Can I Do SEO On My Own in 2025? A Guide to DIY Success and When to Call in the Experts

Can I Do SEO On My Own in 2025?

In today’s competitive digital landscape, search engine optimization (SEO) is no longer a luxury but a necessity for any website aiming to stand out. If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I do SEO on my own?” the answer is nuanced. While it’s possible to grasp and implement the basics, SEO in 2025, especially with the rise of AI-powered search, demands a deeper understanding and consistent effort.

A lot of people ask the question if they can do their own SEO and in this article we are going to answer that in a very simple and honest way as well as giving you some valuable insights into some of what goes into search engine optimisation and at the same time talking a little about why sometimes it can be a good idea to do your own SEO and other times it´s often better (and even cheaper) to call in the experts.

This guide explores the intricacies of DIY SEO, provides actionable tips, and reveals when partnering with experts can save you time, money, and missed opportunities.

Understanding search engines and how they work

To effectively implement SEO strategies, it’s crucial to grasp how search engines operate. Search engines like Google use complex algorithms to crawl, index, and rank web pages based on various factors. When a user inputs a query, the search engine scours its index of web pages to find the most relevant results. This process involves evaluating hundreds of ranking factors, including keyword relevance, site authority, and user experience. Understanding these mechanics can help businesses tailor their SEO efforts to align with search engine behavior.

The first step in this process is crawling, where search engine bots systematically browse the web to discover new and updated content. These bots follow links from one page to another, collecting information about each site they visit. Once a page is crawled, it is indexed, meaning it is stored in a massive database for future retrieval. If a webpage is not indexed, it cannot appear in search results, regardless of its quality. Therefore, businesses must ensure their websites are easily accessible to crawlers by optimizing their site structure and utilizing XML sitemaps.

Ranking is the final step, where search engines determine the order in which indexed pages appear in response to a search query. This ranking is influenced by various factors, such as content quality, keyword usage, and backlinks. Businesses must focus on these elements to improve their chances of ranking higher in search results. Ultimately, mastering the intricacies of how search engines function is essential for developing effective SEO strategies that will enhance visibility and drive traffic.

What is SEO and Why is it Essential?

SEO is the art and science of optimising your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), ultimately driving more organic (non-paid) traffic to your site. Effective SEO not only increases your website’s visibility but also attracts the right kind of visitors – those actively searching for your products or services.

What are the key skills needed to do my own SEO?

There are core differences between DIY SEO and professional SEO but this is like everything, you can repair problems in your own house and it will probably look perfect to you or me but if you get in a professional you know that not only will they repair it but it will stand the test of time and perform well whatever the weather. So, don´t worry, we are going to come on to things you can do yourself but out of respect to anyone in the profession it´s only fair that we point out at least some of what us “in the trade” have to undertake, so bear with me!

Anyone who has looked through our website will know that we take a very holistic approach to SEO because there is no one thing that goes into it. There are multiple layers which each require (certainly at professional level) a deep understanding. We mentioned above that SEO is an art and a science and this really is an accurate way of describing it because there are two core elements to SEO:

• The “black & white” rules that must be followed – including not just what you should do but the devastating consequences of accidently doing something you shouldn´t do,
• The little “magic ingredients” that I can only describe as “Granny´s cooking”. We can all follow a recipe from a book but have you ever noticed that if two people follow the same recipe for a loaf of bread, they will both come out differently. When Granny bakes her “special recipe” (which often is done of judgement rather than accurate measurements) it always seems to come out perfect. It´s those “instincts” that genuinely come not just from what you learn in the textbooks but from trying many recipe combinations over the years and just knowing when something will work.

To be an expert in SEO you need to possess a pretty deep understanding of (amongst various other things and in no particular order):

• Technical website engineering (not just for SEO but for troubleshooting the bugs that can and will happen!
• Search Engine Algorithms (not just google but many others especially AI which has changed everything in the last year or so and is changing everything almost daily)
• Copywriting – The art of not just writing but portraying, sending the right message
• Psychology (not literally a qualified Dr but have a good understanding of both the psychology of people and now AI too)
• Statistical Analytics
• Website Design
• Language – Tech and Human
• Research
• Technical SEO (front and back end)
• Backlink Building – The right way – Contacts in the media help!

To give you an idea, when we start any SEO project, just the technical “crawl” that we do, before we even start on the “front page” stuff can hundreds of pages long going into the mind-numbingly boring file structure of a website which, although it may seem like a handful of files on a server is actually dozens, hundreds or thousands or files and documents.

Still want to have a go? I honestly admire your guts so lets get stuck in with the very basics for now but enough to at least get your teeth stuck into and start your way on the road to the rankings!

DIY SEO: The Basics You Can Master

There are a shed load of tools and services you can subscribe to. Some are really aimed at professionals and others tend to target anyone willing to pay. I will mention a couple in the next bit but remember that the “free” options tend to have limitations although they do serve to gain some valuable insights.

Most platforms that can really tell you anything worth knowing will set you back 100-150 dollars/euros/pounds a month in subscription fees but nevertheless you can start with the free versions to get going.

1. Keyword Research and Analysis:

If you want to do your SEO ono your own you need to know about keywords. These are the words or phrases that search engines will “rank” your site for. In the olden days to get to the top of the charts in the land of search, the more keywords matching your desired search terms that you could cram into a page (or hide behind the scenes), the more the search engines would see you as “expert” in that area. That was called “keyword stuffing”,

To give you an example: If you were selling vanilla ice cream you would have written content like,

“We sell the best vanilla ice cream, in fact our vanilla ice cream is probably the vanilla ice cream that tastes most of vanilla ice cream than any other vanilla ice cream in all of the types of vanilla ice cream in the world of vanilla ice cream”

OK, so maybe I over did it a little there but it wasn´t far from it. We would even hide the word “vanilla ice cream” in, for example, white text against a white background so that it was not visible to the named eye but to the search engine robots it was.

But (and thankfully) search engines got smart – and they keep on getting smarter which is actually a VERY good thing because it weeds out those trying to cheat the system and rewards those who genuinely offer a good user experience, deliver a great product and/or service and are the best.

Search engines don´t need you to repeat the same keyword now, in fact they will probably penalise you if they detect that you are trying to do it. But, they also need to know what you are talking about and so do the real viewers of your content. So how do we achieve that?

We use the keywords in a natural language flow – in the way that you would talk about subjects like if I can do my own SEO and not in a way that is just making the user experience a terrible one. So in order to do that we need to do some research into the following:

• Identify relevant keywords and phrases that potential customers use to search for businesses like yours.
  • Note: Potential Customers, This means those who we want to attract. This is where you will need to do a little reading up on “search / user intent” so I put a link to a great resource on that.
• Utilize keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to discover search volume, competition, and related keywords.  Some of the paid plans will enable you to see what your competitors are ranking for so you can strategically implement your plan of attack in the battle for those coveted top spots!
• Target a mix of short-tail (e.g., “SEO services”) and long-tail keywords (e.g., “how to do SEO for my small business website”).
• Analyse keyword performance and adjust your strategy based on search trends and competitor analysis. There are tools for this too. Google Analytics is the best to use if you are starting out. You need to install it on your website. Well, “install it” no, it works through your google account but you will need to verify / authorise your website which you can do through a number of ways, the easiest is to add an entry to your domain DNS with the verification code.  

2. On-Page Optimization Techniques:

So now you have your keywords nicely organised into a list – you are ready to begin with the most simple part of the actual SEO work. This is what we call the “on-page SEO”. This related to the things that people can see, so the text, images, whatever is visible in your page. There are several things to keep in mind here.

The main thing is to prioritise on the user experience, ease of navigation, accessibility (and that means catering, for example, for the visually impaired too because not everyone can see your pretty pictures but they may have systems to read how you describe them). Colours that go well together and don´t blend together for someone with visual issues is another example. Now you may think that´s not important but it is, not just because we want our website to be accessible to everyone but because the search engines consider how much you think about the user experience in deciding how important you are. So keep it in mind!

With that under out belt we need to do a little bit of further research and I recommend reading up on the following points as they are fundamental if you want to do your own SEO and for it to be successful.

• Optimize title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags (H1, H2, H3) to reflect the content of each page accurately.
• Incorporate relevant keywords naturally into your content, headings, and image alt text.
• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and provides a seamless user experience across all devices.  This means that it adapts image sizes, compresses them, uses a good caching system and, even consider a CDN so that your data gets distributed from the closest server to your customer/site visitor. It´s fundamental because a few milliseconds difference between your site and the competitors could be what puts you in page 1 or page 2!
• Voice search optimisation. Oh you may think I am being pedantic now but read this article if you want to know more about the importance of voice search optimisation in your SEO:
• E-E-A-T. This stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust. Click the link to read more!

Once you feel you have a good enough understanding of the above points and have done some further reading you then need to think about the next most important part (and these are all important and in no particular order by the way) in your journey to DIY SEO.

3. Off-Page Optimization and Building Backlinks:

This is the stuff you do away from your website. I won´t bore you with my drab context about this stuff because you can probably crack on without me but click the link about backlinks because you´ve got to be careful on that one!

• Create high-quality, shareable content that attracts backlinks from other reputable websites.
• Engage in online communities and forums related to your industry to establish yourself as an authority.
• Leverage social media platforms to promote your content and attract potential backlinks.
• Focus on acquiring links from relevant, high-authority sources for the best results.  

4. Technical SEO and Website Structure:

This is where you do need to read up on the techy stuff because us in the land of SEO are not just pretty faces (actually, it´s fair to say most of us aren´t even that!) but the technical element is deeply fundamental. We have talked about things like the User Experience (UX) but you need to pull out all the stops on the tech stuff if you want to do your own SEO. So I will keep it really simple with the basics in bullet point format but go and do some reading up on all of these things because without them your efforts in other areas might as well be flushed down the toilet!

• Ensure your website loads quickly by optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing code. We talked about this a little earlier on too.
• Utilize a clear and logical site structure with descriptive, keyword-rich URLs.
• Implement an XML sitemap and robots.txt to help search engines discover and index your content.
• Regularly monitor your website’s technical performance using tools like Google Search Console

Measuring and tracking SEO success

To determine the effectiveness of your SEO efforts, it’s essential to measure and track your progress regularly. This involves analysing key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect your website’s performance in search rankings and user engagement. Common KPIs include organic traffic, bounce rate, conversion rate, and keyword rankings. By monitoring these metrics, you can identify areas for improvement and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console are invaluable for tracking SEO performance. Google Analytics provides insights into user behaviour, including how visitors find your site, how long they stay, and which pages are most popular. This data can help you identify trends and understand what content resonates with your audience. Meanwhile, Google Search Console allows you to monitor your website’s presence in search results, providing information on keyword performance, indexing status, and any potential issues that may affect your rankings.

Additionally, regular audits of your SEO strategy can help ensure that your tactics remain effective in a constantly evolving digital landscape. This may include revisiting your keyword strategy, analyzing competitor performance, and assessing the quality of your backlinks. By staying proactive and data-driven in your approach, you can continually refine your SEO efforts, maximizing your website’s visibility and engagement over time.

Conclusion and final tips for mastering SEO

Mastering SEO is a continuous journey that requires dedication, adaptability, and a willingness to learn. As the digital landscape evolves, so too must your strategies and techniques. By understanding the fundamental principles of SEO and implementing best practices across all areas—keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page linking, and technical SEO—you can significantly enhance your website’s visibility and drive organic traffic.

One of the most important aspects of mastering SEO is staying informed about industry trends and algorithm updates. Search engines are constantly refining their algorithms, which means strategies that worked yesterday may not be as effective today. Regularly engaging with SEO blogs, attending webinars, and participating in forums can help you stay ahead of the curve and adapt your strategies accordingly.

Finally, remember that SEO is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Regularly measuring your performance, adjusting your tactics, and staying committed to continuous improvement will yield the best results over time. With patience and persistence, you can master SEO and achieve your online business goals, driving growth and success in the digital realm.

While it’s possible to embark on the SEO journey solo, understanding its complexities and the evolving nature of search engines reveals the invaluable advantages of professional expertise. SEO is an ongoing process that demands adaptability, consistent effort, and a willingness to learn. By partnering with professionals, you gain not just higher rankings but a sustainable online presence built for long-term success.

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

Doing your own SEO – Frequently Asked Questions

In your quest to find the answer to that burning question of “Can I do SEO on my own” here are some useful FAQ that summarise this article and may also give you some pointers in your way.