7 Free Website Optimisation Tips That Actually Book Clients
Here’s the thing no one tells you when you launch a service-based business:
Just having a website isn’t enough.
If your site looks good but isn’t bringing in leads or bookings, it’s not doing its job. That’s where website optimisation comes in. And no, I don’t mean adding a pop-up or cramming in more keywords.
I mean real, strategic tweaks that make your website easier to find, easier to navigate, and way more convincing to the clients you actually want to work with.
In this post, I’m sharing the exact free website optimisation tips I’ve used (and taught!) to turn underperforming service websites into hard-working digital salespeople.
Because when your website is doing the heavy lifting, you don’t have to.
Why is Website Optimisation So Important?
In a dream world, you’d launch your website, post a few blogs, and watch dream clients flood your inbox.
But in reality? The internet is loud, and simply showing up isn’t enough.
Optimising your website isn’t about gaming the algorithm or stuffing your pages with keywords; it’s about making small, strategic tweaks that help your content get seen and convert better once it is.
Still on the fence? Here’s what a well-optimised website can actually do for you:
Faster traffic growth: The right website optimisation strategies (hello, SEO!) help your site get discovered quicker, without waiting months for traction.
Better quality leads: When your messaging and content are tailored to your ideal client, you attract people who are actually ready to buy.
More substantial brand presence: Optimising your site helps build trust and authority, even if you’re brand new to business.
The bottom line is if your website isn’t optimised, you’re leaving traffic, leads, and sales on the table.
Easy Website Optimisation Strategies for New Business Owners
These are the strategies I wish someone had told me when I first launched my business. Each strategy is free, easy to implement, and has made a huge difference to my traffic and conversions.
💡 Want help putting all of this into action?
The Booked-Out Website Kit walks you through everything in this blog step by step. Inside, you’ll get easy-to-follow tutorials, proven strategies I share with 1:1 clients, and ready-to-use templates that take the guesswork out of writing and optimising your website.
1. Index with Google
If your website isn’t indexed by Google, none of your pages will rank in searches. So, start by going to Google Search Console and submitting your website as a new property.
It can take a few days for your site to index, so keep checking back. If Google runs into issues, you’ll get a list of errors you should fix to get your site indexed.
2. Simplify Your Navigation
Your top-level navigation is the menu at the top of your website. It usually has Home, About Us, Contact, Blog, and your Service/Product pages.
This navigation needs to be simple, concise, and easy to use. Too many links will confuse your visitors and harm your blog SEO.
If you have a lot of pages you want to include, use drop-down menus to keep your main navigation as simple and clutter-free as possible.
Website optimisation is all about simplifying to improve user experience and SEO, and this is an easy way to get started.
3. Make Your Footer Searchable
Your footer content should have seven essential elements to help boost website optimisation:
Top-level navigation (that’s your main menu repeated)
A search bar
Links to your policy and legal pages
Your logo and copyright notice
Social icons
A sign-up to your newsletter
A clear contact button
Since your footer appears on every page, it’s a great place to include important information that clients can find no matter how deep into your website copy they go.
4. Build an Internal Link Structure
Google uses your internal links to crawl your website and figure out what it’s all about. The more internal links you have, the easier it is for your site to show up in specific searches.
However, you need to be strategic with your links when working on your website optimisation.
The anchor text you hyperlink needs to clearly describe the page it’s pointing to.
For example, if you have a service page called “social media marketing,” all the links pointing to it need to be keywords associated with that term (e.g., social media services, social media manager, etc.).
Google uses the anchor text to assess the page's content, so weak links like “my services” or “service page” won’t help boost your SEO.
Top tip: If you want to quickly add several new links to a page, go to Google and type in this string using the keyword of the page you’re targeting:
site:yourdomain.com “keyword”
It will bring up every page on your website with that keyword. Then, you just need to find the corresponding page in your site manager and turn the keyword into a link.
Do this for enough keywords, and you’ll quickly build a well-optimised internal linking structure.
5. Craft a Keyword Strategy
Each page of your website should be optimised for a specific keyword. But as a new business owner, you’ll struggle to rank for high-competition keywords.
For better website optimisation, target low-difficulty keywords with less traffic and then slowly work your way up to more competitive keywords as your site grows.
My favorite tool for finding strategic keywords is Uber Suggest (free and paid versions available). When you type in a keyword idea, you get a list of keyword suggestions, including the search difficulty and volume.
The Booked-Out Website Kit includes a complete keyword strategy designed for service providers, PLUS step-by-step tutorials and my go-to tools to help you find low-competition, high-converting keywords without the overwhelm.
Get the full strategy inside the Booked-Out Website Kit →
6. Blog Like a Pro (Even If No One’s Reading… Yet)
When you launch your website, don’t leave your blog blank. Aim to have at least 10 solid posts ready to go. This gives visitors something to read, trust, and connect with. It’s like rolling out the welcome mat with snacks.
But here’s where the magic really kicks in: to make website optimisation actually work for you, you’ll want to post fresh content consistently. If you can manage 2–3 blog posts a week (even short ones), you’ll start seeing traction faster.
Need a cheat sheet for writing content that Google and your clients love? Here’s your go-to blog checklist:
Aim for at least 1,000 words (Google loves in-depth content)
Pick one specific, low-competition keyword per post
Answer real questions your dream clients are searching for
Sprinkle your keyword naturally into:
– H1 title
– At least one H2 heading
– Your URL, meta description, and image ALT tagsAdd visuals like graphics or screenshots
Keep your paragraphs short (2–3 lines max)
Break things up with bullet points, subheadings, and white space
And listen—at first, it might feel like you’re shouting into the void with content marketing. That’s normal. Google takes time to notice new sites. But if you stay consistent with this website optimisation tip, that little trickle of traffic will quickly turn into a steady stream.
Related: What’s The Best Blog Post Length? Insights from Experts!
7. Build Backlinks
One of the most effective website SEO optimisation strategies is to get backlinks from high-authority websites.
Backlinks tell Google that your website is trusted and an authority in your niche, which means you’re significantly more likely to show up in searches.
🔗 Want my exact backlink strategy?
The Booked-Out Website Kit includes the full backlink system I used to land features in Forbes, Business Insider, Hostinger, and more! You’ll get step-by-step guidance, website lists, outreach templates, and my favourite insider tips. No PR agency required.
Steal my backlink strategy inside the kit →
Ready to Make Your Website Work Harder?
Website optimisation isn’t about quick hacks or overnight traffic spikes. It’s about consistency, strategy, and knowing exactly where to focus your energy.
Yes, it might feel like you're shouting into the void at first. But give it a few months (and follow the tips in this guide) and you’ll start to see the payoff: more traffic, better rankings, and dream clients actually reaching out to you.
And if you’re wondering what’s really holding your website back…it might be your copy.
Head over to the next blog to find out if your website content needs a review (spoiler: it probably does—and I’ll show you how to fix it).
