Essential SEO Tips for Website Growth This Spring

Spring is the perfect time for a digital refresh—and that includes your website. In this guide, we’ll share actionable SEO tips for website performance, visibility, and local rankings. Most of these strategies are free and easy to implement, making them ideal for small business owners in Vancouver and beyond.

Luckily, you don’t need a big budget or fancy tools to give your site a much-needed SEO spring cleaning. In this guide, we’ll walk you through simple, effective ways to optimize your website—many of them using free tools or just your own attention to detail.

7 Practical SEO Tips for Website Improvement

Whether you run a café in North Van or a service-based business in Kitsilano, applying the right SEO tips for website performance can make all the difference. Google rewards websites that load quickly, provide helpful content, and work seamlessly across devices. Consistent optimization and upkeep can:

• Improve rankings in local search results
• Reduce bounce rates and increase conversions
• Make your brand look more professional and trustworthy

If you’re starting fresh or thinking about a redesign, check out our Complete Guide to the Website Development Process for a bigger-picture perspective.

Step 1: Audit Your Website Content

What to Look For:

• Outdated or irrelevant content
• Duplicate pages or thin content
• Confusing navigation

Free Tool: Google Search Console

Google Search Console shows which pages are getting impressions or clicks—and which aren’t. Use it to:

• Identify underperforming pages
• Spot crawl errors or indexing issues
• Submit updated sitemaps

You can also simply go page-by-page and ask: “Is this useful? Is it current?”

Manual Tactic:

Open your website in an incognito window. Pretend you’re a first-time visitor. Is it obvious what you offer? Can you find key information in two clicks or less?

Step 2: Optimize for Local SEO

If you’re targeting a specific region—say, Vancouver or North Vancouver—local SEO can be your strongest advantage over bigger competitors.

Tips to Optimize:

• Add your city or neighborhood name to key pages (e.g., “Web Design in North Vancouver”)
• Include your address and phone number consistently (use schema markup if possible)
• Register or update your Google Business Profile
• Get listed on local directories (Yelp, YellowPages, Alignable)

Tool Spotlight: BrightLocal (freemium)

This tool lets you audit local citations and monitor your online presence across maps and directories.

Want to make sure you’re asking the right questions before hiring someone to help? Read: 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring Web Designers

Step 3: Fix Broken Links and Redirects

Nothing frustrates users (and Google crawlers) more than clicking a link and hitting a dead end.

Free Tools:

• Broken Link Checker
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free for up to 500 URLs)

Manual Fix:

Go through your top pages and click every link. It’s time-consuming but surprisingly effective—especially if you don’t have a huge site.

Don’t forget to:

• Set up 301 redirects for any deleted pages
• Remove or update links to outdated content

Step 4: Improve Page Speed and Mobile Usability

Why It Matters:

Page speed is a direct Google ranking factor—and crucial for keeping mobile users engaged.

Free Tools:

• Google PageSpeed Insights
• GTmetrix (Vancouver servers available!)

What to Fix:

• Compress large images (tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh work great)
• Use lazy loading for below-the-fold media
• Minimize JavaScript and CSS bloat
• Choose a lightweight theme if using WordPress

Step 5: Optimize Metadata and Headings

Your title tags, meta descriptions, and header structure aren’t just SEO fluff—they guide users and search engines alike.

How-To Without a Tool:

• Open your site’s source code (Right-click > View Source)
• Check that each page has:
  • A unique, relevant title tag
  • A compelling meta description
  • A clear H1 tag and logical H2-H3 hierarchy

If your CMS supports SEO plugins (like Yoast for WordPress), these checks are even easier.

Step 6: Image Optimization

Visuals are crucial, especially for local service providers who want to showcase their work. But oversized or poorly labeled images can drag down your performance.

What to Do:

• Compress images before uploading
• Use descriptive filenames (e.g., “vancouver-bakery-cupcake.jpg” instead of “IMG_4231.jpg”)
• Always add alt text—for accessibility and SEO

Step 7: Check for Technical SEO Basics

If your site was built a few years ago, a quick tech checkup can go a long way.

Your DIY Checklist:

• Mobile responsive design
• HTTPS enabled (secure site)
• Robots.txt and XML sitemap present
• Clean URL structures (e.g., longsquarestudio.ca/services—not /page?id=3)

You can do most of this without tools, but free checkers like SEOptimer or Ahrefs Webmaster Tools can highlight issues too.

Bonus: Review Your Calls to Action

Good SEO brings traffic—but your site still needs to convert. Are your calls to action (CTAs) clear, visible, and compelling?

Check if you:

• Use action-oriented language (“Book a free consult” > “Submit”)
• Repeat your CTA on long pages
• Offer something of value (a downloadable, a free consult, a quote)

Wrap-Up: A Little Effort Goes a Long Way

You don’t need an agency or a big budget to make your website work harder for your business. With a bit of time, focus, and the tools you already have (or can access for free), you can improve your search rankings, user experience, and local visibility.

For businesses looking to take the next step—whether it’s a new site, a redesign, or just expert SEO help—reach out to us at Long Square Studio. And if you’re still planning your digital move, be sure to revisit our Complete Guide to the Website Development Process to start with a solid foundation.