [Brand].

Improve Your Site's User Experience

Clear navigation, fast load times, mobile-friendly design. If visitors bounce quickly, Google notices. Make it easy to find your services and contact you.

Optimize Your Site's Loading Speed

LCP under 2.5 seconds, no layout shifts. Use PageSpeed Insights. Compress images, reduce unnecessary scripts. Speed matters for rankings and conversions.

Track Your Results With Google Search Console

Set up Google Search Console and Analytics. See which queries bring traffic, which pages perform, and where you have errors. You cannot improve what you do not measure.

Optimize Images for SEO

Descriptive file names, alt text that describes the image (no keyword stuffing), keep files under 250KB. Use WebP when possible.

Use Internal Linking

Link from blog posts to service pages and vice versa. Use descriptive anchor text. Help visitors and Google discover your best pages. Aim for 3 to 5 internal links per page.

Publish Helpful, In-Depth Content

Answer the questions your audience actually asks. Match or slightly exceed the depth of top-ranking pages. Use bullets and numbered lists. This is how you earn traffic for informational and commercial keywords.

Build Backlinks To Your Website

Earn links from relevant, trusted sites. Do not buy spammy links. Create content others want to link to. Reach out to partners, directories, and local organizations. Quality beats quantity.

The 80/20 Rule and Golden Rule of SEO

What is the 80/20 Rule in SEO?

A small number of actions usually drive most of your results. For many sites, the biggest impact comes from: a solid technical foundation, a handful of well-optimized pages around your core services, and a consistent plan to earn relevant backlinks. Focus on those instead of trying every tactic.

What is the Golden Rule of SEO?

Serve people first, search engines second. When you focus on genuinely helping your ideal customer, your content becomes clearer and easier for Google to understand. Tricks fade. Helpful content and honest work keep working.

SEO For Beginners: How To Do SEO Yourself

You can learn how to do SEO without hiring an agency. Start with these steps.

1. Define your goals. What do you want? More leads? More calls? More form submissions?
2. Do basic keyword research. What does your audience search for? Use free tools or Google Keyword Planner.
3. Optimize one page at a time. Title, H1, copy, internal links, images.
4. Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
5. Watch what works and adjust. SEO takes time. Be patient and consistent.

You do not have to master everything at once. A simple seo practices pdf or checklist can help you stay organized. Focus on fundamentals before advanced tactics.

Common SEO Mistakes And Practices To Avoid

Many sites hurt themselves with these mistakes. Avoid them.

• Keyword stuffing: Makes content unreadable and can trigger penalties.
• Thin or copied content: Google rewards original, helpful content. Duplicates do not rank.
• Ignoring local SEO and Google Business Profile: For service businesses, GBP is essential. Claim it, complete it, get reviews.
• Buying spammy backlinks: Low-quality links can cause penalties. Earn links instead.
• Neglecting technical issues: Slow site, broken links, no HTTPS. Fix these first.

If a tactic feels like a loophole instead of real value, it will probably backfire. Stick to white-hat SEO practices.

Tools And AI: How ChatGPT Fits Into Your SEO Workflow

Core SEO tools include Google Search Console, Google Analytics, PageSpeed Insights, and keyword tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. Crawlers like Screaming Frog help find technical issues. Local SEO tools help manage listings and reviews. You do not need every tool at once. Start with GSC and Analytics.

Can ChatGPT do an SEO audit? No. It cannot crawl your site or access real-time data. It can, however, help you brainstorm keyword ideas, draft title tags and meta descriptions, organize audit findings you paste in, and outline content. Use ChatGPT as a thinking partner. Always verify with real tools. It is best for content support and planning, not final decisions.

When To Bring In An SEO Partner

DIY SEO works when you have time, a simple site, and low competition. Bring in an agency like Evolve Agency when: you are too busy to keep up, your industry is competitive, you have technical complexity, or you want faster growth. We work with Oklahoma businesses, churches, contractors, and service companies. We do hands-on SEO: audits, technical fixes, content strategy, and church SEO services through our sister brand. If you want help implementing these SEO practices, reach out or book a call.

SEO Practices FAQ

What are the practices of SEO?

SEO practices are the specific actions you take to help your site show up higher in search. They include keyword research, optimizing titles and content, improving page speed, fixing technical issues, earning quality backlinks, and tracking performance. Good SEO practices are consistent habits. When you follow them over time, Google understands your site better and sends you the right visitors.

What are the 4 types of SEO?

Technical SEO (crawlability, speed, structure), on-page SEO (content, titles, keywords on each page), off-page SEO (backlinks and mentions), and local SEO (map results, Google Business Profile). A complete SEO plan for your website touches all four.

What is the 80/20 rule in SEO?

A small number of actions drive most results. For many sites, the biggest impact comes from a solid technical foundation, a handful of well-optimized core pages, and a plan to earn relevant backlinks. Focus on those instead of every tactic.

What is the golden rule of SEO?

Serve people first, search engines second. Focus on genuinely helping your ideal customer. Tricks fade. Helpful content and honest technical work keep working.

What are the 4 types of keywords?

Informational (answers, how-tos), navigational (reach a brand), transactional (buying intent), and commercial (comparing options). Use a mix, plus local and long-tail phrases.

What is SEO for beginners?

Learn the basics: what your audience searches for, pick keywords per page, write clear titles and content, make your site mobile-friendly and fast, set up Search Console and Analytics. Apply what you learn to a real site. You do not have to master everything at once.

What are common SEO mistakes?

Keyword stuffing, copying content, ignoring page speed and mobile, skipping Google Business Profile, buying cheap backlinks, broken links, missing title tags, no HTTPS. Most come from chasing shortcuts instead of building a trustworthy site.

Can ChatGPT do an SEO audit?

ChatGPT cannot crawl your site or access real-time data. It can help structure an audit, create checklists, interpret data you paste, brainstorm keywords, and draft meta tags. Use it as an assistant, not a replacement for proper crawling and analytics tools.

Ready To Implement Better SEO Practices?

If you want help putting these SEO practices into action, we can help. Evolve Agency offers free SEO audits for Oklahoma businesses. We will review your site, identify the highest-impact opportunities, and give you a clear path forward. Whether you are a contractor, church, or local service business, better SEO practices can drive real leads. Contact us or book a call to get started.