Training Example: Trade and Lateral Development – Review the Data, Give Your Score & Compare to the Real AI Evaluation

[H1] 3 Steps to Fix your SEO & Boost Traffic
Step 1
[H2] SEO Audit
Step 2
[H2] SEO Strategy
Step 3
[H2] SEO Monthly
Fix your SEO
[H2] We’re an SEO agency in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
[H3] We perform SEO audits, customise SEO strategies, and will optimise your website for search engines. We also build, maintain, and fix WordPress websites, and service customers worldwide.
[H3] Book a free Discovery Call so you can decide if we’re the right SEO agency for you.
Book Call

[IMG: does seo work]
[H2] Does SEO work?
Michelle Fouche7th October 2025SEO - Search Engine OptimizationSEO does work, if you do. People are naturally sceptical about whether SEO services do actually work. The truth is,…

[IMG: what is on page seo]
[H2] What is on-page SEO?
Michelle Fouche17th September 2025SEO - Search Engine OptimizationOn-Page SEO is all the optimization that happens ON a specific page on your website (eg: a blog post). On-page…

[IMG: website content plan]
[H2] How to Create a Website Content Plan in 5 Simple Steps
Michelle Fouche6th September 2025Website PlanningWhat is a website content plan? A website content plan is an overview of the content on your website. It…

[IMG: levantine & co]

[IMG: lexisnexis]

[IMG: sail solutions]

[IMG: west atlantic shipyard]

[IMG: skylighter fireworks]

[IMG: jachris]

[H3] Happpy Customers Around the World

Trade and Lateral Development designed and built my website and I’m really thrilled with the result. My website is SUPER fast and my customers love it. Michelle is great to work with, friendly and always willing to help and advise. She keeps me up to date with all the new and forever changing aspects that go with a website. I strongly recommend her to anyone who wants a website designed.
Kate TurtonOwner

Trade and Lateral Development provide first class service delivery and design. The attention to detail is unmistakable and it is clear that client satisfaction is always a top priority. The quality and calibre of work have constantly exceeded my expectations.
Yosheni NaidooMarketer

Michelle is always eager to assist and makes a marked effort to understand our needs and meet them. I continue to be impressed by the high quality of creative solutions and customer support demonstrated by Michelle and would recommend her to any company. Her solutions are creative and she executes them efficiently with good attention to detail.
Melany BydawellDirector

Start Now
[H3] Book a Free Discovery Call

[H1] Search Engine Optimization
We’re an SEO Agency based in Surrey, UK. If your site ranks higher in search engine results, more people will click through to your website. More traffic will boost your site activity and leads. SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of optimizing your website so it ranks higher in search engine results.
[H4] Book a free Discovery Call to decide if you want to work with us:
Book Call
[H2] SEO gets you more traffic and leads.
Search engine optimization helps to attract website visitors who will become customers. We offer SEO services to manage this process for you. We work with you to formulate an effective SEO strategy that will boost your search rankings.
[IMG: seo audit]
[H2] SEO Audit
Our comprehensive SEO Audit will evaluate your current website’s strengths and weaknesses, your current rankings, and how it’s performing using a wide range of metrics.
Among others, we check your security, crawlability and indexability, website structure, website speed, and mobile responsiveness. We also check the quality of your content, your user experience, and your on-page SEO. We’ll use these audit results to compile a detailed to do list so we can kickstart your new SEO campaign.
Book Call
[IMG: seo strategy]
[H2] SEO Strategy & Keyword Research
We’ll work with you to identify the best SEO strategy for your website. We’ll research your competitors, your existing keywords, and your website objectives.
We use various metrics to determine the best strategy for your website and will compile a target keyword list and identify any changes that are needed to optimise your website. This plan will become the starting point for your SEO package.
Book Call
[H2] Monthly SEO Packages include:
[H3] Initial & Ongoing SEO Audit
We will conduct an initial, comprehensive website SEO audit that includes evaluating your content, competitors, and backlink profile, to see where we can fix things. We’ll check again each month to ensure your website is on track.
[H3] Keyword Research & Strategy
We’ll work with you, using our keyword research tools and industry knowledge, to compile a list of keywords you can target on your website.
[H3] Content Strategy
We’ll help you to decide what content needs to be on your website, and how best to structure it and lay it out, so it’s easy for users and search engines to find and read.
[H3] Content Recommendations
We’ll suggest changes to your existing content as needed, or make recommendations for new content to add to your website. This is so you can build an online presence that’s valuable and attracts new leads.
[H3] Website Speed
We’ll ensure your site is fast and provides a great user experience for your website visitors. No one likes a slow website – not your visitors and definitely not Google.
[H3] New Website Content Optimization
We’ll optimize the new content you want to add to your website to make sure that search engines will find it. We’ll check the keywords, heading structure, images, wording, and more.
[H3] Technical SEO Fixes
We’ll check and fix all the technical issues that are negatively impacting your website’s SEO, like security, indexability, website structure, user experience, page layout, and more.
[H3] On-Page SEO Fixes
We’ll comb through your WordPress website to look for and fix SEO issues like duplicate titles, missing ALT tags, incorrect use of title tags, and other on-page SEO issues.
[H3] Product Page Optimization
If you have an ecommerce shop, we’ll optimize your product pages so they can be found online. Product keywords may have lower search volume, but they have a far higher conversion rate!
[H3] Category Page Optimization
Category pages are a significant source of organic traffic for WordPress websites, so we’ll make sure that your category pages are optimized so they can be found online.
[H3] Target Keyword Rank Tracking
We’ll track your target keywords each month so you can see where they are ranking in the top 100 Google search results. You will also see which keywords are on page one, and how your overall ranking changes.
[H3] Find Other Keywords You Rank For
Each month, we’ll find which other keywords your website ranks for, even if they’re not on your target keyword list. This way, you can see how your website is doing in real search results and adjust your strategy if necessary.
[H3] Google Analytics Tracking
Google Analytics is one of the best ways to track exactly how many users have visited your website. Find out how many new users have landed on your site, where they’re from, and more!
[H3] Google Search Console Tracking
Google Search Console will track your site’s performance via impressions (how many times your site appeared in search results), as well as top-performing pages, technical errors, and more.
[H3] Google Business Profile Optimization & Tracking
We’ll keep a close eye on your Google Business page, and keep optimizing and adding to it as needed. We’ll also track how many times it’s been viewed and how your business appears online.
[H3] Competitor Tracking
We’ll keep a list of your competitors and see how they’re performing in comparison to your site. We’ll tell you how much traffic they get, where your site is missing competitive keywords, and more.
[H3] Monthly SEO Reports & Suggestions
We’ll send you a detailed monthly report with all the metrics you need to check your SEO progress. We’ll also give you suggestions that you can tackle each month to further boost your SEO.
[H3] Off-Page SEO Suggestions
We’ll make suggestions for how you can improve your off-page SEO and boost your search engine rankings. Suggestions could include email newsletter ideas, social media campaigns, guest posting and more.
Book CallGet Quote
[IMG: website design company]
[H3] How do we measure SEO results?
After we have completed your SEO audit and keyword research, fixed all your SEO issues, and optimized your website, we’ll send you a monthly report that includes:
Current ranking positions of targeted keywords on desktop and mobile.
All the other keywords that drive traffic to your website.
Organic traffic, impressions, and click-throughs.
Other relevant SEO reports.
Suggestions for how to improve your keyword strategy, website content and quality, off-page SEO, and more.
We will also continue to work on your website SEO every month, so you can be sure your site is always being optimized and improved for search engines.
[H2] How much do SEO services cost in Surrey?
Please book a free Discovery Call so we can assess your website and give you a custom quote. (Please Note: We work on WordPress websites.)
[H3] Use our SEO services to increase your website traffic, generate more leads, and improve your brand credibility.
[H2] Customer Reviews

I have never experienced five star superior service from a service provider like this before! It has been the most pleasurable and enjoyable experience designing a website with Michelle from inception to finality. I had total peace of mind every step of the way.
Peter EnslinDirector

Trade and Lateral Development provide first class service delivery and design. The attention to detail is unmistakable and it is clear that client satisfaction is always a top priority. The quality and calibre of work have constantly exceeded my expectations.
Yosheni NaidooMarketer

Trade and Lateral, led by Michelle Fouche, is customer-focused, takes time to offer advice, and is super efficient in executing any project. I cannot recommend them highly enough!
Lorna GourlayOwner

Michelle is one of the most professional people FMI have had to pleasure of working with! Her work is always done with such precision and in a timely manner. FMI have been using Trade and Lateral for over 3 years and we have never had a single problem.
Chane de FortierBranding and Events Coordinator

Michelle is amazing! She is really clear on what is possible, has insight as to what will appeal to which target audience and is a great implementer of her strategies. She’s delivered quickly and efficiently every time we’ve asked. And most importantly, we feel truly heard when discussing our briefs: she hears the objectives, provides the right solutions to achieve those outcomes, and takes us on the journey with clear communication. She knows what she’s doing, in this field and in business.Thank you Michelle. ?
Bart KurekOwner

What an amazing company and service! Professionals who gone above and beyond to ensure the highest customer care and service! Highly recommended!!
Sheetal Schneider CrossJournalist

Wow! I am so impressed by the service received by Michelle Fouche. Her vibrant personality and finely tuned expertise has made dealing with Trade and Lateral for my company website a highly recommendable experience.
Tarryn DunkleyOwner

Michelle is a pleasure to deal with. She’s knowledgeable, patient, and supremely efficient.
Taryn Van RensburgOwner

Start Now
[H3] Book a Free Discovery Call
[H3] Can any SEO agency guarantee fast organic traffic results?
SEO results will differ depending on how competitive your industry is. Since SEO is a long-term strategy, we focus on sustainable gains while helping you to grab any quick wins when possible.
Your SEO audit will likely highlight some technical SEO barriers, which we will leverage immediately so you can hopefully see some quick wins early on in your campaign.
For on-page SEO, new content, and off-page SEO efforts, it can take an average of four to six months to build on your initial momentum and start seeing long-term organic search results. This time frame may seem long, but a lot is going on behind the scenes as your site builds authority and relevancy online.
Campaign success can also depend on things like:
How long you’ve had your domain, and how it’s currently ranking
How aggressive competing companies are
The competitive landscape for your keywords
Timely implementation of SEO recommendations
Industry changes or shifts in the economy
Due to the reasons listed above that are out of our control, neither we, nor any other company, can guarantee search engine optimization results. We do, however, work consistently to deliver the best results possible and continually revise our strategies if we notice floundering performance.
[H3] How long should I commit to my SEO campaign?
Search engine optimization isn’t a quick band-aid solution; it’s an ongoing process focused on sustainable success. Even when you start to reach your initial goals, search engine rankings can change over time due to factors like:
New competitors entering your industry
Existing competitors changing their SEO or marketing strategies and/or budgets
Search engines updating their ranking algorithms
Consumers or businesses changing their behaviour and preferences
Your business introducing new products or services to the market
Your company adjusting its own marketing or business strategy
A good SEO company helps you to refine your efforts as the search landscape shifts. You may even need ongoing adjustments to your campaign as your business evolves or responds to changes in your industry.
Once you’ve optimized your website architecture, content, and links, it’s much easier to monitor and adapt your campaign to keep it on course.

[H1] Customer Reviews

I am absolutely satisfied with services that Michelle’s company provides. When I am extremely busy with business and life, Michelle really understands and always trying to help to make my life easier! Very professional and highly recommended! Thank you x
Indrė ŠliogerytėHair & Makeup Bar, UKOwner

After nearly losing a client because of a developer who did not fulfill the main mandate of the website build, I contacted Michelle and she was able to work her magic and pull the remainder of the site together in under an hour. I highly recommend Trade and Lateral Development!
Briget NaylorString Phone MarketingOwner

Trade and Lateral Development provide first class service delivery and design. The attention to detail is unmistakable and it is clear that client satisfaction is always a top priority. The quality and calibre of work have constantly exceeded my expectations.
Yosheni NaidooLexisNexisMarketer

Trade and Lateral offers an excellent, all round website design service. They pay attention to detail, worry about the site security and maintenance so I don’t have to, and offer great suggestions for strategy and future growth. Michelle is great to work with, and I highly recommend her and her team!
Nazrene IsraelSuperior Load CoverOwner

Whoooooo I’m so excited! You and your team have done an amazing job. Every time I look, something new excites me. I absolutely love it! It’s perfect!
JodiEdu-Fun BoxOwner

We would like to thank Trade and Lateral Development for the amazing work they have done to upgrade our website. I was contacted by Michelle recently who donated her time, work, energy, and love to our website and the end result is truly the best! Thank you, Michelle. Please visit our website and make sure you contact Michelle if you are needing any assistance.
Liza MoroneyeXpose HOPEOwner

Michelle from Trade and Lateral Development came to our rescue during a time of great distress.She really goes out of her way to help.
Engela WiumDriftwood EstatesOwner

To say that you are doing a great job, would be a HUGE understatement. What you have done so far is FANTASTIC to say the least…! Thank you so much for your efforts thus far.
Nick MitriFireworks for AfricaOwner

I have never experienced five star superior service from a service provider like this before! It has been the most pleasurable and enjoyable experience designing a website with Michelle from inception to finality. I had total peace of mind every step of the way.
Peter EnslinAndiamo Recording StudioDirector

Thanks again for all your tireless help and the excellent turnaround time you continue to give.
Liesl GroblerAdapt ITGroup Marketing Manager

Michelle is an absolute expert in her field. The team at Trade and Lateral are super efficient, helpful and strategically minded.
Jason RossThe Centre for Purposeful LivingPsychotherapist

Michelle and her team at Trade Lateral assist us with our quarterly newsletters and design of our adverts. It has been an absolute pleasure dealing with her and her team who have always met our hectic deadlines timeously!
Lisa BlackPhotoNoteMarketer

Fantastic, efficient and concise care from Michelle, as she professionally walked us through some tricky website issues, and didn’t rest until our website was restored to it’s former glory. Much appreciated Michelled!
Lauren MitchellExpress MarketingOwner

Michelle at Trade and Lateral Development has been amazing! Michelle took my website from an outdated mess to attractive functional website overnight. Thank you so much, many clients have already commented!
Lindy OosthuizenThe Skin and Laser ClinicOwner

Michelle is always eager to assist and makes a marked effort to understand our needs and meet them. I continue to be impressed by the high quality of creative solutions and customer support demonstrated by Michelle and would recommend her to any company. Her solutions are creative and she executes them efficiently with good attention to detail.
Melany BydawellHRTorQue OutsourcingDirector

Trade and Lateral Development provide first class service delivery and design. The attention to detail is unmistakable and it is clear that client satisfaction is always a top priority. The quality and calibre of work have constantly exceeded my expectations.
Yosheni NaidooLexisNexis South AfricaMarketer

We have worked with Trade and Lateral over the last couple of years, Michelle and the team have done a great job for us. They understand what we are looking for from the onset and never fail to deliver!
Warren BeckwithC. Steinweg Chemical Logistics (Pty) LtdBusiness Development Manager

We dealt with Michelle at Trade and Lateral. She went the extra mile for us every time. It is a pleasure working with her. We would definitely recommend Trade and Lateral for assistance.
Gill AustinToyz Autohouse UmhlangaManager

Prompt efficient service, with plenty input. Certainly on my highy recommended list for web design and development. Thank you!
Cheryl LeatherCATSSOwner

I have been using Trade and Lateral for nearly twenty years now, my newsletter campaign is an essential part of my business. Trade and Lateral is fundamental to its success.
Brett FlorensBrett Florens PhotographyOwner

[IMG: does seo work]
[H1] Does SEO work?
October 7, 2025Michelle FoucheSEO - Search Engine Optimization
Table of Contents
[H2] SEO does work, if you do.
People are naturally sceptical about whether SEO services do actually work. The truth is, SEO (search engine optimisation) works if you and your SEO agency both work together.
This is not a service that you just hand off to someone while you watch your website suddenly shoot up into Google’s top-ranking spot. (Any agency who promises you that this is how it works, is lying to you.)
[H3] YOU need to play a role in your company’s SEO success.
Some things are easy to outsource, and many elements of SEO CAN be outsourced. An agency can manage the technical SEO, on-page SEO, and keyword research, among other things.
But it can’t ALL be outsourced. You, as the business owner or manager who is responsible for your website’s SEO and marketing, will need to get involved.
You can decide whether you’d rather spend more of your time or more of your money, but both things will be required.
[H3] 1. You will need an SEO Agency
As you are not a web or SEO expert, you will need an agency on your side to handle all the things you aren’t able to do. An SEO agency will help you to optimise your content for your users, point out usability issues, and fix technical errors.
They will also work with you to refine your list of target keywords. This might be one of the most important services they offer.
You can’t optimise a website unless you know what you are optimising it for. Do you want to sell your product, or get more quote requests, or encourage users to sign up for your subscription?
You must know three very important things:
What you want your website to do
Who your competitors are
Who your customers are
Only once you have these three answers, can your SEO agency help you with your keyword research. They will examine each answer and compile a list of target keywords that you might like to rank for.
You need to know your customers and offerings well enough to sign off on the keywords, or update the list of target keywords as required.
You MUST have a list of keywords you want to rank for, before you can start building a site that targets those keywords.
If you want to sell pet supplies, your website should be the expert on pet supplies.
[H3] 2. You must add excellent content regularly
Owners and managers are always, understandably, running out of time.
However, good SEO rests on new and valuable content being added to your website on a regular basis.
This can include updates to current content but sometimes there’s only so much you can update before it’s perfect.
You need to be writing fresh and interesting content regularly – ideally publishing something new for visitors to read every two weeks.
This sounds daunting, and it is. It’s also absolutely imperative.
But many people don’t have time to write, or they simply don’t like to write. They feel they can’t decide on a topic or have more urgent matters to address. They might struggle to type quickly, are exhausted, or just don’t have enough hours in the day.
These are all valid reasons, but they are going to hinder your search engine optimisation progress.
New content must be added regularly, and someone must write it.
[H3] 3. Avoid the AI-generated content trap
When website owners realise that SEO progress demands a consistent flow of new content, they inevitably turn to ChatGPT or any AI tool. It’s around this time that your SEO expert will start to get twitchy.
As AI has become more popular, everyone is using it to pump ‘new’ content onto their website. For a while it worked, but it didn’t take long for Google to slam that door shut.
Google does NOT like AI-generated content. They have clamped down hard on AI-generated articles and can now boot websites out of their ranking positions if they detect AI content on a site.
It was fun while it lasted, but Google has decided beyond all doubt that AI-generated content is a big fat NO.
They want content of a higher standard, and better quality.
Google uses E-E-A-T to score content on websites.
These factors are used to determine the quality of content and to ensure that websites provide accurate, reliable, and trustworthy content:
Expertise
Experience
Authoritativeness
Trustworthiness
E-E-A-T is centered around trust and helps to evaluate the performance of the search ranking systems, making sure that the content is unique and beneficial for people.
To improve your E-E-A-T score with Google, it is essential to:
Create original and helpful content
Avoid duplicating content
Include relevant and high-quality images and videos to enhance the user experience and credibility of the blog
Add a personal touch by including your own experience and insights
Ensure your content is written by experts in your field and is authoritative and trustworthy.
If you understand how AI works, you will know that this is not the content that AI tools generate. You can use an AI tool to draft an article, but you should edit and refine it dramatically to make it usable and valuable for SEO.
[H3] 4. You could hire a copywriter
Copywriters are amazing individuals, and they can weave magic. But the good ones are not cheap, although I personally think they are worth their weight in gold.
Excellent copywriters research topics thoroughly and often specialise in an area that they understand. They fact check their work and know how to make their writing SEO-friendly. They are priceless, unless you don’t have the budget for them.
If your business can’t afford a copywriter, you’ll need to write articles yourself. Alternatively, you could nominate a staff member to write your content inhouse, but it must still be high quality content.
Whichever path you choose, you must make sure that the content they are generating is following Google’s guidelines.
It must be SEO-friendly, and target your chosen keywords, if you want it to help your SEO.
[H3] 5. You’ll sign off content topics
You, as the website owner, need to direct your own marketing strategy.
Whether you use a marketing agency or not, only you can decide on the final message you want to convey to your customers.
You can pay someone to write, but you will need to guide them on what to write too. You should have final say on any content that makes it to your website.
[H2] SEO services work if you do
If you are truly invested in the success of your website, then you can’t ignore SEO. SEO works if you work with an SEO expert, and you stay involved in the optimisation process.
Your role is in keyword and content topic signoff, and possibly content generation.
Your SEO agency (and a copywriter if you decide to use one) should handle the rest, but you should meet with them regularly to ensure the process is still on track and meeting targets.
Everyone’s time is limited, but you need to take part in the process to see the search ranking results and website activity you are hoping for.
Please contact us if you need some help with your SEO.
Fix Your SEO
[H4] Related Posts

Learn SEO BasicsFebruary 5, 2025

What is on-page SEO?September 17, 2025

On-Page SEO DefinitionsJuly 25, 2025

[H4] Post Author
Michelle FoucheMichelle is the founder of Trade and Lateral Development - An SEO agency, with offices in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Michelle specialises in search engine optimisation, SEO audits, and customised SEO strategies. She has been working with websites for more than 25 years.
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[IMG: what is on page seo]
[H1] What is on-page SEO?
September 17, 2025Michelle FoucheSEO - Search Engine Optimization
Table of Contents
[H2] On-Page SEO is all the optimization that happens ON a specific page on your website (eg: a blog post).
On-page optimizations should be targeted to the keyword you have chosen for this page.
Example: If you are targeting the keyword ‘how does SEO work’ on a blog post, everything on your post page should be fully optimized for the keyword ‘how does SEO work’.
[H3] What are the most important on-page SEO lessons to remember?
Don’t optimize more than one page for the same keyword!
When using Yoast, you don’t have to get ALL the dots green (all green dots could mean you’ve over-optimized your page).
Write for humans first, and search engine second.
Make sure your content is easy to read, useful, and informative.
Avoid walls of text – split it up with headings and images.
[H3] The best tool for on-page SEO on WordPress
We love Yoast! It’s an excellent plugin that does even more behind the scenes. Our team of experts think the premium version is worth the expense. It’s great for SEO professionals, and site owners alike.
This means you can optimize your own content if you want to. It’s also great for anyone who’s starting out with SEO (search engine optimization). It’s intuitive and clearly indicates what changes you should make to your page.
If you aren’t yet ready to outsource your SEO, Yoast is a solid place to start. Of course, there’s a lot more to SEO, but you’ll get there. Start small and your efforts will compound.
[H2] How do I start on-page SEO?
You can start working on your on-page SEO yourself, until you are ready to outsource to a professional SEO agency.
The optimization steps are straightforward. Concentrate on one page at a time and pay attention to the details. Make each change only where it makes sense for your content.
Start with some keyword research to make sure you’re optimizing your pages for the right keywords. Choose target keywords that work within your organization, and that your customers use to search for you online. Your most general topics should be the most important sections. All your content should fit within these categories.
A great way to start is to build a website content plan – download a free template here.
[H3] Step 1: Choose the target keyword for your page
First, you must choose what target keyword you would like the page to rank for.
All your SEO efforts will revolve around this keyword.
PRO TIP: Your target keyword is more likely to be a phrase – sometimes referred to as a long-tail keyword. Example: Ranking for ‘dog’ would be almost impossible, but ranking for ‘buy grey dog bed for large dog’ is much more likely.
The bonus of optimizing for specific keywords is that people who click these search results are usually better qualified leads.
[H3] Step 2: Write excellent content
Before you can optimize anything, you must write excellent content that tells your reader everything they need to know about your keyword.
Your content should also answer the search intent behind your target keyword. (‘Search Intent’ is the main goal of someone who types a query into a search engine.)
You need high quality, relevant, trustworthy, and authoritative content on your website, to stand of chance of ranking in search results.
So, ask yourself:
Is your content informative and relevant?
Does it answer the search intent of the Google user searching for your target keyword?
Are you offering useful information, in as much detail as a user might need?
If you answered no to any of these questions – go back and rewrite your content.
[H3] Step 3: Follow Yoast’s checklist for on-page SEO
Yoast calls a target keyword a ‘keyphrase’ – they mean the same thing. Scroll to the Yoast panel at the bottom of the page you are optimizing. Type your target keyword into the ‘Focus keyphrase’ box to start the Yoast SEO check.
The Yoast panel will guide you to check:
Keyphrase length – it must not be too long or too short
Previously used keyphrase – make sure your target keyword hasn’t been used before
Keyphrase in slug (slug is part of the page URL)
SEO title width – it must not be too long or too short
Keyphrase in SEO title
Keyphrase in introduction
Keyphrase in meta description
Meta description length – it must not be too long or too short
Text length – it must not be too short
Images – do you have any, and do they have proper alt tags?
Internal links – do you have enough?
Outbound links – do you have enough?
Yoast will notify you if any of these elements are missing or incorrectly executed, so you can fix them.
It also offers a ‘Keyphrase distribution’ check if you have the premium plugin.
When optimizing, please avoid keyword stuffing. This is when you repeat the same keyword (or similar phrases) in your content to try to manipulate search rankings. This is very bad for your SEO and should be avoided.
[H3] Step 4: Check your headings and header tags
Header tags are used to highlight headings and subheadings on your web page. These headings are usually used in descending order of importance from H1 to H6. These tags tell users and search engines which content is important, and how important it is on the page.
You must only use ONE H1 tag per page.
EVERY page must have an H1 heading.
Heading tags should be in logical order, example:
H1 Heading
H2 Heading
H3 Heading
H3 Heading
H3 Heading
H2 Heading
H3 Heading
H3 Heading
H4 Heading
You should include your target keyword in SOME of your headings.
[H3] Step 5: Check the readability of your text
Users skim read most articles, so your content must be easy to read.
[IMG: yoast readability tab]
Yoast’s Readability tab will check:
Passive voice – don’t use too much
Consecutive sentences – don’t use too many
Subheading distribution – use enough subheadings and spread them evenly throughout your text
Paragraph length – they must not be too long
Sentence length – they must not be too long
Yoast also offers a ‘Word complexity’ check with its premium plugin. This checks to see if your vocabulary is easy enough for a larger audience to read easily. You should write in a simple style so it can be read and understood by searchers. This makes a big difference to your user engagement.
When checking your readability, keep your audience and your topic in mind. Technical topics often require more complicated language and are read by people who can understand that complexity. More mainstream topics are likely to be read by a wider range of people, so you’ll want to make your text simpler to understand.
[H3] Step 6: Check inclusive language
Check this tab to see if Yoast has picked up any problematic phrases in your text that you should remove.
[H3]
[IMG: yoast inclusive language tab]
[H3] Step 7: Check internal links TO your page
Make sure that several other pages link TO the page you’re optimizing.
If nothing links to your page, it is called an ‘orphan page’. Orphan pages usually can’t be crawled by search engines like Google. They also can’t be found by users unless you send them a direct link to the page.
Make sure that any pages you want to rank have links pointing to them.
[H3] Step 8: Check page speed
Page speed is an extremely important ranking factors on search engines. You should check each page you optimize to make sure it’s fast enough. If it loads too slowly, users will close the page. Google can track this and could decide that your page provides a bad user experience. Pages with a poor user experience will fall in search results, or disappear from the top 100 completely.
You should test your page using tools like PageSpeed Insights (a Google tool) and GTMetrix.
Check the test results to see what you can do to speed up your page. Often elements like image size, poor plugin or theme code, or complicated layouts, slow down your loading speed. Some of these you can probably fix yourself. Others might require a professional web designer.
PRO TIP: Pay close attention to the SEO test results on Google’s PageSpeed Insights. If you see any issues here, you should really try to fix them.
[H3]
[IMG: on-page seo pagespeed insights]
[H3] Step 9: Check mobile responsiveness
Make sure that your page layout can be viewed correctly on all types of devices and browsers. You should test your page on different operating systems (Windows and OS), different browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox etc.) and different devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones).
Most people don’t have access to this full range of devices, so testing tools like TestingBot are really useful.
You might need to adjust your page design and layout until it works well on all devices and software.
In some cases, you might even need to consider changing website themes if yours is not fully responsive. Poorly coded WordPress themes can waste a lot of time when optimizing your on-page SEO. If you continuously run into mobile issues, consider changing to a more responsive theme.
[H3] Step 10: Request that Google Indexes your Optimized Page
Once you have optimized your on-page SEO, go to your account on Google Search Console. Paste your page’s URL into the top bar ‘Inspect any UTL’ to prompt Google to crawl and index your page as soon as possible.
[IMG: google search console request page indexing]
Google doesn’t promise to crawl your page if you request it, but you should try anyway. It often makes a big difference!
[H2] On-Page SEO is Extremely Powerful
If you haven’t got your on-page SEO correct, there’s very little chance that your page will rank in any search results.
It’s worth noting that even if you follow all Yoast’s guidelines, it doesn’t guarantee that your page will start to rank. The guidelines act as a live checklist so you can test your page in real-time to see how your on-page SEO is doing.
Yoast’s well-known ‘green dots’ generally mean that you are following best practices. This gives your page the best chance to rank, but doesn’t guarantee that it’ll rank. They are a checklist only.
There are many other aspects to SEO that you must also follow, but on-page SEO is a great place to start.
Remember, always optimize for humans FIRST.
Make sure your pages read easily for humans rather than search engines. If people read and enjoy your content, there’s an excellent chance the search engines will too, and it will rank.
If you have any questions about on-page SEO, please contact our expert team.
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Michelle FoucheMichelle is the founder of Trade and Lateral Development - An SEO agency, with offices in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Michelle specialises in search engine optimisation, SEO audits, and customised SEO strategies. She has been working with websites for more than 25 years.
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[IMG: website content plan]
[H1] How to Create a Website Content Plan in 5 Simple Steps
September 6, 2025Michelle FoucheWebsite Planning
Table of Contents
[H2] What is a website content plan?
A website content plan is an overview of the content on your website. It contains a list of all the content you have or want on your website, and it displays the content hierarchy.
Your content plan helps you to organise your content in the most logical, easy to understand way possible.
It’s usually laid out as headings (examples: page names, the names of your products or services, blog categories, and blog post names). This makes it much easier to decide what to put where. It also helps you to decide which is the most important content on your website and therefore what you should write first.
If you plan your website in advance, it’ll be much easier to chop and change your structure and content until it all makes sense for your business, and for users and search engines to understand.
[H3] What’s in a good website content plan?
A good website content plan shows:
The content you already have.
The content you need to add.
The hierarchy or layout of all your content.
[H3] Why is website hierarchy so important?
The hierarchy of your website tells search engines and users:
What your site is about
What the most important content on your site is (hint: it’s at the top of the hierarchy)
Where to find related content
Imagine that your website structure is like a pyramid. The most important information is at the top, and those top pages branch down into sub-categories relating to them.
[H3] Make your content plan easy to create!
Start with a basic structure and add as you go.
Use headings or categories to group your content.
The most important information comes first, and the rest follows in categories, in descending order.
Keep in mind who you’re building your website for, and why.
Remember to include the standard content that should always be on your website.
[H3] How do I create a content plan for an existing website?
You must audit your existing website content to incorporate it into your updated plan. Follow these same steps but fill in your existing content first. As you work through the steps, evaluate your existing content to check what’s working and what’s not.
If your current page is working, keep it and make sure it’s in its correct place in the hierarchy.
If it’s not working, consider how you can rewrite it, or if it should be repurposed somewhere else, or deleted altogether.
[H2] Create your Website Content Plan
The website content plan is one of the first steps you should take when building a new website or auditing an existing site.
[H3] Step 1: Clarify your Website’s Goals
You can’t write an effective plan unless you know exactly what the goals of your website are. Once you know what you’re trying to achieve with your site, you can write content that will facilitate your goals.
Start by asking: What is the aim of the website?
Are you trying to sell goods or services, get new leads, educate customers, or maybe streamline your internal office processes?
Once you have answered this thoroughly, you will know what your call to action is.
Your call to action is what you want visitors to DO on your website.
Do you want them to buy something? Call to Action: ‘Add to Cart’ or ‘Buy Now’
Or subscribe to your newsletter? Call to Action: ‘Subscribe’
Maybe you want them to use your knowledgebase instead of calling your office? Call to Action: ‘Read FAQ’
When you know what you want users to DO, you will have a much clearer idea of what content you need that will point your users towards doing that thing on your website.
Example: If you want visitors to buy your ‘SEO audit service’, you could write content like:
Why is an SEO audit important?
What is included in an SEO audit?
What should I do with the results of my SEO audit?
You might also offer this service as a digital product in your online shop so customers can book and pay for an audit online.
PRO TIP: As you think of new and interesting topics to write about, add them to your website plan. Make sure to add the topics or headings (or even target keywords) in a category that makes sense. You want to ensure users can find relevant content quickly and easily.
[H3] Step 2: Define your website’s audience
You must understand who you are building your website for, so you can ensure your content is interesting and relevant to these people.
Define every aspect of your target market by asking questions like:
Where do they live?
How old are they?
Where do they spend their time online?
What do they do for work or fun?
What can they afford?
Once you have a clear picture of who you are planning your website for, you can consider what content would interest your group of potential customers.
If you want to know what to write for your customers, ask yourself:
What challenges do they face?
What would make their lives easier?
What topics interest them?
What inspires them?
What do they search for online?
But the most important question of all is:
What do you want them to DO once they have read your content?
Make sure that whatever you write, eventually steers site visitors to doing whatever you’ve set as your website’s goal. If you want them to buy something, content should eventually point them to the purchase process.
[H3] Step 3: Do Basic Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of discovering what your customers are searching for online. The search terms they use are called ‘keywords’, or ‘target keywords’. They are usually phrases, rather than single words.
You must look for popular search terms that have a reasonable search volume (this is the number of searches per month). These search terms must also make sense for what you are offering on your website.
[H4] Example: Let’s say you are selling dog beds.
Within your organization, you might call them by their product name (The Canine Deluxe 3000), but that’s not what customers search for when looking for a new dog bed. Unless you are a massive, extremely well-known brand, your customers are probably using search terms like ‘buy dog bed’.
This means you should optimize your page for the search term your customer will use to search, while also including any relevant product information of your page.
In other words, don’t remove your product name from the page because people aren’t searching for it exactly. Rather add the search term you want to optimize for so search engines can match your page to their user’s search.
This keyword research is extremely important because you want to create content that people are looking for online. The end goal is to optimize your content so it can be found by people using search engines. This is why we start with keyword research when building an effective website content plan.
Keyword research will also help you to come up with ideas for page or blog content.
One of your key goals should be to answer your potential customers’ search queries, so your website is served in search results. This way, searchers can click on your site and find your products or services.
[H4] Let’s go back to the dog beds example:
You could add pages to your content plan based on what users are searching for. This is especially useful when deciding what blog posts to write.
Your topics could include ideas like:
What’s the most durable dog bed? (keyword: ‘most durable dog bed’)
How do I measure my dog to find the right size dog bed? (keyword: ‘right size dog bed’)
Can I leave my dog bed outside? (keyword: ‘dog bed outside’)
Are indoor or outdoor bog beds better? (keyword: ‘indoor outdoor dog bed’)
What if my dog refuses to sleep in their dog bed? (keyword: ‘dog refuses dog bed’)
These are all good topics to write about if you are selling dog beds. They could be posted on your blog as informative articles for customers and leads.
Once you’ve decided on a list of target keywords for your website, add them to your content plan in the most logical place they would belong.
If you’d like to go a step further, you could write the article heading per keyword too (like we have done above). You are already planning your website, so why not do as much as you can while you’re in the right mindset!
Here are some great keyword research tools:
Google Trends
Google Keyword Planner
Answer the Public
Ubersuggest
Keyword Tool
Keywordit
Wordstream
[H3] Step 4: Use our Website Content Template
We have created a document to show you how websites should be structured. (Some of the pages might not apply to you, in which case, you can ignore them.)
Please download this Website Content Plan Template here.
This will make it easy to structure your website.
It demonstrates how the most important information is in the main menu (in blue). Any additional content should be arranged into their respective categories, so they are easy to find, and they make sense.
As you move down the structure, the importance of the content lessens. This means the most important content goes at the top, and the least important goes at the bottom.
We have kept this document as an open Word document so you can edit it easily. This way, you can replace our headings with the headings and topics that will be on your website.
On page two of the template, you will find a basic page structure template. This is useful to make sure you aren’t missing any important information on each of your website pages. As always, delete anything that doesn’t apply to you, or add to it as needed.
If you have any suggestions as to how we can improve this content plan template, please let us know!
[H3] Step 5: Add all the Required Content Headings
Now it’s time to create your content plan by adding all the topics or headings you can.
Move them around as necessary, which is the reason we create this plan in the first place. It makes it very easy to chop and change, before committing to writing content.
If you find that you have some topics or headings that don’t fit, decide whether you really need them on your website. Do they add value? Do they warrant adding an additional category of content? Should the topic be added inside another page instead?
There are a few elements that should be included on almost every website. However, they do depend on what your organisation does, and what functionality your website will have. You’ll need to decide what you should keep and what you can ignore, from the lists below:
Good, clear branding
Contact information
Introduction to your organisation
Details of the products and/or services you offer
Links to your social media accounts
Information about your organisation (like an ‘about us’ page)
A clear call to action
Legal requirements according to your governing laws (eg: privacy policy, cookies policy, terms and conditions, disclaimers, etc.)
If you have an ecommerce website (an online shop), you probably also need:
Payment gateway/s
Shipping policy (for physical products)
Warrantee, guarantee, and returns policy
Trust indicators (eg: affiliations, testimonials etc.)
Product reviews
[H2] A good website content plan will save you time and effort
It’s usually obvious when websites have been built with very little planning. They are inefficient and appear jumbled. Content is difficult to find, or important information is missing. The internal linking structure is often a disaster or non-existent. Some pages can have quality, informative content, while others look like they were created in 2 minutes using (bad) AI.
Websites should cover their topic/s thoroughly, so they become a vital resource for interested visitors. If people engage with the content because it’s useful, those websites will rank highly on search engines. If they rank well, more people can find them and visit them. The new visitors will hopefully convert into customers and the organization wins!
Plans can be added to and refined as often as is needed. Our expert team recommends installing efficient analytics so you can examine your website traffic. If content isn’t working – change, update, or remove it. Continue to monitor user activity and make changes to your content or structure as needed, so you’re always improving your website.
Websites can quickly grow large and unwieldy. Your website content plan will help you to keep track of your entire site and will give you a clear picture of what sits where.
If you need help putting a content plan together, or if you need a team to audit your existing website, please contact us.
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[H4] Post Author
Michelle FoucheMichelle is the founder of Trade and Lateral Development - An SEO agency, with offices in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Michelle specialises in search engine optimisation, SEO audits, and customised SEO strategies. She has been working with websites for more than 25 years.
[H3] Search our Blog

[H3] Recent Blog Posts

Does SEO work?

What is on-page SEO?

How to Create a Website Content Plan in 5 Simple Steps

5 Fastest Ways to Increase Website SEO

Off-Page SEO Definitions

[H3] Blog Categories

eCommerce Websites
SEO – Search Engine Optimization
Website Maintenance
Website Planning