SEO Basics for Your Website
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of making your website easier for Google to understand and rank. Good SEO means that when someone in Ottawa searches for the services you offer, your site appears near the top of results — without paying for ads. This guide covers the on-page fundamentals you can apply to every page.
1. Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
The page title is the clickable blue headline in Google search results. The meta description is the two lines of text beneath it. Both are set in your page's <head> tag — or through your CMS's SEO field.
- Title: Keep under 60 characters. Include your primary keyword near the front. End with your brand name: Web Design Ottawa | Isuso Works.
- Meta description: Keep under 160 characters. Write a compelling sentence that includes the keyword and a call to action. Google does not use this for rankings, but it affects click-through rate.
- Every page needs a unique title and description — never duplicate them across pages.
2. Heading Structure (H1–H6)
Headings tell Google what each section of your page is about. Follow this hierarchy:
- H1: One per page. This is the main topic — e.g., "IT Support Services in Ottawa". It should contain your primary keyword.
- H2: Major sections within the page. Each should relate to the H1 topic and include secondary keywords where natural.
- H3–H6: Sub-sections inside H2s. Use them for nested content but don't force the hierarchy — only add them when they genuinely help readers navigate.
Don't stuff keywords into headings
Write headings for humans first. "IT Support Ottawa — Best IT Services Ottawa Canada" is a keyword-stuffed heading that Google recognises and penalises. "Reliable IT Support for Ottawa Small Businesses" is natural and still keyword-rich.
3. Image Alt Text
Alt text is a short description of an image. It helps Google understand what the image shows, and it allows screen readers to describe images to visually impaired users.
- Write descriptive alt text:
alt="IT technician configuring network switch in Ottawa office" - Include a keyword if it fits naturally — don't force it.
- Leave alt empty (
alt="") for purely decorative images (icons, background textures) so screen readers skip them. - File names matter too — rename images before uploading:
web-design-ottawa.jpgis better thanIMG_4302.jpg.
4. URL Structure
Clean URLs are easier for Google and users to read. Best practices:
- Use hyphens to separate words:
/services/web-designnot/services/webDesignor/services/web_design. - Keep URLs short and descriptive. Avoid dates and ID numbers in service/page URLs.
- Include the primary keyword:
/blog/website-security-tips. - Never change a URL without setting up a 301 redirect from the old URL — broken links cost you ranking authority.
5. Internal Linking
Internal links connect pages within your site. They help Google discover pages and understand which pages are most important.
- Link naturally — when you mention a topic in one page that is covered in depth on another page, link to it.
- Use descriptive anchor text: "learn more about our IT support services" rather than "click here".
- Your most important pages (homepage, main service pages) should receive the most internal links.
- Add a related articles section to blog posts and knowledge base articles (which is exactly what this page does).
6. Page Speed
Google uses page speed as a ranking signal, especially for mobile searches. Key optimisations:
- Compress images — convert JPEG/PNG to WebP format. Aim for under 100 KB per image.
- Lazy load images — add
loading="lazy"to images below the fold. - Minimise render-blocking scripts — load non-essential JavaScript with
deferorasync. - Use a CDN — Netlify automatically serves assets from a global CDN, which already helps significantly.
Test your page speed at pagespeed.web.dev. Aim for a score above 80 on both desktop and mobile.
7. Sitemaps and robots.txt
A sitemap is an XML file that lists all your pages so Google can find them easily. Submit it to Google Search Console:
- Generate your sitemap — most CMS platforms do this automatically (e.g.,
isusoworks.ca/sitemap.xml). - Go to search.google.com/search-console, add your property, and verify ownership by adding a meta tag or DNS record.
- Navigate to Sitemaps and submit your sitemap URL.
The robots.txt file (at yoursite.ca/robots.txt) tells search engines which pages to crawl and which to ignore. Ensure you haven't accidentally blocked important pages — a misconfigured robots.txt can de-index your entire site.