SEO Meaning & Strategy: How to Optimize Your Website the Right Way
Let’s address the elephant in the room.
We both don’t want to be here.
Yeah, SEO gives me the ick too. Don’t we all wish we could just write our silly little blogs and move on with our silly little day. ✨🧚🏻😝
But no. We have to, like, make Google happy… whatever that means. 💻🙄👎🏼
Unfortunately, there’s no way around it. If you want to gain website visibility and organic traffic, we’ve got to get to the bottom of SEO meaning and strategy.
Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Let’s break this down into some manageable steps.
What Even is SEO? 🙄
Understanding SEO meaning is our first order of business before diving into the nitty-gritty.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is basically the art (and science) of getting your website to show up on Google without paying for ads.
You know when you Google something like "website seo meaning", and a list of blogs (like this one 😉) appears? Yeah, that’s SEO at work.
But here’s the kicker: SEO is more than just stuffing keywords into your content. It involves:
Technical SEO – Making sure your website loads fast, is mobile-friendly, and has clean code.
On-Page SEO – Optimizing your content, headlines, images, and links so Google understands what your page is about.
Off-Page SEO – Things like backlinks (other websites linking to you), social media presence, and overall authority.
👩🏼🎓Think of SEO like making your website Google’s favorite student—organized, informative, and easy to read.
Now, let’s talk about how to make that happen without driving yourself up the wall.
1. Laying the Foundations for SEO Success
Before we even talk about keywords, let’s make sure your website is starting on the right foot.
✅ Pick an SEO-friendly template – If your site takes 10 years to load, no one (including Google) is going to wait around. Choose a fast, mobile-responsive design.
✅ Use a custom domain – yourcoolsite.com looks way more legit than yourcoolsite.squarespace.com. Search engines prioritize professional domains.
✅ Secure your site with HTTPS – If your site isn’t secure, Google’s going to say, “Mmm yeah… no thanks.” Most platforms (like Squarespace) offer free SSL certificates—just make sure it’s activated.
✅ Fill out your basic SEO settings – Your homepage title, site description, and favicon aren’t just for decoration. These tell search engines (and visitors) what your site is about.
Now that we have the foundation in place, let’s get to the fun part: how to get Google to actually notice you.
2. How to Find and Use the Right Keywords
Alright, let’s talk keywords—the words and phrases people type into search engines to find stuff.
How do you pick the right ones?
Use Google’s autocomplete – Type a phrase related to your business and see what pops up. These are actual searches people are making!
Check "People Also Ask" – Scroll down on a Google search results page to find common related questions.
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to find terms with decent search volume but low competition.
And now for the golden rule: don’t be a keyword stuffer.
We don’t want to awkwardly force phrases like "best organic coffee beans buy now free shipping".
Instead, write it naturally: “Looking for the best organic coffee beans? Here’s what to know before you buy.”
Take the one keyword and 3-5 longtail keywords and sprinkle them into:
Page titles & meta descriptions
Headings (H1, H2, etc.)
URL slugs (aka the part of the link after the “.com”)
Image alt text
But keywords alone won’t save you. Let’s talk content.
3. Optimizing Pages & Blogs
If SEO is about making Google happy, then content is how we really win them over.
📰 Headlines matter. Your page title (H1) should be clear, relevant, and include a keyword (but not in a robotic way).
❌ Home – Welcome to My Website
✅ The Ultimate Guide to Organic Coffee Beans
✍🏼 Write useful, engaging content. Google’s algorithm can tell if people are actually reading your content or bouncing off your page. Keep it engaging, helpful, and well-structured.
⛓️ Use internal links. Linking to other pages on your site helps visitors (and Google) navigate your content better. Example: Check out my post on the best brewing methods here!
🖼️ Image optimization. Rename your images before uploading (organic-coffee-beans.jpg instead of IMG12345.jpg) and always add alt text describing the image.
Want to take it up a notch? Blog regularly! Fresh content = Google’s bestie.
4. Technical SEO: Let’s Get Speedy
I know, I know. Technical SEO sounds terrifying, but I promise it’s just a few simple fixes:
Site speed – Slow websites = potential clients leaving = bad SEO. Compress images and avoid unnecessary plugins. Tinify is a great site for compressing images.
Mobile-friendliness – More than half of web traffic is on mobile. If your site looks janky on a phone, your potential clients are going to find another site that’s easier to navigate.
Clean URLs – Keep URLs short and descriptive.
❌ yoursite.com/p=12345
✅ yoursite.com/organic-coffee-guide
5. Off-Page SEO: Go Beyond Your Website
SEO isn’t just what’s on your site—Google also cares about what’s happening outside of it.
Incorporate backlinks. If other reputable websites link to yours, Google sees you as trustworthy. You can do this by guest posting on other blogs or collaborating with some online friends in your niche.
Social presence. While social media doesn’t directly affect SEO, sharing your content increases visibility, which can lead to more site traffic and backlinks.
Google Business Profile. If you have a business, claim your Google listing for better local SEO.
SEO is a Long Game, You’ve Got This
Okay, deep breath. We covered a lot.
At the end of the day, it isn’t about tricking the system—it’s about creating a high-quality website that’s easy for people (and Google) to understand.
Don’t feel like you have to do everything overnight—that may lead to bad habits like keyword stuffing.
Pick one or two things to improve today, and keep adding things over time.
And if you ever feel overwhelmed, just remember: SEO is just making your website easy to find, easy to read, and easy to love.
BUT if you feel like you need some 1:1 help to make this happen, I’m here for you.
Hi! I’m Marina,
a Squarespace Web Designer and Copywriter crafting beautiful, done-for-you websites with a proven layout to convert traffic into leads and clients.