Key facts (UK, 2026)
• Every check below uses a free tool from Google or Microsoft. You don’t need a paid SEO checker.
• Google says every page should have its own title, and that titles like “Home” are too vague.
• A site: search is a quick first look, but Google says it doesn’t list every indexed page. Search Console’s URL Inspection is the reliable check.
• Microsoft’s Copilot uses Bing, so a site missing from Bing is harder for it to recommend.
How do I check if my website is SEO friendly?
Work through these in order. The first two take a couple of minutes; the rest need a few logins.
1. Is your website on Google at all?
Type site:yourwebsite.co.uk into Google. You should see your pages listed. Google says this search “doesn’t necessarily return all the URLs that are indexed”, so treat it as a first look: if nothing appears, there’s a problem; if most pages appear, that’s a good sign. For a definite answer on one page, use URL Inspection in Search Console (check 5). If pages are missing, why isn’t my website showing on Google? goes through the usual causes, including a site accidentally set to block search engines.
2. Does every page have its own title?
The title is the blue headline Google shows in its results. Look at your pages in that site: search. Google’s advice is that every page should have a title, that each should be different, and that vague titles like “Home” don’t help. A good title says the service and the place, for example “Roof Repairs in Guildford | [Your business name]”. If every page shows just your business name, the SEO basics weren’t done. More in how to write a good page title and meta description.
3. Does each service have its own page?
One “Services” page listing everything gives Google one page to show for every search. A page each for the jobs you want more of gives it a page to match each search. See how to write a service page that gets found.
4. Are the towns you cover written on the site?
Not in a picture or a map, but in words on the page. If your website never names the town you’re based in, Google has to guess where you work. Name your main towns, and for the important ones give them a section or a page of their own: how to create location pages that get found.
5. Is Google Search Console set up, and in your name?
Search Console is Google’s free tool for site owners. It shows which pages are indexed, which searches show your site and anything Google can’t read. Ask your web designer whether it was set up and whose account it’s in. If you can’t log in to it, you can’t check any of this. Set-up takes about ten minutes: how to set up Google Search Console.
6. Is it on Bing?
Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft’s version, and it’s the one most often skipped. It matters more than it used to, because Microsoft’s Copilot draws on Bing. Bing Webmaster Tools also has an AI Performance report showing how often your pages are used as a source in AI answers. See how to set up Bing Webmaster Tools.
7. Does the site say what the business is, in a form machines can read?
This is called structured data, or schema: a short block of code stating your business name, type, address or service area and phone number. Paste your address into Google’s free Rich Results Test. If it finds nothing, it isn’t there. It isn’t essential, but it’s cheap to add and helps search engines and AI tools be sure what you are: what is schema markup?
8. Does it work on a phone?
Most local searches happen on a phone. Run your address through Google’s free PageSpeed Insights and look at the mobile result, then open the site on your own phone. Can you tap the phone number? Does the contact form send? A slow or awkward site loses the people the SEO brought in.
My web designer says they’ve done the SEO. What should that include?
“SEO” covers two different things, and the confusion causes a lot of disappointment:
| Basic SEO set-up (once, at build) | Ongoing SEO (over months) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Making the site readable and findable | Building up what the site is found for |
| Typically includes | Unique titles and descriptions, a page per service, towns named, Search Console and Bing set up, sitemap submitted, nothing blocking search engines, works on a phone | New pages and guides, more towns, Google Business Profile work, reviews, checking the numbers and adjusting |
| Who usually does it | Your web designer | You, an SEO specialist, or both |
| What it gets you | A site Google can read | A site Google has reasons to show |
A designer who did the basic set-up has done what was reasonable at build. It won’t, on its own, put you above competitors who have been adding useful pages for years. If you’re now paying for the ongoing kind, how do I know if my SEO is working? shows what to look for.
How much does basic SEO set-up cost?
If the checks show the basics are missing, these are the UK going rates from Whito’s 2026 UK SEO pricing data, an independent research site that doesn’t sell SEO:
| Job | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Doing the eight checks above yourself | £0 |
| Local SEO set-up, including Google Business Profile | £250–£800, one-off |
| A full one-off technical review with a prioritised plan | £500–£3,000, one-off |
| Freelancer by the hour | £30–£150 an hour |
| Ongoing monthly SEO | £300–£800 (junior freelancer) to £1,000–£3,000 (small agency) |
Most of the basic set-up is one-off work. It shouldn’t need a monthly contract to put titles on pages or set up Search Console.
Are free SEO checker scores worth trusting?
They’re useful for spotting technical problems like missing titles or broken links. But a score out of 100 isn’t a ranking, and a site can score 95 while saying nothing about the services and towns people search for. The checks above tell you more about whether customers can find you.
What does a website with good SEO look like?
From the outside: Google lists all its important pages; each page title says the service and place; there’s a page for each main service and the main towns; it answers questions customers ask before they get in touch; Search Console shows it appearing for searches beyond the business name; and it works on a phone. None of that needs a new website. Most of it is a matter of what the pages say.
Can I fix it myself?
Much of it, yes: titles, naming your towns, setting up Search Console and Bing, and checking the phone version are all within reach of most owners, and the guides linked above go through each. Adding pages for services and towns, structured data and guides takes longer.
Website Clarity finds what’s stopping websites being found and fixes it, usually without a new website. See website services.
Common questions
- How do I know if my website has SEO?
- Check that Google lists your pages, each page has its own title naming the service and place, each main service has its own page, your towns are written on the site, and Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are set up in your name.
- How do I check if my website is SEO friendly for free?
- Use Google's own free tools: a site: search, Search Console's URL Inspection, the Rich Results Test and PageSpeed Insights, plus Bing Webmaster Tools. Together they cover the basics without a paid checker.
- What should a web designer do for SEO?
- At a minimum: unique page titles and descriptions, a page per main service, your towns written on the site, nothing blocking search engines, a sitemap, Search Console and Bing set up, and a site that works on a phone.
- Is a free SEO checker score accurate?
- It's useful for technical problems, but a high score isn't the same as being found. A site can score well and still say nothing about the services and towns customers search for.
- How much does it cost to add SEO to a website?
- Whito's 2026 UK pricing data puts local SEO set-up at £250 to £800 one-off, and a full technical review with a plan at £500 to £3,000. Many of the basics you can check and fix yourself for nothing.
- Does my website need structured data?
- It isn't essential, but it's cheap to add and helps search engines and AI tools be sure what your business is and where it works. Google's free Rich Results Test shows whether you have any.