01How Google finds your site
Google works in three steps. Its robot visits your pages by following links. Google stores what it finds. When someone searches, Google shows the pages that answer the search best.
The technical part is done for you. Husly writes these files and keeps them up to date:
sitemap.xml: a list of your published pages and blog posts. Pages hidden from search engines are left out.
robots.txt: tells search engine robots where they may go.
llms.txt: a guide to your site for AI tools.
Language links (hreflang): when your site has two or more languages, Google learns which page is which language version.
A new site or page often shows up in Google within a few days, sometimes weeks. That is normal. If indexing is turned off for the site, these files are off too.
02Use the words your customers use
People search with plain words, often with a place: "hair salon Leeds", "bike rental Brighton", "birthday cake order". Your pages should use the same words. Google cannot show you for a search if your page never says it.
Write down ten searches a customer might type to find you. Ask a few customers how they would search.
Type them into Google and look at the suggestions under the search box. They show what people really type.
Give each page one main topic. A page for each service works better than one page for everything.
Use everyday words, not trade words. Customers search for "bike rental", not "mobility solutions".
Name your town or area if you serve customers locally.
Repeating a search phrase again and again does not help. Write for a person, and use the phrase where it fits naturally: in the heading, in the first lines and in the meta title.
03Give every page a title and a description
The meta title and the meta description are what people see in Google's results before they click. Google often shows them as you wrote them, but it can also choose its own words.
Open the page's settings: press the gear icon and choose Page settings, then the SEO tab.
Write the Meta title. 30 to 60 characters are recommended. Put the most important words first and your business name last.
Write the Meta description, 70 to 160 characters. Say what the page offers and why to click.
Add a Share image (OG). People see this picture when someone shares the page on social media or in a chat.
If your site has several languages, fill in the fields for each language.
| Field | Weak | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Meta title | Home | Sourdough bakery in Bristol - Crumb Bakery |
| Meta title | Services | Bike rental in Brighton by the hour or day - Pedal Point |
| Meta description | Welcome! We are a company that offers many services. | Rent a city or electric bike by the hour or the day. Helmets included. Book online and pick it up next to the station. |
The same tab also has a canonical address, a schema type and Hide from search engines. Hide a page that nobody should find from a search, such as a thank-you page or a test page. Most pages need nothing else changed.
In the page list and the blog list, each row shows SEO looks good or the number of things to fix. Start with the pages that have the most. From the Pro plan up, AI can also make SEO suggestions.
04Make each page clear
A good title brings a person to the page. The page itself has to answer their question. That is also what Google looks for.
One main heading at the top that says what the page is about.
The answers people look for, written as text: what it is, what it costs, where you are, when you are open.
Text as text, not inside pictures. Google reads words, not words painted into a photo.
Links between your own pages: a service page links to the booking or contact page.
Its own text on each page. Do not copy the same text to several pages.
Current facts. Check prices and opening hours when they change.
Each blog post can answer one question your customers ask, such as "how often should I service my bike". Over time, posts bring searches your service pages do not. The blog is in every plan, the Free plan too. See the Blog help topic.
05Tell Google who you are
Search engines understand a business better when the same facts appear in several places. Two things help inside Husly, and one outside it.
Google Search Console
Search Console is Google's free tool for site owners. Add your site there, and Google gives you a verification code.
In Husly, open Tools -> SEO and the Search engines tab. Paste the code into the Google Search Console verification field and save.
Confirm in Search Console. You can also submit your sitemap there: your site address followed by
/sitemap.xml.
The SEO tools also have a Search Console tab, where you can connect your Google account.
Business details
On the Business tab, say whether you are an organisation, a local business or a person, and add your address, coordinates, service areas and services. Then turn on Structured data (JSON-LD). Husly writes these details into your pages in a form search engines read. Nothing is written while the switch is off.
For a local business, a free Google Business Profile is often what people see first on the map. Use the same name, address and phone number there, on your site and everywhere else.
06Keep old addresses working
Google and your customers remember addresses. When a page gets a new address or you move from an old site, the old links break. A redirect sends visitors and Google from the old address to the new one.
| Rule | Means | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | Moved for good | A page has a new address. This is the one you need most often. |
| 302 or 307 | Moved for a while | A page is replaced for a short time, for example by a holiday notice. |
| 410 | Gone for good | A page is gone and has no replacement. With * one rule covers a whole folder. |
Redirects live in Tools -> SEO, on the Redirects tab.
Moving from an old site? Import the rules from a CSV file of up to 5,000 rows.
When you delete a page, Husly asks where its old address should point.
The 404 monitor tab shows addresses visitors tried that do not exist. Each one is a redirect waiting to be made.
07Measure and keep going
SEO is not a one-off job. Once a month, check what works, and improve one page at a time.
Search Console shows which searches show your pages and how often people click.
Analytics shows what visitors do on the site. Connect Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel or PostHog under Tools -> Integrations. Every plan can use them.
Look for pages that people see in Google but do not click. A better title and description often help.
Each month, add a blog post or improve one service page.
When you turn a tracker on, Husly turns the cookie banner on too. Google Analytics 4 also has an option to anonymize IP addresses. The GDPR and cookies guide explains the rest.