Tired of paying for clicks? Here’s how to show up in Google searches without buying ads.”
Anyone who’s run Google Ads knows how fast your budget can disappear.
When looking to run ads for heat pumps, one of our local clients was shocked to learn that Google recommended spending $48/day to just stay competitive.
While Google ads can be a great way to get leads, as soon as you stop paying, the leads stop coming.
Instead of renting visibility from Google, why not build it? That’s where Organic SEO comes in.
Organic Search Engine Optimization helps your website climb search rankings naturally — no ongoing ad spend required. When done right, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to generate steady leads month after month, year after year. And the best part? You own everything you do, and don’t have to pay Google thousands of dollars.
When you have a question, you Google it. How often have you gone past the first page? Over 90% of people click on the top three results.
Organic SEO is about earning visibility in Google’s natural search results. You don’t pay per click — you win clicks by being the most relevant, high-quality, and user-friendly result.
In contrast, paid ads can get you instant traffic, but they’re temporary. Once your campaign ends, your visibility disappears.
Organic SEO is the opposite — it takes longer to build, but the results compound over time. A well-optimized site can keep showing up on page one for years, generating traffic and leads at no extra cost.
Google rewards content that’s actually helpful. Guess why we wrote a blog about Organic SEO? Using our Search data, we saw it’s a service that a lot of people in Nanaimo are looking for. Blog posts like this one — that answer specific customer questions — show search engines your site is helpful, and deserves to rank.
Your Google Business Profile, local directories, and reviews all influence whether you show up in “near me” searches. If you’re serving Nanaimo and nearby areas like Ladysmith or Parksville, optimizing for local intent is key. Don’t spam keywords, but do create content that targets your service area, and make sure your business info and hours are consistent everywhere!
Google reads websites a little differently than people. While it definitely prefers you to write like a real human, it needs a little extra info deciding what your page is about.
Page titles, headings, and meta descriptions should clearly tell Google what your content is about. That way, it knows what search terms to show it for. Make sure your page is structured properly so you don’t confuse the poor Googlebot.
Fast, mobile-friendly websites always rank higher. More than 50% of web surfing is done on smartphones, so mobile design is the primary way Google ranks you. If you can’t read the text, or your site loads slowly, even perfect SEO won’t help — visitors will leave before reading and Google will penalize you. Users don’t need to spend 15 minutes reading everything. Even a few clicks and scrolls give you a positive ranking effect.
When other trusted sites (like local directories or news features) link to you, Google sees that as a vote of confidence. Try and get yourself out there! The better the site that links to you, the better the SEO outcome. If you can get listed on a .org site, or .gov if you’re lucky, that’s a huge boost.
Tools like Google’s Search Console show how often and how highly you’re ranking for keywords. Use this to inform your content strategy.
Update titles, headings, and meta descriptions to match those searches. Make your site look like it’s worth clicking! The longer users stay on your page, and the more they interact with it, the better opinion Google will have of you.
Write blog posts that answer your customers’ questions. We’ve been showing up for hundreds of searches like “organic SEO Nanaimo”, so we wrote a blog!
Make it run fast and run right. Compress images as much as possible, fix broken links, and make it secure.
Use Google Search Console and Analytics to see what’s working. Lots of people going to a page, then leaving after a few seconds? Time to make it pop. No one seeing your pages? Time for SEO improvements.
Want help finding the right keywords or fixing SEO issues?
We do basic SEO audits for free. We’ll show you where your biggest opportunities are.
This is a nuanced idea, and depends on the market and competition. If you’re the only provider in town, a proper one-time set-up will work well. But business always has competition, and SEO needs maintenance — rankings change as competitors update their sites, and Google likes fresh content. Often times a monthly blog or new page is an ideal way to maintain your presence.
While you can pay to be a sponsored top result, getting there for free isn’t just about spending money. You need to invest time and effort over months to start ranking well, and it’s vital to structure it properly. If you don’t, you could have just wasted a lot of effort.
Having Google view you as the best site around isn’t easy, but the rewards are huge.
It actually matters more — fewer competitors means it’s easier to stand out.
Quality and intent matter more than frequency. Even one strong post can outperform dozens of filler articles. There are also diminishing returns on rapidly posting new content, so it’s best to manage your resources and spread your effort around a few different areas.
Book a free SEO consultation today — let’s make your business easy to find and impossible to ignore.
