Learn SEO: clear answers to real questions
Straight answers to the questions South African business owners, marketers and new SEOs ask most, from "what is SEO?" to ranking in Google Maps and AI search.
SEO basics
What is SEO? Meaning, how it works and why it matters
What is SEO? SEO means search engine optimisation: improving a website so it ranks higher in Google. Learn how SEO works, the types of SEO and why it matters.
How long does SEO take to work?
How long does SEO take? Most sites see early movement in 3 to 6 months and strong results in 6 to 12. What speeds SEO up, what slows it down, and what to expect each month.
SEO vs SEM vs PPC: what is the difference?
SEO vs SEM vs PPC explained: SEO earns free organic rankings, PPC pays per click, and SEM covers both. Costs, speed and which your business needs, plus SEO vs social media.
SEO glossary: 77 SEO terms explained
SEO glossary with plain-English meanings: what is a SERP, slug, canonical tag, crawl budget, E-E-A-T, doorway page, domain authority, GEO and more, A to Z.
How to do SEO
How to improve SEO and rank higher on Google
How to improve your website SEO and rank higher on Google: 15 practical steps for South African businesses, from keywords and content to speed, links and Google Business Profile.
Keyword research for SEO: find and choose the right keywords
How to do keyword research for SEO: find keywords your customers use, check search volume and intent, choose long-tail keywords and decide how many keywords each page should target.
On-page SEO: titles, meta descriptions, headings and more
On-page SEO explained: how long title tags and meta descriptions should be, how to use H1 and header tags, alt text, URL slugs, internal links and schema markup.
Technical SEO: crawling, indexing, speed and mobile
What is technical SEO? Crawling, indexing, XML sitemaps, robots.txt, Core Web Vitals, site speed, mobile SEO, HTTPS and JavaScript explained, with a technical SEO checklist.
Backlinks and link building: off-page SEO explained
What are backlinks and why do they matter for SEO? Off-page SEO, safe link building for South African businesses, domain authority, dofollow vs nofollow and black hat risks.
SEO content writing: how to write content that ranks
How to write SEO content: blog posts and service pages that rank. Word count, structure, using keywords, SEO copywriting, AI content and how often to publish.
Local SEO guide: rank in Google Maps and "near me" searches
What is local SEO and how does it work? How to rank in Google Maps and the local pack in South Africa: Google Business Profile, NAP, citations, reviews and location pages.
How to do an SEO audit: checklist and free tools
How to do an SEO audit of your website step by step: technical checks, on-page review, content, backlinks and local SEO, plus free SEO checker tools and what an SEO report should include.
SEO reporting: how to measure SEO success and ROI
How to measure SEO success: the KPIs that matter (impressions, clicks, CTR, rankings, organic leads), how to read Google Search Console and how to calculate SEO ROI.
Platforms & channels
WordPress SEO: Yoast, Rank Math and best practices
How to do SEO on WordPress: the best SEO plugins (Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO), settings, permalinks, speed, and how to use Yoast SEO step by step.
E-commerce SEO: Shopify, WooCommerce and product pages
E-commerce SEO explained: how to optimise category and product pages, Shopify SEO, WooCommerce SEO, duplicate content, product schema and Etsy and Amazon SEO basics.
SEO for Wix, Squarespace, Webflow and custom websites
Is Wix good for SEO? How to do SEO on Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, GoDaddy and hand-coded HTML or React sites, and which website builder is best for SEO.
YouTube SEO: how to rank videos on YouTube and Google
How to do YouTube SEO: titles, descriptions, tags, thumbnails, chapters and captions that help videos rank on YouTube and in Google video results.
AI SEO, GEO and AEO: optimising for AI search
What is GEO (generative engine optimisation), AEO (answer engine optimisation) and AI SEO? How to appear in Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT answers, and the best AI SEO tools.
SEO for business & careers
SEO for small business in South Africa
SEO for small businesses in South Africa: what to do first, what you can do yourself, what affordable SEO costs, and how to choose an SEO company without wasting money.
Best SEO tools: free and paid, compared
The best SEO tools compared: free tools like Google Search Console and SEO checkers, plus Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, Surfer SEO, Screaming Frog and Yoast. What each is best for.
SEO careers in South Africa: what SEO specialists do and how to become one
What does an SEO specialist do? How to become an SEO specialist in South Africa, skills and courses, freelance vs agency work, and typical SEO job titles.
SEO services from HeftySEO
Prefer to hand it over? See our SEO packages and pricing, our SEO company page, or try the free SEO tools.
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