Search engine optimization, or SEO, often sounds bigger and more complicated than it is. The core idea is simple: when someone searches for what you offer, your website should be among the answers, and it should be worth clicking.

There are hundreds of things you can do. These are five that we think most businesses should start with, in the order we'd do them. None of them needs special technical knowledge.

1. Make sure Google can actually see your website

This is the step that gets skipped most often, and it's the most important. A page Google hasn't found can't show up, however good it is.

  • Create a Google Search Console account. It's free, and it shows whether your pages are in Google's index, which searches bring you impressions, and whether anything is broken.
  • Submit your sitemap (usually at yourcompany.se/sitemap.xml). It works like a table of contents for search engines.
  • Every so often, check that the pages you care about are listed as indexed.

Plenty of websites have run for months without anyone checking. Take ten minutes and do it first.

Don't ask "which words do I want to rank for?" Ask "what would someone who needs me type into the search box?" It's rarely the company's own vocabulary.

A plumber in Gothenburg gets more customers from a page about "water leak – what do I do now?" than from a page about "our philosophy". A web agency gets more enquiries from "how much does a website cost?" than from "digital end-to-end solutions".

A few simple ways to find the words people really use:

  • Start typing a search in Google and look at the suggestions.
  • Read the "People also ask" box in the results.
  • Look at what visitors write in your contact form and what questions you get on the phone.

Then give each important question or service its own page. A page that tries to answer everything rarely answers anything well.

3. Be visible locally, especially if your customers are nearby

If your customers are in Gothenburg and the surrounding area, local searches are often where it's decided. When someone searches "hairdresser Angered" or "electrician Mölndal", Google shows a map and a few businesses at the top, before the regular results.

That list is driven largely by your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). It's free. Fill it in properly: the right category, opening hours, services, photos, and reply to reviews. Make sure your name, address and phone number look the same on your website and in directories such as Eniro and Hitta.se.

If you want to go deeper, we've written a complete guide to local SEO for Swedish businesses.

4. Make the site fast and easy to use on mobile

Most people visit websites on their phone. Google measures three things called Core Web Vitals, and they're really about how using the page feels:

  • How quickly the main content appears (LCP). Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
  • How quickly the page responds when you tap something (INP). Aim for under 200 milliseconds.
  • Whether content jumps around while the page loads (CLS). Aim for under 0.1.

You can test your page for free in PageSpeed Insights. The usual causes of slow pages are oversized images, too many plugins and cheap hosting. Images are usually the easiest to fix.

Good performance isn't a trick to rank higher. It's part of making visitors happy, and happy visitors get in touch.

5. Update what you have instead of always writing new

When a page already gets visitors, improving it is often worth more than writing a new one. Go through your most important pages a few times a year:

  • Are prices, opening hours and contact details still correct?
  • Is there a new question customers ask that the page doesn't answer?
  • Does the page link on to your other relevant pages? Internal links help both visitors and Google understand what belongs together.

An up-to-date page is better for the people reading it, and that is the real reason to keep it current. Don't count on a magical "freshness bonus".

What can you expect?

SEO isn't a button you press. Results usually take months, not weeks, and nobody can promise a particular position. Be wary of anyone who does. What you can do is remove obstacles, answer clearly what people ask, and measure what happens.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do SEO myself?

Yes, the steps above are doable on your own. What usually needs help is technical SEO (speed and structure, for example), a considered content plan and following the results over time.

How do I know if SEO is working?

In Search Console you can see impressions, clicks and which searches lead to your site. Look at the trend over several months, not single days. The measure that matters most in the end is how many people get in touch.

What does it cost to get help?

Ongoing SEO work with us typically starts from 8,000–15,000 SEK per month, depending on scope and how competitive your industry is. We also do one-off work such as a technical SEO audit. Read more about our SEO service.

Want a second opinion on your website?

We're happy to look at how your site is doing and point out what will make the biggest difference first. Book a free consultation and we'll usually get back to you within 24 hours.