How to Set Up SEO for Your Small Business Website: The Basics

Ryan Cunningham
Nov 14
3 min read

Setting up SEO for your small business website isn't hard, it's time consuming.

Let’s start here: if you’re building your site for the very first time, the best thing you can do for SEO and GEO is get the basics right before worrying about fancy tools or tricks.

Good optimization, whether for Google or for AI tools, isn’t about gaming the system.

It’s about helping real people find you, understand what you do, and trust you enough to take action.

Every question your customers type into Google or ask ChatGPT is a search opportunity. When you write clear, helpful answers to those questions, you’re building long-term visibility for your brand.

What’s GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

GEO is about writing clear, organized content that AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI results can easily understand and share.

Old-school SEO helped you show up in search results. GEO helps you show up inside AI-generated answers.

We teach both SEO and GEO under our system called SAIO (Search and AI Optimization). If you’re new, start with GEO basics.

BTW, our YouTube Channel has loads of goodies about this. Check it out.

Featuring AI generated Ryan Cunningham, co-founder of Ready, Plan, Grow! He's our SEO expert!

The 10 SEo Basics You Need to Get Right

Claim your Google Business Profile This is how Google knows you’re a legitimate business. It helps you show up on maps, in local searches, and builds trust instantly.
Define one clear goal for your site Before you touch keywords or design, decide what you want visitors to do. That goal drives your layout, copy, and calls to action.
Write simple, keyword-friendly titles Each page should clearly say what it’s about. Avoid clever fluff like “Welcome Home.” Go with “Charlotte Bakery | Custom Cakes and Cupcakes.”
Speak like a human, not a robotKeywords matter, but conversation wins. Google rewards content that sounds natural and answers intent.
Build the essential pages Start with these: Home, About, Services or Products, Contact, and Blog or Resources. These pages hit every step of your buyer’s journey.
Make your site fast and mobile-friendly A slow site kills trust and ranking. Use simple design, compress images, and check speed using PageSpeed Insights.
Add internal links Link between your own pages naturally, for example “Learn more on our Services page.” It helps Google map your site and keeps users moving.
Set up Google Analytics and Search Console These free tools show you how people find and use your site. You can’t grow what you don’t measure.
Add meta titles and descriptions These are your mini ads in search results. Keep them short, clear, and true to what’s on the page. Make sure you pay attention to the keywords you are optimizing for!
Use FAQs and blogs to answer real questions Each FAQ or blog post gives you another chance to rank for what people are asking. Use ChatGPT to brainstorm the questions your customers actually type in.

Warning: What Most Newbies to SEO Get Wrong

A lot of people treat H1, H2, and H3 tags like design tools. They’re not.

Headings aren’t for decoration. They tell Google and AI tools how your page is organized and what’s most important.

Use only one H1 on a page. That’s your main title.Use H2 tags for major sections.Use H3 tags for smaller points under each section.

If you use too many or mix them up, search engines get confused about your content. Keep it simple. Let your website builder handle the visual style, and let your headings do their real job: structure.

Why the Basics of SEO Still Matter

Whether you call it SEO or GEO, natural language is what matters now. The meta data that goes with it is still important.

When you build your website around real questions and helpful answers, you’re doing SEO and GEO at the same time. You’re teaching search engines and AI models to associate your business with credibility, clarity, and expertise, and that’s what gets you found by humans.

Try This ChatGPT Prompt to Review Your Website

ChatGPT Prompt:“Review my website for basic SEO and GEO best practices using this checklist from Ready Plan Grow. Look at my page structure, keyword use, internal links, and whether my FAQ section could help me show up in AI results.”

Need help? Remember that we have open office hours for all levels of membership.