The Truth About SEO: What It Really Takes to Rank

SEO is a strange beast. Everyone wants an SEO-friendly website, but few truly understand what that means or how to achieve it.

And here is a hard truth: mastering SEO can be a a really time-consuming task—whether it’s mildly difficult or downright brutal depends on your industry, location, reputation, and budget.

So, what does having an SEO-friendly website actually mean?

There are two approaches: you can have a basic SEO website, which means all the fundamentals are done correctly so that Google fully understands its content, or you can have an SEO-optimised website that is specifically designed and updated to rank on the first page.

Let's check each approach:

Level 1: The Basics

An SEO-friendly website is one that Google can easily understand. This means ticking off the foundational boxes:

• Clear URLs: For example, your contact page should be something like xxx.com/contact-us.

• Metadata: Each page needs a concise description (meta description) and a slug (a short 2-3 word summary).

• Alt Text: Every image should have an alt text description.

• Content: Regularly publish blog posts (think once a week).

• Google My Business: Set up and optimise your profile on the Google platform, it's free. Add pictures, links to blog posts and client's reviews.

• Sitemap: Submit your website’s sitemap to Google Search Console.

• Plugins: Wordpress users are often required to integrate specific plugins to boost their SEO efforts. One of the most renowned plugins in this domain is Yoast SEO for Wordpress. No need if you're using Wix, the SEO function is integrated on the dashboard.

These are the non-negotiables—the groundwork you lay when building your site. Keep in mind that just having them doesn't guarantee you'll land on the first page of Google—there are many other factors at play in achieving visibility.

Level 2: The Real SEO Challenge

This is where most people’s expectations lie: ranking on Google’s first page to drive traffic. But here’s the catch—it’s a long-term game, and success depends heavily on your competition.

Let’s break it down with an example:

Imagine you’re a bakery in Hong Kong targeting local customers. First, search “bakery Hong Kong” on Google and analyse the first page.

You’ll likely see:

• Sponsored Posts: Bakeries paying to be at the top.

• Google Maps Recommendations: Bakeries with the most positive reviews dominate.

• Lifestyle Articles: Posts like “The 10 Best Bakeries in Hong Kong” from popular media.

Now, ask yourself: Is it worth spending months (or years) optimising your website to compete with these heavyweights? Realistically, you won’t outrank sponsored posts or catchy articles.

In this case, the answer is often no. The time and budget required to climb the rankings may not justify the results. Instead, consider investing in platforms better suited to your business—like Instagram, where you can showcase your pastries through reels and influencer collaborations if you're a bakery.

That said, I’m not discouraging SEO altogether. I’m simply highlighting the reality: it takes time, effort, and resources, and results aren’t guaranteed.

At the end, it's all about your industry, your budget and finding the right strategy.

The Keyword Factor & the Backlink Strategy

Another critical consideration is search volume. Is the keyword “bakery Hong Kong” even worth targeting in a small market like Hong Kong?

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to check. If you find only 100 searches per month, and after accounting for competition, you might only gain 30 extra website visits monthly. Is that worth the effort?

Of course, this is just one example. If you’re motivated to pursue SEO, here’s a common strategy:

1. Find a Niche Keyword: Target something with lower competition but decent traffic, like “sourdough bakery Hong Kong" or "vegan pastry Hong Kong".

2. Optimise Your Site: Build your website around this keyword.

3. Use Tools: Leverage platforms like Ahrefs or SEMrush to check the results (though they can be pricey but they have free trial versions).

4. Daily Effort: Continuously work on backlinks, blog posts, and new pages. A backlink is essentially your website's URL featured on another site, such as a blog discussing topics related to your business—like "The 5 Best Places to Find a Great Croissant in Hong Kong."

   
   

   It's challenging because you can't force another site to include your URL. You may need to offer a free article (providing them with content while gaining a backlink) or pay to be mentioned (as seen in lists like "XX Best...").

   
   

   How can you start with backlinks? Analyze your top competitor's website using a free backlink analyser. Check where their URL appears and see if you can achieve similar placements, either through payment or other means.

   

   
   

SEO is hard. This blog post isn’t meant to discourage you but to set realistic expectations. Simply saying, “I want SEO” isn’t enough—you need a clear strategy, patience, and an understanding of what you’re getting into.

So, before diving in, ask yourself: Is SEO the best use of your time and resources, or are there better and faster ways to grow your business? If you've budget and you're in a really competitive industry (For instance the Hong Kong finance industry), you better go with a Google Ads campaign to generate results right away.

PS: Look you can get a free automated quote for creating or updating your website by asking our AI agent. It’s quick, easy, and delivered straight to your inbox!