You’ve put your heart into creating a well-designed website that perfectly represents your brand, but if Google can’t understand what your pages are about, all that hard work isn’t reaching the people who need to find you. Today I’m sharing a live website audit with Samia from Dragoness Rising, where we tackle the SEO fundamentals that can transform how search engines discover and rank your site.
The Challenge
Samia had created a polished website for Dragoness Rising that perfectly captured her brand personality and clearly organized her services. She was happy with how it looked, but she wasn’t sure if it was doing the behind-the-scenes work needed to attract new leads from Google search. Like many business owners, she’d followed the basic SEO recommendations from her website platform but knew there might be important pieces missing that only an expert could identify.
This is such a common situation. You can have the most well-organized, professionally designed website in the world, but if it’s not speaking Google’s language, you’re missing out on all those potential clients who are actively searching for exactly what you offer.
The Strategy Behind SEO Success
When I audit websites for search engine optimization, I focus on three main elements that work together to help Google understand and rank your content. Think of it like giving Google a roadmap to your website that clearly explains what each page offers and who it’s designed to help.
The first element is site organization. Your navigation needs to be crystal clear, not just for visitors but for search engines. Samia did this wonderfully with her simple four-item main navigation and strategic dropdown menus that clearly outlined her different service offerings.
The second element is keyword-focused headlines that match what people are actually searching for. This is where many DIY websites fall short, not because the content isn’t good, but because the technical structure isn’t optimized for search.
The third element is consistent keyword usage throughout each page, reinforcing to Google what that specific page is all about.
The SEO Audit Breakdown
The H1 Heading Problem
During Samia’s audit, I used a Chrome extension called “SEO Meta in One Click” to see the actual headline structure of her pages. This revealed a common issue that many business owners don’t realize they have. While her pages looked great visually, they weren’t using proper H1 headings that tell Google what each page is about.
For example, on her postpartum course page, instead of having an H1 that included the keyword “postpartum course” or “postpartum restoration,” the headline structure wasn’t optimized for search. This is an easy fix that can make a huge difference in how Google understands and ranks your content.
The Keyword Strategy
For each page on your website, you need to identify one primary keyword that people might search for when looking for that specific service or content. For Samia’s postpartum course, that keyword should appear in four strategic locations.
First, it needs to be in your H1 heading at the top of the page. This is the most important signal you can send to Google about what this page offers.
Second, include that keyword in at least two other headlines (H2 or H3 tags) throughout the page. This reinforces the topic and helps Google understand the depth of your content.
Third, use the keyword naturally throughout your body copy. You don’t want to stuff it in awkwardly, but it should appear several times in a way that feels natural to readers.
Blog Content Optimization
Samia had created fantastic blog content, but like many business owners, she wasn’t getting the full SEO benefit from all that hard work. Her blog posts needed proper headline structure to help Google understand what each post was about.
I showed her how to turn text that looked like headlines into actual H2 and H3 tags in her website backend. This simple change helps search engines categorize and rank her valuable content, bringing more organic traffic to her expertise.
The Missing Google Connections
Google Business Profile
One important element missing from Samia’s SEO strategy was a Google Business Profile. This free tool gives you another way to tell Google about your business and helps with local search results. Even if you work online, having this profile adds credibility and gives Google more information about your services.
Samia had tried setting one up before but ran into issues with her rural location and PO box address. I encouraged her to try again, as Google’s requirements have evolved, and this profile can significantly boost your online visibility.
Google Search Console
The other missing piece was Google Search Console, another free tool that shows you exactly what people are searching for when they find your website. This data is gold for understanding which keywords are already working for you and identifying opportunities to create more content around popular search terms.
Key Takeaways for Your Website
Start with Your H1 Headlines
Every single page on your website should have one clear H1 heading that includes your target keyword for that page. This is the most important SEO element you can optimize, and it’s often the easiest fix to implement.
Create a Keyword Strategy
Don’t try to optimize for everything at once. Choose one primary keyword per page and make sure it appears in your H1, at least two other headlines, and naturally throughout your content. Each page should focus on a different keyword to avoid competing with yourself in search results.
Optimize Your Existing Content
If you’ve already created blog posts and service pages, go back through them with SEO in mind. Make sure your headlines are properly tagged as H1, H2, and H3 elements, not just styled to look bigger or bolder.
Connect with Google Tools
Set up your Google Business Profile and Google Search Console to give Google more information about your business and to see what’s already working in search results.
The great thing about these SEO improvements is that you don’t need to change how your website looks or redesign anything. These are backend optimizations that work behind the scenes to help the right people find your amazing content.
Your Next Steps
If you’re wondering what SEO opportunities your website might be missing, I’d love to take a look during a website audit session. During these live audits, we can identify the specific changes that will help your website work harder to attract your ideal clients from search results.
Remember, you’ve already done the hard work of creating valuable content and services. These SEO optimizations just help ensure that the people who need what you offer can actually find you online.
Ready to make your website work around the clock to attract new clients? Join my Website Design Made Simple newsletter where I share one actionable tip each week to help you make more money with your website. And if you’re ready to dive deeper into making your website a lead-generating machine, let’s chat about how we can work together. Book a discovery call and we can discuss how to transform your well-designed website into a client-attracting powerhouse.
