SEO · · 6 min read
How to improve your SEO for free: a guide for Melbourne businesses
You don’t need a big budget to start ranking better on Google. Ten free things you can do yourself, most of them in an afternoon.
Marcus · SEO & Content Strategist
Good SEO starts with free work
Plenty of SEO costs nothing but time. If you’re a small Melbourne business with more time than budget, these are the free improvements we’d make first.
1. Set up Google Business Profile properly
Fill in every field, choose accurate categories, add real photos and your services. For local searches, this is often where the most valuable traffic comes from.
2. Ask for reviews
Send happy customers a direct link to leave a Google review, and reply to every review you get. Reviews influence both rankings and whether people choose you.
3. Connect Google Search Console
Search Console is free and shows which searches you appear for, which pages Google has indexed and any problems it finds. Submit your sitemap while you’re there.
4. Fix your page titles
Each page’s title is the blue link people see in Google. Make each one unique and descriptive, like "Physiotherapy in Hawthorn | Your Clinic", rather than "Home" or "Services".
5. Write a description for every page
The meta description is the short text under the link. It doesn’t directly change rankings, but a clear, specific description gets more clicks.
6. Give each service its own page
If one page lists everything you do, split it up. A page dedicated to each service gives Google something specific to rank for each search.
7. Compress your images
Large images are the most common cause of slow sites. Free tools like Squoosh or TinyPNG shrink them without visible quality loss.
8. Link your pages together
When one page mentions a service or topic you have another page about, link to it. It helps visitors and helps Google understand your site.
9. List your business in directories
Add your business to free directories like Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp, True Local and any in your industry. Use exactly the same name, address and phone number everywhere.
10. Answer real questions
Write down the questions customers ask you every week, then answer them on your website. One helpful article a month adds up quickly.
When free isn’t enough
These steps will take most small businesses a long way. If competitors are still outranking you after a few months, or you’d rather spend your time running the business, that’s when it makes sense to bring in help.
Want us to check what you’ve done and suggest what’s next? Book a free call.
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WRITTEN BY
Marcus · SEO & Content Strategist
Plans the keywords, pages and articles that help clients get found on Google and in AI search.