Introduction…
If you’ve read the SEO Introduction, you’ll already have a sense of what I’m planning with this feature category. This overview takes it a step further — a topic-by-topic guide of what I’ll be covering, with a brief description, and where my own experience fits. On-page SEO and keyword research I know reasonably well; the rest I’m largely navigating in real time. Anyhow, it should give you a clear sense of whether it’s relevant, or of interest, to you…
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the optimisation of individual pages on a website to improve their visibility in search engine results. It covers elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure, keyword usage, internal linking, image optimisation, and overall content quality — essentially, everything within your direct control on the page itself. Done well, it creates a solid foundation that makes it easier for search engines to understand what a page is about, and for users to find it.
This is the area of SEO I feel most comfortable with. Working across my own sites and client projects, on-page SEO has become something close to habit — I check the essentials as a matter of course, and Rank Math (my current plugin of choice, having moved across from Yoast) makes it straightforward to keep things consistent. It’s not the most glamorous work, but it’s the kind of thing where small improvements add up over time, and the results are at least measurable — which appeals to the accountant in me.
Tagged: On-Page SEO
Technical SEO
Technical SEO covers the behind-the-scenes elements of a website that affect how search engines crawl, index, and rank it. This includes site speed, mobile-friendliness, structured data, canonical tags, XML sitemaps, robots.txt, and Core Web Vitals — none of which are particularly visible to the average visitor, but all of which can have a meaningful impact on search performance. It sits at the intersection of SEO and web development, and can get complicated quickly.
Technical SEO is an area I’ve grown into rather than arrived at — I understand the fundamentals and can work through most issues when they arise, but I won’t pretend it’s where I feel most instinctively at home. Google Search Console is always running and integrated across my sites, which at least means I’m not flying blind — it flags most of the issues worth paying attention to. Besides, with Google forever moving the goal posts so far as their algorithm works, I just try to stay on top of the basics. And as for Core Web Vitals, well you’d think I love the use of essential metrics — in this case not so much. The feature articles will focus on the practical rather than the deeply theoretical, which is probably where most of us actually need the help and share the frustrations.
Tagged: Technical SEO
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of identifying the words and phrases people use when searching for information, products, or services online. The goal is to understand what your target audience is looking for and to align your content with those searches — taking into account factors like search volume, competition, and intent. It’s often the starting point for both content strategy and on-page optimisation, and tends to inform a lot of other decisions down the line.
Keyword research is one of those things that rewards time spent on it, and I’ve found it genuinely useful across a range of projects. I’ve used Ahrefs as my primary research tool, alongside Search Console for tracking what’s already driving traffic — and between the two, I can usually build a clear enough picture of where the opportunities are. It’s not a perfect science, and intent can be harder to read than volume alone suggests, but I’ve got a reasonable handle on how I want to approach the process and it’s something I enjoy, when I actually undertake it.
Tagged: Keywords
Content Strategy
Content strategy in an SEO context refers to the planning, creation, and management of content with the specific aim of improving search visibility and meeting the needs of a target audience. It involves deciding what topics to cover, in what format, at what depth, and how frequently — based on keyword research, competitor analysis, and an understanding of what the audience actually needs. A well-constructed content strategy gives SEO a direction, rather than leaving it as a collection of individual optimised pages with no particular relationship to one another.
This latest update of BlueMoonCreative.Services is, in many ways, my content strategy in practice — the eight-category structure, the layered approach to publishing, and the decision to prioritise regular content creation are all deliberate strategic choices. I understand the theory well enough, and this time I’m taking the structured route with a view to content, which sadly has been lacking in some of my previous projects (as the site build has always been the interesting & fun part). It is also no coincidence, that my venture into AI has boosted my enthusiasm for content as it has made the process of getting my ideas and experiences into text less arduous. So, the articles in this area will be honest about what’s working, what I’m still figuring out, and what I’ve changed my mind about along the way – and, if Claude assists me along the way, so be it.
Tagged: Content Strategy
Local SEO
Local SEO focuses on optimising a website’s visibility for searches with a local or geographic intent — particularly relevant for businesses serving a specific area or those with a physical presence. It encompasses Google Business Profile optimisation, local citations, location-specific content, and the management of reviews. For any business that relies on local customers finding them online, it’s often the most impactful area of SEO to get right.
Local SEO is an area I’m aware of more than I am experienced in — most of my own work has been for businesses without a strong local footprint, so I’ve had limited opportunity to put the theory into practice. It does amuse me however when I receive my monthly update telling me X number of people have checked out my location, but haven’t visited the website to find out what I actually do! That said, the principles are well documented and the tools largely familiar, so the articles here will be more reference than memoir — useful if you’re navigating it yourself, and something I’ll be learning from too as I go.
Tagged: Local SEO
Link Building
Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites back to your own, with the aim of improving domain authority and search rankings. Search engines treat quality backlinks as a signal of trust and relevance, making link building one of the more influential — and more contested — areas of SEO. Tactics range from creating link-worthy content and digital PR, through to guest posting, outreach campaigns, and directory submissions.
Link building is, if I’m honest, the area of SEO I’ve engaged with least. I use external links as references within my content, but actively pursuing links back to my own sites isn’t something I’ve practised — partly through lack of time, and partly because I’ve never quite managed to make it feel like a natural part of the workflow. The articles here will cover the theory and the established approaches, even where my own experience is limited. Perhaps it is an opportunity for us both to learn something.
Tagged: Link Building
SEO & WordPress
The relationship between SEO and WordPress is a well-established one — WordPress powers a significant portion of the web, and the combination of SEO plugins, theme structure, and hosting environment creates both opportunities and pitfalls. This topic covers how to get the most out of WordPress from an SEO perspective: plugin configuration, permalink structure, page speed considerations, structured data, and the nuances that come with using page builders alongside SEO tools.
This is where several of my interests converge, and it’s probably the most practical area of the category for the majority of you. I’ve configured SEO across a range of WordPress setups — different themes, builders, and plugin combinations — and I have a reasonable sense of what works, what creates conflicts, and what’s worth spending time on versus what can be left at its default settings. Rank Math is one of my favourite plugins, and one of the first uploaded on a new WordPress build, as it handles the most of the heavy lifting whilst Search Console is always integrated to help me tidy up the loose ends. The feature articles here will be hands-on and specific to my workflow.
Tagged: Rank Math
SEO Tools
SEO tools cover a wide range of software designed to support research, analysis, monitoring, and reporting across all areas of search optimisation. At one end of the spectrum are browser plugins and free-tier platforms; at the other, comprehensive paid suites that combine keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits, and rank tracking in a single dashboard. Knowing which tools are worth your time — and your money — is often as useful as knowing how to use them.
My current toolkit centres on Rank Math for on-page management, Ahrefs for research and analysis, and Google Search Console as the constant baseline across all my sites. There are a few others I randomly use for specific purposes — Semrush, UberSuggest, SEO Checker for example — but between those core three, I can cover most of what I need day-to-day. The articles here will be practical rather than exhaustive — what I actually use (including the alternatives), what I think of it, and whether I’d recommend it.
Tagged: SEO Tools
In Closing…
The feature articles for each of these topics are being published under SEO. If any of the above has caught your interest, simply bookmark the link and revisit in your own time to check out the latest articles. Alternatively, if you’d prefer regular notification of when new articles are available, you can subscribe and I can send ‘keyword rich’ emails to your inbox!
