SEO Basics: How to Be Found on Google
A practical guide for small businesses — learn how to improve your Google ranking without expensive campaigns.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) means optimizing your website so that it appears among the top results on Google. If potential customers can’t find your site when searching for the service or product you offer, it’s almost as if you don’t exist online.
A good SEO strategy doesn’t have to be complicated. It starts with the basics: a properly written page title, a clear description (meta description), a fast website, and high-quality content that answers users’ questions. Google increasingly rewards useful user experiences, not just keywords.
Keywords are the foundation of SEO, but they must be used wisely. Instead of trying to cover every possible word, focus on phrases that local users actually search for. For example, instead of 'car service', a better phrase would be 'car service Sarajevo' or 'oil change Zenica'.
Local SEO is especially important in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Most users include the city or region in their searches. That’s why it’s crucial to have your correct address, working hours, and a link to your Google Business profile on your site. This increases your chances of appearing on the map (Google Maps).
Page loading speed is directly linked to Google ranking. Slow pages lose ranking points because users abandon them quickly. Next.js and modern serverless architecture help make pages ultra-fast and cached — meaning better rankings and lower hosting costs.
High-quality content is the king of SEO. Google recognizes websites that genuinely help users — guides, tips, and articles like this one that explain practical topics. Regularly publishing educational content builds authority and increases visits without paid ads.
Backlinks — links from other websites pointing to yours — are another key factor. If local portals, partners, or suppliers link to your website, Google sees it as a recommendation and improves your ranking. Quality matters more than quantity — a few strong links are worth more than dozens of weak ones.
SEO doesn’t produce results overnight. It takes 2–3 months for Google to index the changes, but the results are long-term and organic. Unlike paid campaigns that disappear when the budget runs out, SEO keeps bringing traffic continuously.
Tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics help you track performance — how many visitors come, which pages they visit, and which keywords they use. This data is the foundation for further optimization and content adjustments.
The most common mistakes we see with local businesses: missing basic meta data, duplicate content, too many technical errors, or outdated themes. Even more common — they don’t track results, so they don’t know what works and what doesn’t.
If you want to be found on Google, start with small steps: update your titles, speed up your website, write a few blog posts about your services, and register on Google Business. These are the foundations that make the difference between being invisible and being successful online.
KOD approach: we first measure page speed and structure (core web vitals), then define keywords and create a content plan. The goal isn’t just more clicks — it’s more inquiries, calls, and sales.