Course description

Got a website but hardly anyone finds it on Google? This course shows you, step by step, how search engines work and what you can do yourself to get your website found by the people looking for what you offer, without tricks, jargon or a big agency bill.

It's a full course, not a quick list of tips. There are 10 sections and 52 step-by-step written lessons, and every lesson ends with a practical task for your own website. Every section has a practice pack of planners, templates and checklists. Throughout the course you follow a small pottery studio through a 12-week plan to reach the first page of Google for its classes.

What you'll learn

• How search works: crawling, indexing and ranking in plain words, and what SEO can and can't do.
• Keyword research: finding the words your customers really use and mapping them to your pages.
• On-page SEO: title tags, meta descriptions, headings, page copy, links and image alt text.
• Content: helpful, people-first pages and posts that answer real questions.
• Local SEO: your Google Business Profile, reviews and local listings.
• Technical basics: sitemaps, page speed, mobile, HTTPS, broken links and redirects.
• Links: earning links and mentions honestly, and what to avoid.
• Results: using Google Search Console and a simple monthly report to see what's working.

Two final projects

You'll carry out a full SEO audit of your own website, then write a 90-day SEO plan that fits the time you really have.

Who this course is for

• Small business owners and sole traders with a website.
• Staff and volunteers who look after a website for a business, charity or club.
• Anyone using a website builder such as WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or Shopify. No coding needed.

How the course works

Read each lesson, then do the Try it task on your own website. The planners open in Excel, Google Sheets or similar, and the tools used are free. Search changes often, so the course teaches principles that last and shows you where to check Google's latest guidance. You keep lifetime access, so you can come back whenever you plan your next round of improvements.

What will i learn?

• Understand how search engines crawl, index and rank pages
• Find the keywords your customers use and map them to your pages
• Write title tags, meta descriptions, headings and alt text that work
• Plan and write helpful, people-first content
• Improve your local visibility with Google Business Profile and reviews
• Spot and fix common technical problems such as broken links and slow pages
• Earn links honestly and avoid practices that break Google's spam policies
• Measure progress in Google Search Console and write a simple monthly report

Frequently asked question