The Hidden SEO Mistakes Costing You Organic Traffic - Issue 269

How to Build an SEO-Friendly Website (That Actually Converts)

Hey there,

You wouldn’t build a house without a solid foundation. So why build a website without SEO baked in from the start?

In 2025, SEO is no longer just about keywords, it’s about structure, speed, intent, and alignment with your business strategy. A beautiful site means nothing if it’s buried on page 5 of Google.

Let’s fix that.

🚀 Growth Fix: From Invisible to Indexed

The Problem: You launched a stunning new site, but…

❌ It’s not ranking

❌ Your traffic’s flat

❌ Leads are trickling in

Why This Hurts Your Business: A slow-loading, poorly structured, or keyword-blind site makes it nearly impossible for search engines to understand and rank your content. If Google can’t read it, users won’t reach it.

The Fix: 

✅ Start with search intent → Build pages around how users actually search

✅ Prioritise technical SEO → Schema, speed, mobile UX, crawlability

✅ Align site architecture to business goals → Create paths that drive action, not confusion

💡 A B2B Company:

Restructured their website using a topic cluster model, added schema markup to every service page, and optimised page speed across mobile.

📈 Result?

+82% organic traffic in 90 days.

+43% increase in demo requests.

Let’s break down how you can do this too ⬇️

⚡ 5 Wins for a More SEO-Friendly Website

1️⃣ Build Around Search Intent, Not Just Keywords

💡 The Win: Ranking isn’t about stuffing terms, it’s about solving user problems.

🛠 How & Why:

Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or AlsoAsked to understand what your audience actually searches.

Create pages that answer, not just rank.

If someone searches “best CRM for agencies,” your content should not just explain CRMs—it should compare, recommend, and guide action.

🎯 Action Tip: Build out content clusters:

• 1 main pillar page

• 3–5 subpages linked internally

• All aligned to a single user intent

2️⃣ Design for Google and Humans

💡 The Win: Good UX is now a ranking factor. Bad UX gets ignored - by users and bots.

🛠 How & Why:

Google’s Page Experience updates reward:

• Fast load speeds

• Mobile-first design

• Stable layout (no shifting elements)

🎯 Action Tip:

Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to score your site.

If your mobile score is under 80, fix it now. Compress images, lazy-load videos, minimise scripts.

3️⃣ Strategic Site Architecture = Easier Rankings

💡 The Win: Organised sites get crawled better and convert faster.

🛠 How & Why:

A flat architecture (everything within 2–3 clicks from the homepage) makes it easier for search engines to find content.

And for users? Clear menus + intuitive flows = more action.

🎯 Action Tip:

• Group content by themes

• Use breadcrumb navigation

• Ensure every page has a purpose and is linked from somewhere meaningful

4️⃣ Schema = Your Secret Weapon

💡 The Win: Help Google understand your content, not just read it.

🛠 How & Why:

Schema markup turns your content into rich results—think stars, FAQs, events, reviews.

This improves click-through rate and positions you above competitors.

🎯 Action Tip:

Use schema for:

• Product/service pages

• Articles and blog posts

• Reviews, how-to guides, FAQs

Tools like Merkle’s Schema Generator make it easy.

5️⃣ Tie SEO Back to Business Goals

💡 The Win: Your SEO should be a conversion engine—not a vanity metric.

🛠 How & Why:

Map each page’s goal to your funnel:

• TOFU: Blogs → Email signups

• MOFU: Comparison pages → Demo/consultation

• BOFU: Product pages → Sales

🎯 Action Tip:

Audit your top 10 organic pages:

• What’s the next step for the user?

• Is there a clear CTA?

• Are you guiding action or just informing?

✅ Take Action This Week:

🔎 Run a full SEO audit on your site (use Screaming Frog or Sitebulb)

📊 Map your key pages to business outcomes

🛠 Update your internal linking to create content clusters

⚙️ Add schema markup to all primary conversion pages

⚡ Improve mobile load speed by optimising images and third-party scripts

You don’t need a site redesign to win. You need structure, clarity, and SEO that’s built for your customer journey.

Let’s turn your site into an organic traffic machine, one smart change at a time.

– Talk soon