When I build a website, SEO always comes up. And understandably so. You want your site to be found. You want Google to know you exist.
But "SEO" covers a huge range of work, and not all of it belongs inside a website build. Some of it is standard practice. Some of it costs extra. Some of it is ongoing work that no web designer can do once and call done.
This post breaks it all down so you know exactly what to expect from a standard website build.
What counts as basic SEO?
Basic SEO is what any professionally built website should include as standard. It is not a special add-on. It is good web design practice.
When I build your site, this is included as part of the project:
On-page structure
- Correct use of heading tags (H1, H2, H3) so your content has a clear hierarchy
- Each page has one clear H1 that reflects what the page is about
- Clean, readable URL structure (for example: yoursite.co.uk/services, not yoursite.co.uk/page?id=42)
Page titles and meta descriptions
- Each page has a unique title tag that tells Google and your visitors what the page covers
- Meta descriptions are written for each page so your listing in search results looks professional and encourages people to click through (note: meta descriptions do not directly affect your ranking position, but a well-written one improves click-through rate)
Image optimisation
- Images are compressed to load quickly
- Alt text is added to describe images for search engines and screen readers
Mobile responsiveness
- Your site works properly on phones, tablets and desktops
- Note, this doesn't mean separate design or content or mobile devices
- Since July 2024, Google indexes all websites using its mobile crawler, so a site that does not work on mobile will not appear in search results
Page speed basics
- Images are sized correctly
- The site is built without unnecessary code or plugins that slow load times
SSL certificate*
- Your site runs on HTTPS, which is a confirmed ranking signal and a basic trust indicator for visitors. Sites without it display a "Not Secure" warning in the browser, which puts people off immediately. Free SSL is included as standard with managed hosting. If you are on third-party hosting, SSL availability depends on your provider.
- Sites without it display a "Not Secure" warning in the browser, which puts people off immediately
Sitemap and indexing
- A sitemap is created and submitted to Google as part of every build
- This tells Google what pages exist on your site and helps it crawl them correctly
- RankMath (WordPress SEO plugin) is configured as part of the setup, covering sitemap generation, page titles, meta descriptions and basic indexing settings
- Advanced RankMath configuration such as schema and local SEO sits within the relevant add-on service
- If you are redesigning or migrating an existing site, 301 redirects are set up to point old URLs to the correct new pages. This is included where needed as part of the project.
Basic internal linking
- Pages are connected logically so Google can navigate your site structure
- Key pages are linked from the navigation and from relevant content
This is the baseline. Every site I build includes these as standard.
What counts as intermediate SEO?
Each item below is a separate service. Choosing one does not mean the others are included. If you want any of these as part of your project, we agree on exactly what is in scope before work begins.
Keyword research
- Finding out what your actual customers are searching for
- Choosing the right terms to target on each page
- This is not guesswork. It needs proper research tools and time
SEO copywriting
Writing or rewriting page content for SEO is a proper service, not a light edit.
Good SEO copy is built for the web. That means taking your key messages, your tone and your brief, and restructuring the content so it is easy to read on screen. Long paragraphs become shorter ones. Repetition is reduced. Information is broken into bullet points, clear headings and logical sections. The goal is copy that communicates quickly, keeps people on the page and supports the design.
Your meaning and voice are always preserved (according to your design & copy brief). The structure changes. That is the work.
Before the site goes live, you have the opportunity to review all copy in place and make wording adjustments directly. Minor tweaks at that stage are part of the process. Requesting a full rewrite of optimised content, or reverting to the original unformatted text, falls outside the agreed scope and would be quoted separately.
Local SEO
- Optimising your Google Business Profile
- Adding location-relevant content and structured data to your site
- Particularly important if you serve customers in a specific area
Advanced internal linking strategy
- A planned approach to how pages link to each other across the whole site
- Helps Google understand which pages matter most and how topics relate
- Basic linking is included in every build. A full internal link strategy is its own piece of work
Schema markup
- Adding structured data so Google can display rich results (star ratings, FAQs, opening hours, etc.)
- Available as an add-on where relevant
Every intermediate SEO service is scoped and quoted individually. If you want one, two or all of them, we agree on that in writing before the project starts.
What counts as advanced SEO?
Advanced SEO is ongoing work. It is not a one-time job. No web designer can hand over a site and guarantee you will rank on page one. If someone promises you that, ask them to put it in writing.
Advanced SEO includes:
Content strategy and blogging
- Regularly publishing useful, search-optimised content
- Building topical authority over time so Google sees you as a relevant, credible source
- This is a long-term commitment, not a one-off task
Backlink building
- Getting other reputable websites to link to yours
- This is one of the strongest ranking signals Google uses
- It requires outreach, PR, partnerships and consistent effort over time
Technical SEO audits
- Regularly checking for crawl errors, broken links, duplicate content and indexing issues
- Tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog are used for this
- 404 monitoring is included under technical audits, picking up broken links and missing pages that appear after a site has been live.
Competitor analysis
- Understanding what your competitors are doing in search and where the gaps are
- Using that to shape your content and keyword strategy
Analytics and tracking
- Setting up proper conversion tracking in Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager
- Reviewing what is working and adjusting accordingly
Core Web Vitals
- Improving specific speed and interaction scores that Google measures
- Can involve development work beyond the initial build
This type of SEO work is available as a separate ongoing service or project. It is not included in a website build.
A note on WCAG compliance
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is the accepted standard for making websites accessible to people with disabilities, covering things like screen reader compatibility, colour contrast, keyboard navigation and text readability.
Websites I build follow good practice as standard. Correct heading structure, alt text on images, readable contrast (subject to your chosen colour scheme) and clean navigation are all part of every build. This covers the basics and aligns with general good web design.
Full WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA compliance is a different and more involved piece of work. It requires a formal audit, remediation across every page and the production of an accessibility statement.
In the UK, full compliance is a legal requirement for public sector websites. For private businesses, the Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments to ensure your site is accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG compliance is the accepted way to demonstrate that in practice.
If you need a full accessibility audit and remediation, this is available as a separate add-on and quoted accordingly. It is not included in a standard website build.
Visual Summery
Standard
Every Build Should Include
* SSL certificate (included on managed hosting; subject to your provider if using third-party hosting)."
Optional add-on's
per item
Ongoing
or separate project(s)
Why does this matter?
SEO takes time. Even a well-built, properly optimised website can take three to six months to gain traction in search results. In competitive markets, it can take longer.
What I deliver gives you a solid technical foundation. The structure is correct. Google can find and read your site. Your pages are set up to perform. What happens after that depends on your content, your strategy and how much you invest in the work above the baseline. If you want to talk through what the right level of SEO looks like for your business, get in touch and we can work that out together.