HOW DOES SEO WORK?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is simply the art of helping customers find your website organically when they search for something relevant - like “best pizza in Banff”, “late-night pizza Banff”, or “best food after skiing?”
Different businesses have different goals - purchases, leads, bookings, brand awareness - but to keep things simple, let's use an example: Selling more pizza in Banff.
How does SEO help your Banff pizza shop?
When someone in Banff is craving a slice, they’re not flipping through a phonebook like it’s 1999. They’re asking Google.
SEO makes sure your website appears at the top of those search results, so hungry humans find your pizzas instead of wandering off to a competitor with a better-optimised website.
Good SEO can help your pizza shop:
-
Rank higher when someone searches “Banff pizza”
-
Get more customers in the door (or ordering online)
-
Stand out from other local spots with stronger visibility
-
Build trust just by showing up where people expect to find you
If someone in Banff is searching, SEO makes sure they find you first.
The same approach applies to your business.
Now you have an overview of what SEO can do for you, Here’s how each main SEO technique works
On-Page SEO — What You Say on Your Site
This covers everything on your website: titles, headings, keywords, clean content structure, and clear messaging.
It helps Google understand exactly what you offer—whether that’s “Banff pizza” or “late-night delivery”—and makes your pages easier for customers to read.
Technical SEO — Making the Website Actually Work
This is the behind-the-scenes health of your site.
Fast loading, mobile-friendly pages, secure connections, clean code, and no broken links.
If your site runs smoothly, Google is going to rank it well.
Local, GEO & AI Search — How You Show Up in Your Area
People search in all kinds of ways now - Google Maps, location-based queries, and increasingly through AI tools. Optimising your local listings, business profile, and proximity signals helps you appear when someone nearby is looking for what you offer, whether they search traditionally or ask an AI assistant.
Local SEO — How You Appear in Your Own Town
If you want people in Banff to find you, local SEO is essential.
This includes optimising your Google Business Profile, using local keywords, getting reviews, and being listed accurately online. It’s how you show up when someone nearby searches, “Pizza near me.”
Off-Page SEO — What Others Say About You
This is everything happening off your website that boosts your authority.
Backlinks, local press mentions, social media chatter, partnerships—all signals that tell Google your business is trusted and worth showing higher.
Ongoing SEO — Keeping Things Fresh
SEO isn’t a one-time task. Search behaviour changes, algorithms shift, and your competitors are constantly updating their own websites. Consistent optimisation - new content, performance checks, technical fixes, and refining your strategy—keeps your site strong, relevant, and visible as the landscape evolves.