1. Set a goal and record a baseline
“Improve SEO” is too broad to guide a team. Map each important service to the questions potential customers ask and to the page meant to answer them. Someone looking for stock management software needs the workflow and its benefits, not only a generic agency pitch.
Record page and query data for the last three months in Search Console. A page with impressions but few clicks needs a different response from one that never appears. If analytics are available, track actual outcomes such as enquiries separately.
- List five priority URLs and the intended visitor action for each.
2. Separate crawling from indexing issues
Inspect a priority URL in Search Console. The live page can differ from the indexed version, so compare both. Review HTTP status, robots.txt, meta robots and X-Robots-Tag. A noindex directive left on production can hide an otherwise useful page.
A canonical identifies your preferred URL; it is not an order to index the page. Check that pages point to the right address, redirects are consistent, and your XML sitemap lists accessible preferred pages. Missing URLs returning a homepage-like 200 can cause soft 404 problems.
- Check HTTP responses for one valid and one nonexistent URL.
- Compare sitemap URLs with their canonical URLs.
3. Make each page’s purpose clear
The title element and visible H1 should clearly describe the same topic. A brand name alone does not tell a searcher what the page answers. The meta description summarises the page, although Google may choose another snippet. Avoid repeating a template title across many pages.
Service pages should explain scope, process, potential integrations and who the solution suits. Do not lengthen a page by repeating keywords. Examples, checklists and a clear next step help a visitor make a decision.
- List duplicate titles and empty descriptions.
- Answer the visitor’s main question near the top of each priority page.
4. Check internal links and language versions
Link from an article to the relevant service and from a service page to a useful guide. Use short anchor text that describes the destination rather than “click here”. Broken links interrupt visitors and waste crawl opportunities.
For multilingual sites, verify that hreflang URLs point to their actual language counterparts. An English alternate pointing to a Turkish page is misleading. The body, title and description should also use the stated language.
- Connect each new article to a relevant service and guide.
5. Prioritise findings by impact
Fix accidental noindex rules and broken redirects first. Then improve content and titles on important pages, followed by performance and friction in user flows. A minor wording change should not compete with a site-wide access problem.
Record the date, URL, change and expected effect. Search performance varies by time and query; a one-day rank check is not a sound decision basis. After a fix, use Search Console’s live test and request a recrawl if appropriate. This does not guarantee impressions or rankings.
- Sort findings into critical blockers, important content issues and improvements.