Free SEO Guides and Reviews, Newest First
learn seoEvery SEO guide and review I publish lands here, with the newest at the top. Each one explains how the work is actually done, step by step and in plain English: what to check, what to fix and what results to expect.
- free, no sign-up
- method shown step by step
- sources linked
$ ls ~/learn –sort=newest
● new guide ……. today
● tool review ….. this week
● fix guide ……. this month
$ start –path beginner
→ seo-process → on-page-seo
→ technical-seo → off-page-seo → local-seo
$ cost –guides
✓ 0.00 · no email, no paywall
● new guide ……. today
● tool review ….. this week
● fix guide ……. this month
$ start –path beginner
→ seo-process → on-page-seo
→ technical-seo → off-page-seo → local-seo
$ cost –guides
✓ 0.00 · no email, no paywall
// new posts appear at the top automatically
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Browse the Archive by Category
Every post sits in one of four categories. Open a category to see only those posts, newest first.
category/learn
Learn
Step-by-step SEO guides and fixes in plain English.
13 posts →category/seo-tools
SEO Tools
Independent reviews of SEO and rank tracking tools, with real prices.
10 posts →category/hosting-reviews
Hosting Reviews
Hosts scored on real limits, renewals and support.
10 posts →category/review
Review
Product and service reviews with the weak points listed.
10 posts →latest posts
Latest SEO Guides and Reviews
The full archive, newest first. Each post shows the method, not just the theory, with the sources linked so you can check them.
- Best Free SEO Tools: Ten Options Compared
Ten free SEO tools compared on what each does and its limits: Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, PageSpeed Insights, Google Trends, Screaming Frog free and more. - Best WooCommerce Hosting: Ten Options ComparedTen WooCommerce hosting options compared on price, renewals and store features: SiteGround, Kinsta, Cloudways and more.
- Best DNS Providers for SEO and Speed: Ten Options ComparedTen DNS providers compared on price, free plans and limits: Cloudflare, Amazon Route 53, DNSimple, ClouDNS and more.
- Best WooCommerce SEO Plugins: Ten Options ComparedTen WooCommerce SEO options compared on price, sites covered and store features: Yoast WooCommerce SEO, Rank Math, All in One SEO, SEOPress and more.
- Best WordPress Staging and Migration Plugins: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress staging and migration options compared on price, site limits and fit: Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration, WPvivid, UpdraftPlus, SiteGround staging and more.
- Best WordPress Multilingual and hreflang Plugins: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress multilingual options compared on price, word limits and SEO fit: WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress, Weglot, GTranslate and more, with Google’s hreflang rules.
- Best Shopify SEO Apps: Ten Options ComparedTen Shopify SEO options compared on price, trial and fit: Plug in SEO, SEO Manager, TinyIMG, Smart SEO, Yoast SEO for Shopify, JSON-LD for SEO, Langify, Judge.me, built-in tools and manual edits.
- Best Review Management Software: Ten Options ComparedTen review management options compared on pricing transparency, Google’s review rules and fit: Birdeye, Podium, Trustpilot, NiceJob, Grade.us, Reputation, Yext, Judge.me and a free DIY method.
- Best Keyword Clustering Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen keyword clustering options compared on price, credits and fit: Keyword Insights, Search Atlas, seoClarity, SE Ranking, Semrush, Ahrefs, Surfer, Writerzen, KeyClusters and a free DIY method.
- Best Digital PR and HARO Alternatives: Ten Options ComparedTen HARO alternatives and digital PR tools compared on price, free plans and fit: Featured, Qwoted, Prowly, Source of Sources, SourceBottle, ResponseSource, Muck Rack, Cision and more.
- Best Web Scraping Tools and APIs: Ten Options ComparedTen web scraping tools and APIs compared on price, credits, free tiers and fit: ScraperAPI, ScrapingBee, Zyte, Apify, Firecrawl, Octoparse, Scrapy and more, with Google’s rules on automated access.
- Best Domain Registrars: Ten Options ComparedTen mainstream domain registrars compared on .com price, renewal, WHOIS privacy and transfers: Porkbun, Dynadot, Cloudflare, Spaceship, Hover, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Squarespace, Name.com and Gandi.
- Best Fast WordPress Themes for SEO: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress themes compared on price, site limits, free versions and fit for SEO and speed: Astra, Blocksy, Kadence, GeneratePress, Hello Elementor, Neve, OceanWP and more.
- Best WordPress Page Builders: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress page builders compared on price, site limits, lifetime options and fit: Elementor, Divi, Bricks, Beaver Builder, the block editor and more, with Google’s page experience guidance.
- Best Google Business Profile Management Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen ways to manage a Google Business Profile compared by job, fit and risk: Google’s own tools, Birdeye, Yext, BrightLocal, Whitespark, Local Falcon, Moz Local, Semrush Local, Localo and spreadsheets.
- Best Link Building and Outreach Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen link building and outreach tools compared by job, fit and risk: Pitchbox, BuzzStream, Respona, Hunter, Ahrefs, Semrush, Mailshake, Lemlist, Google Sheets and Gmail, and Search Console.
- Best Log File Analyzers for SEO: Ten Options ComparedTen log file analyzers for SEO compared on price, limits and fit: Screaming Frog, GoAccess, JetOctopus, the Crawl Stats report, Elastic, Oncrawl, Botify, Lumar, Semrush and Seolyzer.
- Best Google Search Console Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen tools that get more out of Google Search Console data compared: BigQuery export, Looker Studio, the API, Coupler.io, Two Minute Reports, Supermetrics, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs Free, Semrush and Search Analytics for Sheets.
- Best Semrush Alternatives: Ten Options ComparedTen Semrush alternatives compared on price, limits and fit: SE Ranking, Ahrefs, SEO PowerSuite, SpyFu, Search Atlas, Screaming Frog, Moz Pro, Ubersuggest, Mangools and Serpstat.
- Best Ahrefs Alternatives: Ten Options ComparedTen Ahrefs alternatives compared on price, limits and fit: SE Ranking, Semrush, SEO PowerSuite, Ahrefs Free, SpyFu, Search Atlas, Moz Pro, Ubersuggest, Mangools and Serpstat.
- Best Email Hosting for Your Own Domain: Ten Options ComparedTen ways to get email on your own domain compared on price, storage, limits and fit: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, Fastmail, Proton, Migadu, MXroute, Namecheap, Hostinger and Cloudflare Email Routing.
- Best SERP and Keyword APIs for Developers: Ten Options ComparedTen SERP and keyword data APIs compared on pricing, free credits, limits and fit: DataForSEO, SerpApi, Search Console API, Serper, SearchApi, Zenserp, Keyword Planner, Semrush, Ahrefs and Google Custom Search.
- Best AI Writing Tools for Bloggers: Ten Options ComparedTen AI writing options for bloggers compared on price, limits and fit: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grammarly, Frase, Notion AI, Surfer, Jasper, Copy.ai and Writesonic, with Google’s rules on AI content.
- Best Content Optimization Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen content optimization options compared on pricing, limits and fit: Surfer, NeuronWriter, Frase, Clearscope, SE Ranking, Yoast, Semrush, MarketMuse, Writesonic and a free Search Console plus SERP review method.
- Best Uptime Monitoring Tools for WordPress: Ten Options ComparedTen uptime monitoring options for WordPress compared on free limits, check interval, pricing and fit: UptimeRobot, Better Stack, Uptime Kuma, Jetpack, StatusCake, Hyperping, Site24x7, Uptime.com, ManageWP and Pingdom.
- Best SEO Crawlers and Site Audit Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen SEO crawlers and site audit tools compared on cost, crawl limits and fit: Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Ahrefs Free, Search Console reports, SE Ranking, Netpeak Spider, JetOctopus, Lumar and Semrush.
- Best Core Web Vitals Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen Core Web Vitals tools compared on lab versus field data, cost and limits: PageSpeed Insights, Search Console, Lighthouse, DevTools, web-vitals library, WebPageTest, GTmetrix, Request Metrics, SpeedCurve and DebugBear.
- Best Redirect Plugins for WordPress: Ten Options ComparedTen ways to manage redirects on WordPress compared on cost, limits and fit: Redirection, Safe Redirect Manager, SEOPress, server rules, WP 301 Redirects, Simple 301 Redirects and SEO plugin redirect managers.
- Best Schema Markup Plugins for WordPress: Ten Options ComparedTen ways to add and check schema markup on WordPress compared on price, site limits and fit: Rank Math, AIOSEO, Yoast Premium, Schema and Structured Data for WP, WPSchema, manual JSON-LD, Google’s testing tools and more.
- Best Image Optimization Plugins for WordPress: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress image optimization options compared on free quotas, pricing, formats and limits: ShortPixel, Imagify, EWWW, Optimole, Smush, TinyPNG, WP-Optimize, manual workflow, Cloudflare image features and hosting image CDNs.
- Best WordPress Security Plugins: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress security options compared on price, firewall, malware cleanup and refunds: Wordfence, Cloudflare, MalCare, Patchstack, Sucuri, Shield Security, All-In-One Security, host security, Solid Security and Defender.
- Best WordPress Backup Plugins: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress backup options compared on price, site limits, storage, retention and refunds: BlogVault, UpdraftPlus, WPvivid, Duplicator, Jetpack, WP Time Capsule, BackWPup, Backuply, Solid Backups and host backups.
- Best Local Rank Tracking Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen local rank tracking tools compared on price, grid scans, locations and fit: Local Falcon, BrightLocal, Whitespark, Localo, SE Ranking, Nightwatch, ProRankTracker, Semrush Map Rank Tracker, Local Viking and manual checks.
- Best Residential Proxies for SEO: Ten Options ComparedTen residential proxy providers compared for SEO uses on price per GB, trials, refunds, KYC and fit: Bright Data, Oxylabs, Decodo, SOAX, Webshare, IPRoyal, Rayobyte, Geonode, Infatica and ProxyEmpire, with Google’s rules on automated queries.
- Best Cheap WordPress Hosting: Ten Options ComparedTen cheap WordPress hosts compared on intro price, renewal price, billing term and refunds: Hostinger, DreamHost, ChemiCloud, Bluehost, GreenGeeks, FastComet, SiteGround, IONOS, hosting.com and InMotion.
- Best Managed WordPress Hosting: Ten Options ComparedTen managed WordPress hosts compared on price, visit limits, renewal terms, refunds and fit: Kinsta, WP Engine, Rocket.net, Pressable, Flywheel, Cloudways, SiteGround, WordPress.com Business, Pressidium and Pagely.
- Best CDN for WordPress: Ten Options ComparedTen CDNs for WordPress compared on price, free tiers, minimums and fit: Cloudflare, Bunny.net, Amazon CloudFront, KeyCDN, QUIC.cloud, Fastly, Jetpack Site Accelerator, CDN77, Gcore and Cloudflare APO.
- Best WordPress Caching Plugins: Ten Options ComparedTen WordPress caching plugins compared on price, server requirements, features and fit: LiteSpeed Cache, WP Rocket, FlyingPress, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, WP-Optimize, NitroPack, Hummingbird, Breeze and Cache Enabler.
- Best Rank Tracking Tools: Ten Options ComparedTen rank tracking tools compared on price, keyword limits, update speed, AI tracking and fit: SE Ranking, Semrush, Nightwatch, Ahrefs, Advanced Web Ranking, ProRankTracker, AccuRanker, Mangools, Search Console and Wincher.
- Free Rank Tracking With Search Console and Google SheetsYou can track SEO progress for free using Search Console. Learn what average position really means, how to build a simple monthly tracking sheet, and why clicks and impressions matter more than a single rank.
- Branded vs Non-Branded Queries in Search Console: How to Filter and Read ThemSearch Console can now split branded and non-branded queries. Learn what each means, how to apply the filter, its limits, how to do it with regex on older properties, and what the split tells you about growth.
- How to Find Keywords in Search Console (Positions 8 to 20)Your own Search Console already lists keywords you almost rank for. Learn how to filter queries by position, spot high-impression low-click queries, and turn them into page updates and new posts.
- How to Find Pages Losing Traffic in Google Search ConsoleFind which pages and queries are losing clicks with Search Console’s date comparison and Difference column. Step-by-step method, how to read the results, and what to check before rewriting a page.
- Author Pages and Bylines for SEO: How to Show Who Wrote ItWhat does Google say about author bylines, author pages and E-E-A-T? Learn the Who, How and Why questions, what an honest author page contains, and how to set one up in WordPress without faking credentials.
- Table of Contents and Jump Links for SEO: Do They Help?Does a table of contents help SEO? Learn what Google says about read more deep links, how to add anchor links in WordPress, and the mistakes that stop jump links from working.
- Content Pruning: Should You Delete Old Blog Posts? What Google SaysShould you delete weak blog posts to improve SEO? Google’s guidance warns against removing content just for freshness. Use this decision guide to keep, update, merge, redirect or noindex each page safely.
- Why Google Rewrites Your Title Link (and How to Stop It)Google sometimes shows a different title than the one you wrote. Learn the sources Google uses for title links, the seven reasons it rewrites them, and a step-by-step way to fix a changed title in WordPress.
- Fix Redirect Chains and Mixed Content After Moving WordPress to HTTPSAfter switching to HTTPS, many WordPress sites keep redirect chains and insecure images or scripts. Learn how Googlebot treats redirects, what mixed content is, and a step-by-step way to find and fix both.
- How to Noindex PDFs and Other Files in WordPress (X-Robots-Tag)PDFs and images cannot carry a meta robots tag. Learn how to keep them out of Google with the X-Robots-Tag header on Apache, LiteSpeed and Nginx, how to test it, and the robots.txt trap that makes it fail.
- Image CDN, Hotlinking and SEO: Will Serving Images From Another Domain Hurt?Can an image CDN hurt SEO? Learn what Google says about image URLs, CDNs, WebP and AVIF, how hotlinking differs, and how to set up WordPress images safely with stable URLs and an image sitemap.
- HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 for SEO: What Google Says and Whether You Need ThemDoes HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 improve SEO? Google says Googlebot supports HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 with no ranking benefit. Learn what changes, how to check your protocol, and when upgrading helps speed.
- WWW vs Non-WWW: Which Should You Use and How to Redirect SafelyWWW or non-WWW? Neither ranks better. Learn how to choose one hostname, redirect the other, align canonicals and Search Console properties, and test the setup on WordPress and Cloudflare.
- Trailing Slash vs No Trailing Slash in URLs: Does It Matter for SEO?Does a trailing slash matter for SEO? Learn how Google treats URLs with and without a slash, the root domain exception, how to pick one version, and how to fix mixed versions on WordPress.
- WordPress Pagination and Category Archives: Index or Noindex? (SEO Guide)Should paginated WordPress pages and category archives be indexed? A step-by-step decision guide using Google’s pagination advice, with Yoast settings, examples and troubleshooting.
- How to Check Which Canonical Google Chose (URL Inspection Step by Step)Learn how to see the canonical you declared and the canonical Google selected, using URL Inspection, why the two can differ, and what to change when Google picks a different URL.
- “Page With Redirect” in Search Console: Is It a Problem and What to Check“Page with redirect” in Search Console usually means a redirecting URL is correctly not indexed. Learn when it is normal, when it signals a mistake, and how to audit redirect targets step by step.
- Search Console Insights: What It Shows and How to Use ItWhat Search Console Insights is, who can use it, what the cards show, how it differs from the Performance report and Google Analytics, and a simple weekly routine to find content to update.
- Search Console Enhancements Reports Explained (Rich Result Reports)What the Enhancements section of Search Console shows, why a report appears or not, how to read Valid, Warning and Error items, and how to fix issues and validate them step by step.
- Noindex vs Alternate Page With Proper Canonical: Which Search Console Status Is a Problem?Two common “not indexed” statuses in Search Console look similar but mean different things. Learn how to tell an intended noindex from a canonical alternate, which one needs action, and how to fix each step by step.
- Structured Data Guidelines: Google’s Rules to Avoid a Manual ActionGoogle’s general structured data guidelines: allowed formats, placement, content rules and what a structured data manual action does.
- Local Business Structured Data: LocalBusiness Schema ExplainedHow to add LocalBusiness structured data: required address and name, recommended opening hours, geo and telephone, with a JSON-LD example.
- Page Experience and SEO: What Google Actually SaysWhat Google says about page experience: no single signal, Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, mobile, ads and interstitials, plus a six-question self-check.
- Sitemaps Report in Search Console: Statuses, Columns and FixesHow to read the Sitemaps report in Search Console: submitting, statuses, columns, removing a sitemap and its limits.
- AI Overviews SEO: What Google Says Site Owners Should DoWhat Google says about AI Overviews and AI Mode for site owners: eligibility, controls, measurement in Search Console and best practices.
- HTTP Status Codes for SEO: What 200, 301, 404 and 503 Mean to GoogleHow Google treats HTTP status codes: 2xx, 3xx, 4xx and 5xx, redirect hops, the 429 crawl-rate rule and what to fix first.
- Meta Tags Google Supports (and the Ones It Ignores)Which meta tags Google supports, such as description, robots, viewport and google-site-verification, and which it ignores, such as meta keywords.
- Google Crawlers and User Agents: The Three Types ExplainedGoogle’s crawlers explained: common crawlers, special-case crawlers and user-triggered fetchers, how they identify themselves and what controls you have.
- Organization Structured Data: Add Organization Schema to Your SiteHow to add Organization structured data: where to put it, the properties Google recommends, logo rules and how to test and recrawl.
- Article Structured Data: Add Article Schema to Blog PostsHow to add Article, NewsArticle and BlogPosting structured data to blog posts, which properties Google recommends, and how to test and recrawl.
- Google Search Operators: site:, Quotes, Minus, before: and filetype: ExplainedThe Google search operators documented on Google’s help page, with SEO examples: exact match quotes, site:, minus, before:, after: and filetype:.
- Video Sitemap: Required and Optional Tags with ExamplesHow to write a video sitemap for Google: the namespace, required tags, optional tags and their limits, accessibility rules and the tags that were removed.
- Image Sitemap: Format, Required Tags and How to Submit ItHow to build an image sitemap: the namespace, the required image tags, the 1,000 image limit, cross-domain rules and the tags Google no longer uses.
- Manual Actions Report in Search Console: How to Read It and Request a ReviewHow to check the Manual actions report in Google Search Console, what the common action types mean, how to fix the affected pages and how to submit a reconsideration request.
- Google Spam Policies Explained: All 20 Types and How to Stay SafeA plain-English walkthrough of Google’s spam policies: the 20 listed practices, what happens to violating sites, how detection works and where to go if you get a manual action.
- Site Name in Google Search: WebSite Structured Data and TroubleshootingHow Google chooses the site name shown in results, how to add WebSite structured data with name and alternateName, and the troubleshooting order Google recommends.
- Favicon in Google Search: Requirements and Why It Is Not ShowingGoogle’s favicon requirements: link markup, formats, square size, stable URL, crawlability, recrawl steps and what to check when your favicon does not appear in search results.
- How to Verify Googlebot: Reverse DNS and IP Range MethodsHow to check whether a request really comes from Googlebot: Google’s manual reverse and forward DNS method, the automatic IP range lists and the three crawler categories.
- Render-Blocking Resources: How to Find and Fix ThemWhat render-blocking scripts and stylesheets are, how Lighthouse flags them and the fixes it recommends: defer, async, inline critical CSS and media attributes.
- Time to First Byte (TTFB): What It Is, Good Scores and How to Improve ItWhat Time to First Byte measures, the 0.8 and 1.8 second thresholds, what is included in it, how to measure it and practical steps to lower it on WordPress.
- Search Console Removals Tool: Temporary Removals and Clear Cached URLHow the Search Console Removals tool works: hide a URL for about six months, clear a snippet, what it cannot do, and the permanent steps Google recommends.
- Domain vs URL-Prefix Property in Search Console: Which to ChooseDomain property or URL-prefix property? What each covers, how each is verified, and how to choose based on Google’s documentation.
- XML Sitemap Format Rules: Size Limits, lastmod and What Google IgnoresThe sitemap format rules Google documents: supported formats, the 50 MB and 50,000 URL limits, UTF-8, absolute URLs, lastmod accuracy and ignored tags.
- Robots.txt Syntax Rules: User-agent, Disallow, Allow and Sitemap ExplainedEvery robots.txt syntax rule Google documents: file location, groups, User-agent, Disallow, Allow, wildcards, case sensitivity, comments and Sitemap lines, with examples.
- Blocked by robots.txt in Search Console: What It Means and When to Fix ItWhat the “Blocked by robots.txt” status means in Search Console, when it is expected, and how to remove an unintended block.
- URL Marked Noindex in Search Console: How to Fix ItThe “URL marked noindex” status in Search Console: whether it is a problem, how to find the noindex tag or header, remove it and request indexing.
- Redirect Error in Search Console: Causes and FixesThe Redirect error status in Search Console explained: redirect chains that are too long, loops, over-long URLs and bad URLs, with a step-by-step way to trace and fix them.
- Blocked Due to Access Forbidden (403): How to Fix It for GooglebotWhy Search Console reports “Blocked due to access forbidden (403)”, how to find what is blocking Googlebot, and the safe ways to allow it without exposing private pages.
- Alternate Page With Proper Canonical Tag: Is It a Problem?What “Alternate page with proper canonical tag” means in Search Console, why it is usually fine, and the few cases where you should check your canonicals.
- Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical: What It Means and What to DoWhat the Search Console status “Duplicate without user-selected canonical” means, when it is harmless, and how to fix it when Google picks the wrong page.
- Noindex vs Robots.txt: Which One Should You Use?Noindex vs robots.txt explained: one controls indexing, the other controls crawling. Learn when to use each, why combining them backfires and how to choose for common WordPress cases.
- Validate Fix in Search Console: How It Works and What to Do If It FailsHow the Validate fix button in Google Search Console works: how long validation takes, what the statuses mean, why you should not click it twice and what to do when validation fails.
- Rich Results Test: How to Test Your Structured DataHow to use Google’s Rich Results Test to check structured data: what it tells you, how to read errors and warnings, Google’s structured data policies and why valid markup does not guarantee rich results.
- Core Web Vitals Report in Search Console: How to Read and Fix ItHow the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console works: field data, Good, Need improvement and Poor statuses, URL groups, why you may see no data, and how Start Tracking validates a fix.
- Crawl Stats Report in Search Console: How to Read ItHow to find and read the Crawl Stats report in Google Search Console: total requests, response times, host status, crawl responses and when you actually need it.
- JavaScript SEO Basics: How Google Crawls, Renders and Indexes JS SitesJavaScript SEO basics from Google’s documentation: the three phases of crawling, rendering and indexing, link and routing rules, status codes, soft 404s in single-page apps and how to test.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): What It Is and How to Fix ItCumulative Layout Shift explained: how the score is calculated, the 0.1 threshold, which shifts are excluded, the common causes and step-by-step fixes for WordPress.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): What It Is and How to Improve ItLargest Contentful Paint explained: what counts as the LCP element, the 2.5 second threshold, how to find your LCP element and practical fixes for slow loading on WordPress.
- Nosnippet, Max-Snippet and Data-Nosnippet: Control Your Search SnippetsHow to control what Google shows from your page: nosnippet, max-snippet, max-image-preview and the data-nosnippet attribute, with rules, examples and the caveats Google documents.
- Robots Meta Tag and X-Robots-Tag: Every Rule ExplainedThe robots meta tag and X-Robots-Tag explained from Google’s documentation: where to place them, every valid rule, how conflicts resolve, and why robots.txt can stop them from working.
- Content Audit for SEO: How to Decide What to Keep, Update, Merge or RemoveA step-by-step SEO content audit: build an inventory, pull Search Console data, and label each page keep, update, merge or remove, with Google’s cautions about deleting content.
beginner path
New to SEO? Start Here
Read these SEO guides in this order. Each step builds on the one before, so by the end you know how a full campaign fits together and where your own site needs work.
01 PLAN
SEO Process
See every phase of a campaign, from audit to page one, and how long each one takes. Read the SEO process
02 PAGES
On-Page SEO
Match each page to one search, then shape titles, headings and content around it. Read on-page SEO
03 SITE
Technical SEO
Make sure Google can crawl, load and index the pages you just improved. Read technical SEO
04 TRUST
Off-Page & Local
Earn links and mentions, and get into the map results for nearby searches. Off-page SEO · local SEO
core guides
Core Guides and Methods
The in-depth guides behind my services. These stay up to date rather than being replaced by newer posts.
core_seo
SEO Process
The full campaign, phase by phase, with realistic timings.
read the guide →core_seo
On-Page SEO
Titles, headings, content and internal links matched to real searches.
read the guide →core_seo
Technical SEO
Crawling, indexing, speed and errors, and how to fix them.
read the guide →core_seo
Off-Page SEO
Earning links and mentions from real, relevant sites the safe way.
read the guide →core_seo
Local SEO
Business Profile, listings, reviews and local pages for the map results.
read the guide →core_seo
SEO FAQ
97 plain-English answers, each starting with the short version.
read the answers →fixes_and_protection
Negative SEO
Common attacks, how to check for them and how to recover.
read the guide →industry_seo
iGaming SEO
Market research, technical fixes and trust for licensed gaming sites.
read the method →industry_seo
Crypto SEO
Exchanges, wallets and Web3 projects, without hype.
read the method →industry_seo
Adult SEO
SafeSearch-aware SEO for legal adult, wellness and dating sites.
read the method →tools_and_hosting
Best SEO Tools
10 SEO and rank tracking tools compared, with real prices.
read the review →tools_and_hosting
Best LiteSpeed Hosting
10 WordPress hosts checked for real LiteSpeed and hidden limits.
read the review →tools_and_hosting
Best Enterprise WordPress Hosting
10 premium hosts compared on SLAs, security and support.
read the review →
BY PROBLEM
Pick a Guide by Your Problem
Most people don’t arrive wanting to “learn SEO” in general. They arrive with one problem: pages missing from Google, a sudden drop, or a competitor who keeps beating them in the map results.
The table matches the most common problems to the guide that answers them first. Start there, then follow the links inside that guide to the related topics.
If your problem isn’t on the list, send me a message. I’ll tell you which guide fits, or whether it needs a closer look at your site.
problem-to-guide.mapstart here
| your problem | start with |
|---|---|
| Pages don’t show in Google | crawled currently not indexed |
| Rankings dropped suddenly | negative SEO, then technical SEO |
| Stuck on page two | on-page SEO |
| Not in the map results | local SEO |
| Few sites link to you | off-page SEO |
| Slow WordPress site | best LiteSpeed hosting |
| Don’t know what to target | best keyword research tools |
// one starting point per problem. each guide links onward
sources
Official Reading to Go Alongside
Google’s own documentation is the best companion to any SEO guide. These are the pages referenced on this page.
Google Search Central
- SEO Starter Guide: Google’s own introduction to SEO basics.
- Do you need an SEO?: Google’s advice on hiring help and how long improvements can take.
- AI features and your website: how pages appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
faq
SEO Guides: Common Questions
Are these SEO guides free?
Yes. Every guide and review on this page is free to read, with no sign-up, email gate or paywall. If you want help applying them to your own site, you can contact me, but you never have to.
Where do new guides appear?
New posts appear at the top of this page as soon as they’re published, so this page is always the full archive, newest first. The core guides further down are updated in place instead.
Where should a beginner start?
Start with the SEO process guide, then read on-page SEO, technical SEO, off-page SEO and local SEO in that order. That path shows how a whole campaign fits together before you go deeper into any one topic.
How long does it take to learn SEO?
You can learn the basics in a few weeks of reading and practising on a real site. Seeing results takes longer: Google’s own guidance says SEO improvements often take four months to a year to show their benefit, so plan for months, not days.
Do the guides cover AI search, like AI Overviews?
Yes, where it’s relevant. Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews: a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. So the same core work these guides cover is what makes a page eligible.
Are the tool and hosting reviews independent?
Each review explains how the products were scored and lists the weak points of every option, including the top pick. If a review contains affiliate links, it says so on that page.
Can you do the work for me instead?
Yes. I offer monthly plans from €395 and one-off work at €35 per hour, all white-hat and with no long contract. Send me your website and I’ll start with a free mini audit.
next step
Rather Have Me Do It for You?
Reading the guides shows you how the work is done. If you’d rather spend your time running your business, send me your website and I’ll run a free mini audit, then recommend a plan from my affordable SEO services or a single job at €35 per hour.