SEO basics: how a small business website gets found on Google

The website is live, but nobody can find it on Google without typing your company name. This is the most common situation. SEO — search engine optimisation — is the set of work that helps a website get found for the searches customers actually type. For a small business, SEO does not have to be a complex technical field: getting the basics right already makes a big difference.

How do customers search?

SEO starts not with your company name but with the customer's language. Customers do not know you — they type their need: "office cleaning in Baku", "accounting services price", "air conditioner repair Khatai". These searches are called keywords.

To start, write down 10–20 such phrases: what customers ask on the phone, what they call your service, which district or city they mention. Google's autocomplete suggestions in the search bar are also a good source.

A separate page for each main service

Listing all services on one page is convenient, but weak for Google. When each main service has its own page, each page has a chance to be found for its own keyword. Include a description of the service, a price range, how the work is done, examples and frequently asked questions.

Title and description

Every page has two invisible but very important texts:

title — the blue line shown in Google results. About 50–60 characters, with the main keyword first: "Office cleaning in Baku — prices and booking".
description — the short text under the title. 140–160 characters, telling the customer why they should click.

The same title on every page is the most common mistake — and the easiest to fix.

Technical basics

For Google to read the site easily and recommend it to customers:

speed — a page should open on a phone within 2–3 seconds; large images are the most common cause of slowness;
mobile-friendliness — most visitors are on phones, and Google evaluates a site primarily by its mobile version;
HTTPS — a site without an SSL certificate shows as "not secure" in the browser;
sitemap and Google Search Console — tell Google which pages exist and show problems;
clear structure — headings (H1, H2), a logical menu, links between pages.

Local search

If your customers are in a specific city or district, local SEO gives the fastest results. Create a Google Business Profile, fill in the category, opening hours and photos, and ask customers for reviews. Your name, address and phone number should be written the same way on the website, the profile and social media.

Content and a blog

Articles that answer customers' questions build trust and give you a chance to appear for new searches. One or two useful posts a month is enough: how prices are formed, how to choose a service, which mistakes to avoid. Quality matters more than quantity.

When can you expect results?

SEO is not advertising — results do not come immediately. For a new website the first changes usually show within a few months; competitive searches take longer. Nobody can guarantee first place on Google; and what you should measure is not the position but the number of enquiries the website brings.

The most common mistakes

the same title and description on every page;
text placed as an image — Google cannot read it;
texts copied from other websites;
unnatural repetition of keywords;
a website not updated for years.

A simple plan for the first 30 days

Week 1: a list of 10–20 keywords and how they map to your pages;
Week 2: a unique title and description for every page, smaller image file sizes;
Week 3: connect Google Search Console, submit the sitemap, complete your Google Business Profile;
Week 4: the first blog post — a detailed answer to the question customers ask most.

This plan needs no expensive tools, but it builds a solid foundation for your site to appear on Google.

How to measure the result

Google Search Console shows which searches your site appears for and how many clicks it gets. But for a business the main indicator is enquiries: how many came from the website and how many turned into sales. On SBT Web sites forms are connected to SBT CRM, so the source and outcome of every enquiry are visible.

The "Şirkət" plan includes SEO basics, a Google map and a blog — see the SBT Web plans.