SEO Guide:A Complete Step-by-Step Process

Stage 03 · Search engine optimisation

Having a website does not guarantee that people will find it. Every day, millions of pages compete to appear in search results and, if yours is not properly optimised, it can easily go unnoticed.

This is why search engine optimisation has become one of the most important skills for any online entrepreneur. Through different strategies, you can help your website appear when users search for information, products or services related to your project.

In this guide, you will discover how search engines work, how to organise your website’s content and which optimisations to apply to improve your presence online.

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What is search engine optimisation?

The three ways to appear in search results

Today, there are three main ways to gain visibility when someone searches for information related to your project.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Organic search optimisation

Optimise your website to appear naturally in search engines such as Google.

• Free traffic over the long term
• Requires time and consistency
• The foundation of this guide

SEA (Search Engine Advertising)

Search engine advertising

Pay for ads to appear immediately in search results.

• Immediate results
• A controllable budget
• Traffic disappears when you stop investing

GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)

Optimisation for AI-powered answer engines

Help tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity use and recommend your content.

• Visibility in AI answers
• Builds on good SEO
• An emerging strategy

All three strategies can coexist within the same project. In this guide, we will focus on SEO because it forms the basis of organic search visibility and also prepares your website to benefit from searches powered by artificial intelligence (GEO). SEA, meanwhile, belongs to the field of digital advertising and requires a different approach.

How does Google decide which pages to show?

To decide which pages to show in its results, search engines use complex algorithms that analyse numerous factors. Although Google does not reveal every detail of its algorithm, some key elements directly influence a website’s position.

The most important factors include:

Content relevance

This indicates the extent to which a page answers the user’s search intent. Google analyses the topic, structure and content to determine whether it provides the best answer to the query.

Content quality

Once Google understands the page’s topic, it evaluates the quality of the information. Clear, comprehensive, up-to-date, original and useful content has a better chance of ranking.

Website authority

This relates to the trust and reputation a website has built online. Factors such as backlinks, brand mentions and the credibility of the content help Google assess that authority.

User experience (UX)

Google also considers how users interact with a website. Intuitive navigation, a mobile-friendly design and good readability make information easier to find and provide a better experience.

Technical aspects

These relate to the website’s technical configuration so that search engines can crawl, understand and index its pages correctly. Problems such as broken links, incorrect redirects or blocked pages can make this process more difficult.

A note on E-E-A-T:

Google also assesses content quality and credibility using a set of principles known as E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.

Although E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor, it represents the qualities Google looks for in the highest-quality content. The more useful and reliable the content is, and the more it is supported by demonstrable experience or knowledge, the more likely it is to provide value to users and gain good visibility.

How does Google crawl your website?

Google uses automated programs called Googlebot to explore the internet and discover new pages. These systems browse the web by following links between pages and other signals that help them find new or updated content.

To make this work easier, website owners can also provide a sitemap, a file that tells search engines which pages exist and when they were last modified. Although it does not guarantee indexing, it helps Google discover content more efficiently.

When Googlebot finds a page, it analyses its content and structure. If Google considers that it provides value and there are no technical obstacles preventing access, the page may be added to its index.

This process has three fundamental stages:

Google discovers a website’s pages by following links and consulting the sitemap.

Google analyses the content of the pages and decides whether to add them to its index.

When a user performs a search, Google orders indexed pages according to their relevance and quality to show the most useful results.

Understanding how Google discovers, crawls, indexes and ranks pages is the first step towards understanding how SEO works. Throughout this guide, you will learn how to optimise each of these stages to improve your website’s visibility.

The most profitable investment

Why is SEO essential for ranking your website on Google?

SEO is not simply a marketing strategy. It is a long-term strategic investment that turns your website into a digital asset. Applied correctly, it can attract customers consistently and build a strong, sustainable presence online.

Based on our experience at Scale & Own, these are the main reasons why SEO is one of the most effective channels for growing an online project:

Sustainable and profitable traffic

Unlike paid advertising (PPC), where the flow of visits stops when the budget runs out, SEO continuously generates organic traffic without depending on payment for each click. Although it requires an initial investment of time and resources, it offers a better long-term return with suitable maintenance.

Visibility, authority and trust

Users tend to trust organic results more than paid ads. Appearing in Google’s top positions not only increases your visibility, but also strengthens your brand’s credibility and perceived authority with your audience.

Creating digital assets

Every page and piece of content that you manage to rank becomes a lasting digital asset. Over time, this builds a strong and diversified web portfolio that continues to generate results, visits and sales independently.

Lower risk and less dependence

Relying exclusively on advertising campaigns involves continuous spending and greater risk. SEO supports progressive growth, diversifies your customer acquisition sources and protects the financial stability of your project.

A competitive advantage in your market

A well-executed SEO strategy allows you to stand out from competitors who neglect website optimisation, while giving you the tools to compete for the top positions with the leaders in your market.

The pillars of search engine optimisation

Search engine optimisation is based on three fundamental pillars that work together to improve a website’s visibility in search engines. Each one performs a specific function within an effective SEO strategy.

This includes all the optimisations carried out directly on your website, such as content, keywords, titles, meta descriptions and page structure. Its purpose is to help search engines understand the topic and relevance of each page.

This refers to external actions that strengthen your website’s authority and reputation online. One of the most important factors in this category is inbound links, or backlinks, which are links from other websites to your content.

This covers the technical aspects that allow search engines to crawl, understand and index your website correctly. It includes loading speed, mobile compatibility, security (HTTPS) and a clear website architecture.

Before you optimise

Planning your SEO strategy

Before applying SEO techniques, it is essential to be clear about where you want to take your project and how you will structure that journey. Success in search engine optimisation does not begin with tools or technical tricks, but with strategic planning aligned with your online business.

This initial stage will allow you to set priorities, avoid unnecessary work and build a coherent strategy from the outset.

To define your strategy, consider these key questions:

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What are your specific goals?

Wanting to increase traffic is not the same as generating sales, acquiring customers or positioning a personal brand. Defining clear goals will allow you to prioritise strategic content and measure whether your strategy is working.

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Who is your ideal audience?

Understanding the people you want to attract is at the heart of any SEO strategy. What do they search for on Google? What problems do they want to solve? What language do they use? The better you understand your audience, the easier it becomes to create relevant content.

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What type of website are you building?

Each model has different SEO needs. A blog usually focuses on educational and evergreen content, while an online store works with product pages, optimised categories and conversion-oriented content. A business website, meanwhile, must convey trust and authority.

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How will you structure your website?

Good website architecture makes navigation easier for users and helps Google understand how your content is organised. Clear categories, logical menus and strategic internal links help you build a stronger website. We explain this process step by step in our website architecture module.

Your working toolkit

Key tools for ranking your website

Every online business needs a minimum investment to grow on solid foundations, and SEO is no exception. Although ranking your website does not involve the same costs as paid advertising, it requires time, consistency and a core set of tools that allow you to work strategically.

The important thing is not to spend a great deal, but to invest intelligently from the outset and rely on tools that help you make better decisions.

Performance measurement and tracking

Measuring your website’s performance is as important as optimising it.

Free tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics allow you to analyse changes in organic traffic, identify technical problems and discover new opportunities for improvement.

Making data-driven decisions is an essential part of any SEO strategy.

SEO analysis tools

Every SEO strategy begins with analysis. These tools allow you to research keywords, study competitors, identify content opportunities and track changes in your rankings.

There are comprehensive solutions such as Semrush, used by professionals around the world. However, many require you to combine several platforms and can represent a significant investment, especially when you are just starting out.

For that reason, more and more entrepreneurs are looking for tools capable of centralising the entire research process. Exaldia uses artificial intelligence to analyse niches, discover SEO opportunities and plan content strategies from a single platform.

Exaldia ★

Semrush

Artificial intelligence tools (LLMs)

AI-powered assistants have become an indispensable tool for any SEO strategy. More than simple text generators, they can act as personal assistants that help you research a topic, expand your thinking, resolve questions, generate ideas, structure content or analyse different approaches before making a decision.

Used correctly, they save time, improve productivity and help you make decisions with greater confidence, without replacing the entrepreneur’s strategic thinking or experience.

ChatGPT

Grok

Claude

SEO mistakes that can hold back your results

The path to good search visibility is full of pitfalls, especially for beginners. Avoiding these common mistakes will save you time, effort and money:

Starting without a clear strategy

Many people begin publishing content without a defined plan, which leads to scattered efforts and a lack of results. Before creating content, it is essential to have a clear view of your objectives, audience and keywords.

Choosing the wrong keywords

Targeting terms that are too broad, failing to understand user intent or choosing keywords with very high competition can make it harder to rank and limit your results.

Over-optimising your content

Repeating keywords unnaturally (keyword stuffing) can lead to a penalty. Prioritise natural, useful writing for the reader.

Ignoring user experience

A slow website with confusing navigation or a design that does not adapt to mobile devices drives visitors away and harms your rankings.

Neglecting internal linking

Failing to connect your pages strategically makes it harder for Google to understand your website’s structure.

Publishing duplicate or unoriginal content

Google values unique content. Copying text from other pages or repeating the same ideas too often harms your rankings.

To avoid these mistakes and build a strong SEO strategy from the outset, we recommend following the modules below.

The complete journey

How to improve your SEO step by step

We have created a series of specialised guides to help you master every key stage of search engine optimisation for your website:

Start your SEO journey with website architecture →