Here’s a dirty little secret about SEO: some of the most powerful things you can do for your website rankings cost absolutely nothing. Zero. Zilch. Not even a flat white’s worth of investment.
And yet, most small business websites in New Zealand are leaving these free points sitting on the table like an untouched plate of TimTams at a Monday meeting. Madness.
We audit a lot of websites at Bay Web Co, and we see the same gaps over and over again. The good news? Most of them take minutes to fix, and Google rewards you for it. So grab a coffee, open your website in another tab, and let’s run through the freebies.
1. Cross-Link Your Pages (a.k.a. Stop Making Google Guess)
This one is the biggest missed opportunity we see. You’ve got a services page, a blog, an about page, maybe even a few location pages. But none of them link to each other. They’re just… sitting there. Alone. Like islands in the Pacific with no ferry service.
Internal linking (or cross-linking) tells Google two things: what your pages are about, and which ones matter most. When your blog post about “how to choose an electrician” links to your actual electrician services page, Google connects the dots. It thinks, “Ah, this site really knows about electrical services.” And your rankings climb.
What to do right now: Open your most recent blog post. Find a sentence that mentions one of your services. Highlight it. Link it to your services page. Done. Repeat for every post and page on your site. Aim for 2-3 internal links per page, minimum.
2. Write Proper Meta Titles and Descriptions
Your meta title is the blue link that shows up in Google search results. Your meta description is the little blurb underneath it. Together, they’re your shopfront on Google. And if yours says “Home – My Website” or is completely blank? You’re basically putting a “closed” sign on your digital front door.
Every single page on your site should have a unique meta title that includes your main keyword and your location. If you’re a plumber in Hamilton, your services page title should be something like “Plumbing Services Hamilton | [Your Business Name]” not just “Services”.
What to do right now: If you’re on WordPress, install Yoast SEO (it’s free). Open each page, scroll down to the Yoast box, and write a custom title and description. Keep titles under 60 characters. Descriptions under 155. Include your town name and main service in both.
3. Add Alt Text to Every Single Image
Alt text is that little description you add to images that tells Google (and screen readers) what the picture actually shows. Most people skip it entirely, which means Google has no idea what your images are about. It’s like hanging a painting in a gallery with no label.
But here’s the kicker: images show up in Google Image Search. And people actually click through from there. If your photos have proper alt text with relevant keywords, you’re opening up a whole extra channel of traffic that your competitors are ignoring.
What to do right now: Go into your WordPress media library. Click on each image. In the “Alt Text” field, write a short, natural description that includes your keyword where it makes sense. “Electrician installing a switchboard in Raglan” beats “IMG_4523” every day of the week.
4. Claim and Complete Your Google Business Profile
If you haven’t claimed your Google Business Profile yet, stop reading this and go do it right now. Seriously. We’ll wait.
Your GBP is what shows up in that map pack at the top of local search results, and for most local businesses, it drives more calls and enquiries than the website itself. But just claiming it isn’t enough. Google ranks complete profiles higher than half-finished ones.
What to do right now: Log into your Google Business Profile and fill in everything. Every. Single. Field. Business hours, service areas, services offered, a proper description with your keywords, photos of your work, and your correct address and phone number. A complete profile signals to Google that you’re a legitimate, active business.
5. Get Your Heading Structure Right
This sounds nerdy, but stick with us. Your page headings (H1, H2, H3) aren’t just about making text bigger. They’re how Google reads the structure of your page. Think of them like the chapter titles in a book. Without them, Google is reading a wall of text with no roadmap.
Every page should have exactly one H1 (your main page title), and then H2s for each major section. If a section has sub-points, use H3s. Never skip levels (going straight from H1 to H4, for example), and never use headings just because they look nice. Use them because they organise your content logically.
What to do right now: Open your homepage in your website editor. Check that there’s only one H1 tag, and that it includes your main keyword and location. Then make sure each section has an H2. It takes five minutes and it matters more than you’d think.
6. Speed Up Your Site (Starting With Images)
Page speed is a ranking factor. Google has said so publicly, multiple times. And the number one reason small business websites load slowly? Massive, unoptimised images. We’re talking 4MB photos straight from an iPhone being uploaded at full resolution to serve as a tiny banner image. It’s like using a shipping container to deliver a single letter.
Every image on your website should be under 200KB. Ideally under 100KB. You can compress them for free using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh before uploading.
What to do right now: Pick the three largest images on your site (your homepage hero is probably one of them). Download them, run them through TinyPNG, and re-upload the compressed versions. You’ll often cut the file size by 70-80% with zero visible quality loss.
7. Ask for Google Reviews (Seriously, Just Ask)
Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals, and they’re completely free. The only cost is the ten seconds of mild awkwardness it takes to ask a happy customer, “Hey, would you mind leaving us a Google review?”
Most people are happy to do it. They just don’t think of it unless you ask. The trick is making it easy. Send them a direct link to your Google review page (you can generate one from your Google Business Profile dashboard). Don’t make them search for you. Don’t make them figure out how reviews work. One click, write something nice, done.
What to do right now: Text or email your last three happy customers with a simple message: “Hey [name], thanks again for choosing us! If you’ve got 30 seconds, a quick Google review would mean the world to us. Here’s the link: [your review link].” That’s it. No essay required.
The Bottom Line
None of these things require a developer, an SEO agency, or a budget. They’re free. They work. And your competitors probably aren’t doing most of them. The difference between a website that shows up on page one and one that’s buried on page four often comes down to these basics. Nail them, and you’ve built a foundation that everything else can build on.
And if you want someone to handle all of this (and more) for you? That’s what we’re here for.
Bay Web Co builds and optimises websites for small businesses across New Zealand. If your site isn’t working as hard as you are, let’s chat.
