🎤 This mode is just for fun lah. Some technical nuances might be simplified or lost in translation. We also used AI to help write these (where got time to do one by one). For the accurate stuff, switch back to the other modes.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It's how you help Google (and other search engines) find your website and decide where to show it in search results. When someone searches for something related to your organisation, good SEO means your site appears near the top - not buried on page 5.
SEO encompasses the practices that improve a website's visibility in organic search results: crawlability, indexability, content relevance, technical performance (Core Web Vitals), structured data, backlink profile, and user experience signals. It's a long-term discipline that compounds over time.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Wah, chim name right? But actually simple one lah - it's just how you make Google find your website and show it when people search. Like, if someone Google "best nasi lemak near me" and your stall got good SEO, you show up first. Bad SEO? You're buried on page 5 where nobody goes. Page 5 is basically the shadow realm of the internet.
How Google Finds Your Site
Google uses automated programs called "crawlers" that visit websites and read their content. If your site is well-structured and has a sitemap (a map of all your pages), Google can find and understand it easily.
Googlebot crawls your site by following links and reading your sitemap.xml. It evaluates page content, structure, load speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data to determine relevance and ranking. Crawl budget and indexability are influenced by robots.txt, canonical tags, and site architecture.
Google got these robot programs called "crawlers" that go around the internet reading websites. If your website nicely organised with a sitemap (basically a menu of all your pages), the robot can find everything easily. If your site is messy, the robot blur already - like trying to navigate a hawker centre with no signs.
What Affects Your Ranking
Google looks at hundreds of factors, but the main ones are: does your page answer the searcher's question? Is it fast to load? Is it easy to use on a phone? Do other trustworthy websites link to it? Is the content well-written and regularly updated?
Key ranking signals include: content relevance and depth, page experience (Core Web Vitals: LCP, INP, CLS), mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, structured data, internal linking, backlink quality/authority, freshness, and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
Google looks at a lot of things, but main ones are: does your page actually answer the person's question? Can it load fast or not? Can use on handphone or not? Got other good websites link to you or not? Basically, don't be that website that takes 10 seconds to load - by then your visitor already tabao and go somewhere else.
Why SEO Takes Time
SEO isn't instant. After you make improvements, it can take weeks or even months for Google to notice and adjust your ranking. Think of it like planting seeds - you do the work now and see results gradually.
Google re-crawls and re-evaluates pages over time. New content can take days to weeks to be indexed, and ranking changes often manifest over 3-6 months. Algorithm updates, competitor activity, and domain authority all affect the timeline.
SEO is not like maggi mee - cannot just add hot water and done in 3 minutes. After you make improvements, Google takes weeks or months to notice. Like planting seeds for your garden lah - you plant now, harvest later. If you want instant results, that's called Google Ads, and that one costs money.
SEO vs Paid Ads
SEO gets you "free" visitors through organic search. Paid ads (Google Ads) get you to the top instantly but cost money for every click. Most organisations benefit from good SEO first, then consider ads if needed.
Organic SEO provides compounding, zero-marginal-cost traffic. SEM/PPC offers immediate visibility but stops the moment you stop paying. The highest-ROI strategy for most small sites is solid on-page SEO + structured data, supplemented by targeted PPC only for high-intent queries.
SEO gives you free visitors from Google search. Paid ads (Google Ads) put you at the top straightaway but every click costs money. Like renting vs owning - one you keep paying forever, the other one eventually yours. Most organisations should do good SEO first, then consider ads if budget got extra.
Google Analytics Setup
Google Analytics (GA4) tells you who visits your website, what pages they look at, and how they found you. It's free and essential for understanding whether your site is working.
GA4 is Google's current analytics platform, built on an event-based model. It tracks page views, scroll depth, outbound clicks, conversions, and more by default. It integrates with BigQuery for advanced analysis and supports custom events.
Google Analytics (GA4) is like having CCTV for your website, but less creepy. It tells you who visited, what pages they looked at, how they found you. Free some more. If you don't install this, you're basically running your website with your eyes closed. Bo jio to have such good free tool and don't use.
Create a GA4 Property
Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account. Click "Create property", enter your website name and URL. Google will give you a Measurement ID - a code that looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX.
Navigate to GA4 admin → Create property. Configure data stream for Web. Note the Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX). Enable enhanced measurement for scroll, outbound clicks, and file downloads. Optionally configure data retention and Google Signals.
Go analytics.google.com, sign in with your Google account. Click "Create property", put your website name and URL. Google will give you a Measurement ID - looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX. Save it somewhere safe - you'll need it next step.
Add It to Your Site
Give your AI agent this prompt and it will add the tracking code to every page of your website automatically:
The gtag.js snippet needs to be in the <head> of every page. In Astro, this means adding it to your base layout. Use the agent to inject it:
Give your AI assistant this prompt and it will add the tracking code everywhere for you. Easy peasy, no need to touch any code yourself:
"Add Google Analytics 4 to my site. My measurement ID is G-XXXXXXXXXX. Add the gtag.js script to the head of my base layout so it loads on every page."
Check It's Working
After deploying, visit your site and check GA4's "Realtime" report - you should see yourself as an active user. If it works, you're all set. Data will start appearing in reports within 24-48 hours.
Verify installation using GA4's Realtime report or the DebugView (requires GA Debug Chrome extension). Check for the page_view event firing. Full reports populate within 24-48h. Optionally configure conversions, audiences, and explorations.
After you deploy, go visit your own website and check GA4's "Realtime" report - should see yourself there. If can see, means working already lah. Data starts showing properly in 24-48 hours. Like waiting for your online order - a bit of patience needed.
Key Metrics to Watch
How many unique people visited your site in a given period.
Total number of pages viewed. Helps you see which content is most popular.
How long people spend actively looking at your pages. Higher is better.
Where visitors come from: Google search, social media, direct, or referral links.
Google Search Console Setup
Google Search Console (GSC) shows you how your site appears in Google search results. It tells you what people search for to find you, which pages are indexed, and if there are any problems Google has found.
GSC provides direct insight into Googlebot's perspective: search queries, impressions, click-through rates, index coverage, crawl errors, Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, and structured data validation. Essential for diagnosing and improving organic performance.
Google Search Console (GSC) is like getting a report card from Google itself. It tells you what people Googled to find you, which of your pages Google knows about, and if got any problems. If GA4 is your CCTV, GSC is your report card. Both also free - Google sibeh generous with free tools sia.
Verify Your Site
Go to search.google.com/search-console, sign in, and add your website URL. Google will ask you to prove you own the site - the easiest way is to add a special tag to your homepage:
Add your property (URL prefix or domain-level). For URL prefix verification, the simplest method is an HTML meta tag. Use the agent to add it:
Go search.google.com/search-console, sign in, add your website URL. Google wants proof you own the site - easiest way is add a special tag to your homepage. Just give the AI this prompt:
"Add this Google Search Console verification meta tag to the head of my base layout: <meta name='google-site-verification' content='YOUR_CODE_HERE' />"
Submit Your Sitemap
A sitemap is like a table of contents for Google. It lists every page on your site so Google can find them all. If you followed our Astro guide, you already have one at yoursite.com/sitemap-index.xml. Enter that URL in GSC's Sitemaps section.
Navigate to GSC → Sitemaps → enter your sitemap URL. Astro with @astrojs/sitemap generates /sitemap-index.xml by default. If you don't have one yet:
Sitemap is like a table of contents for Google robots. It lists every page on your site so Google can find everything. If you followed our Astro guide, you already have one at yoursite.com/sitemap-index.xml. Enter that URL in the Sitemaps section. If don't have yet, ask the AI:
"Add the @astrojs/sitemap integration to my Astro project and configure it with my site URL."
Monitor Your Performance
After a few days, GSC will start showing data. Check the "Performance" tab to see what search terms bring people to your site, how often your pages appear in results, and how many people click through.
The Performance report shows queries, pages, countries, devices, and date ranges. Key metrics: impressions, clicks, CTR, average position. Use the URL Inspection tool to check individual page status, request (re)indexing, and debug rendering issues.
After a few days, GSC will start showing data. Check the "Performance" tab to see what people searched to find your site. It's like checking your Grab driver rating - sometimes surprising, sometimes confirming what you already know. Very satisfying when you see those numbers go up.
Technical SEO with Coding Agents
Here are prompts you can give your AI agent to handle the technical side of SEO. You don't need to understand the code - just describe what you want.
These prompts cover the most impactful on-page and technical SEO tasks. Adapt them to your framework and requirements. Most can be implemented in a single agent session.
Here are some prompts you can copy and paste to your AI assistant. It will handle all the chim technical stuff for you. You don't need to understand the code - that's the AI's job. Your job is to know what you want. Like going to the barber - you just say "trim the sides" and they do the rest.
"Add SEO meta tags to all pages: unique title tags, meta descriptions, and Open Graph tags (og:title, og:description, og:image) for social media sharing."
"Add JSON-LD structured data to the homepage. Use the Organization schema with our name, logo, URL, and social media links."
"Optimise all images on the site: convert to WebP format, add width and height attributes, and enable lazy loading for images below the fold."
"Set up automatic sitemap generation for my Astro site. Make sure it includes all pages and updates whenever I add new content."
"Create a robots.txt file that allows all search engine crawlers to index the site. Include a reference to the sitemap URL."
"Audit this page for accessibility issues: check alt text on images, heading hierarchy, colour contrast, link text, and ARIA labels."
"Review the internal linking structure. Suggest where I should add links between related pages to help visitors and search engines navigate the site."
"Analyse the page for performance issues. Check for render-blocking resources, unused CSS/JS, and suggest improvements for Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS)."
Content SEO Tips
Good SEO isn't just about technical tricks - it's mainly about having useful, well-organised content. Here's what matters most.
On-page content signals remain the single largest ranking factor. Technical SEO creates the foundation, but content quality and relevance determine where you rank.
Good SEO isn't just about technical tricks behind the scenes lah. The most important thing is actually having useful content that people want to read. It's like running a hawker stall - you can have the fanciest renovation, but if your food not nice, nobody come back.
Use clear headings
Break your content into sections with descriptive headings. Use one main heading (H1) per page, then sub-headings (H2, H3) to organise. This helps both readers and Google understand your page structure.
Follow a logical heading hierarchy: single H1 per page, H2 for major sections, H3 for subsections. Headings should be descriptive and naturally include relevant keywords. Avoid skipping levels (e.g. H1 → H3).
Break your content into sections with clear headings. Like hawker centre menu board - big heading "Mains", then smaller headings "Noodles", "Rice", "Soup". One big heading (H1) per page, then sub-headings (H2, H3) to organise. Google and your readers both will thank you.
Write for people first
Write content that's genuinely helpful to your visitors. Answer their questions clearly. Don't stuff keywords everywhere - Google is smart enough to understand natural language and actually penalises keyword-stuffing.
Prioritise E-E-A-T: demonstrate first-hand experience, expertise, and provide genuine value. Keyword density is irrelevant - focus on topical coverage, semantic relevance, and user intent satisfaction. Google's helpful content system rewards people-first content.
Write content that actually helps your visitors lah. Answer their questions properly. Don't spam keywords everywhere like a desperate flyer distributor at MRT station - Google is smart enough to know, and will actually punish you for it. Write natural, be helpful. That's it.
Keep URLs clean
Use short, readable web addresses like /about-us or /events/summer-fair rather than random numbers or codes. This helps both people and search engines understand what the page is about.
Use descriptive, hyphenated URL slugs. Avoid query parameters, session IDs, or deeply nested paths. Keep URLs stable - if you must change them, implement 301 redirects. URL structure should mirror your site's information architecture.
Use short, readable web addresses like /about-us or /events/hari-raya-bazaar instead of random numbers. Helps both people and Google understand what the page is about. Nobody wants to click on a URL that looks like someone fell asleep on the keyboard.
Add alt text to images
Every image should have a brief description (called "alt text") that explains what it shows. This helps visually impaired visitors and tells Google what your images are about.
The alt attribute serves both accessibility (screen readers) and SEO (image search ranking). Be descriptive but concise. Avoid "image of..." prefix. Leave decorative images with alt="".
Every image needs a short description (called "alt text") that says what it shows. Helps people with visual impairments, and Google also uses it to understand your images. Keep it simple - "Team photo at charity run" is good. "Image of photo of picture showing people" is not.
Link between your pages
When you mention a topic that has its own page, link to it. This helps visitors find related information and helps Google understand how your pages relate to each other.
Internal linking distributes PageRank, establishes topical clusters, and aids crawl discovery. Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here"). Aim for a flat site architecture where important pages are reachable within 2-3 clicks from the homepage.
When you mention something that has its own page, link to it. Easy as that. Helps visitors find related stuff and helps Google understand your site structure. It's like being a good tour guide - "If you like this, you might also want to check out that." Common sense actually.
"Review this page's content for SEO. Check the heading structure, meta description, internal links, image alt text, and suggest improvements."
Competitor & Keyword Analysis
Before you start writing content or tweaking your site, it helps to know what people are actually searching for - and what your competitors are doing. AI agents can help you research this without needing expensive SEO tools.
Keyword and competitor research informs your content strategy and helps you prioritise effort. AI agents can synthesise publicly available data, analyse SERP patterns, and generate actionable keyword lists - reducing reliance on paid tools like Ahrefs or Semrush for initial discovery.
Before you go and write content or tweak your site, good to know what people actually searching for first lah. And see what your competitors doing. AI agents can help with this - no need to pay for expensive SEO tools. Free research, best kind of research.
Step-by-Step Approach
Identify Your Competitors
Think about who shows up when you search for what your organisation does. These are your SEO competitors - they might not be your direct business competitors, but they're competing for the same search results.
SEO competitors are sites ranking for your target queries, not necessarily market competitors. Identify 3-5 domains that consistently appear in SERPs for your core topics. Check their domain authority, content volume, and backlink profile if you have access to tools like Ahrefs or Moz.
Think about who shows up when you Google what your organisation does. These are your SEO competitors - might not be your actual competitors, but they're fighting for the same Google results as you. Like sharing the same food court - you sell chicken rice, they also sell chicken rice. Time to see whose chicken rice Google likes more.
Find Keyword Opportunities
Keywords are the words and phrases people type into Google. You want to find ones that are relevant to your work, searched for regularly, and not too competitive. Long, specific phrases (like "free project management tool for small charities") are often easier to rank for than short generic ones.
Focus on long-tail keywords (3+ words) with moderate search volume and low keyword difficulty. Look for informational queries (how-to, guides) where you can provide unique value. Use Google's "People also ask" and autocomplete suggestions as free discovery tools. Cluster related keywords into topic groups.
Keywords are what people type into Google. You want to find ones that are relevant to you, people actually search for, and not too competitive. Long specific phrases work better - like "free project management tool for small charities" is easier to rank for than just "project management". Niche is the way to go lah.
Analyse Competitor Content
Look at the pages that rank well for your target topics. What do they cover? How long are they? What questions do they answer? This tells you what Google considers "good content" for that topic - and where you can do better or cover something they've missed.
Perform a content gap analysis: compare your pages to the top 5-10 ranking results for target queries. Assess content depth, heading structure, featured snippet eligibility, multimedia usage, and freshness. Identify topics competitors cover that you don't, and areas where your expertise gives you an edge.
Look at the pages that rank well for your target topics. What they cover? How long are they? What questions they answer? This tells you what Google considers "good content" for that topic. Then you do better lor. Or cover something they missed. There's always a gap if you look hard enough.
Use Search Console Data
If you've already set up Google Search Console (see above), check the "Performance" tab. Look for queries where your site appears in results but doesn't get many clicks - these are opportunities to improve your page titles and descriptions to attract more visitors.
In GSC Performance, filter for queries with high impressions but low CTR (positions 5-20). These are "striking distance" keywords where targeted optimisation - improving title tags, meta descriptions, content depth, or structured data - can yield quick wins. Also look for queries you rank for unintentionally - they reveal content demand you can serve better.
If you already set up GSC (see above), check the "Performance" tab. Find searches where your site appears but not many people click. These are your opportunities - maybe your page title not catchy enough lor. Like having a good stall but bad signboard.
Build a Keyword Plan
Organise your keywords into groups based on topic. Each group should map to one page on your site. This stops you from having multiple pages competing with each other and helps you plan what content to create or improve next.
Map keyword clusters to URLs (one primary keyword + related secondaries per page). Avoid keyword cannibalisation by ensuring distinct intent per page. Prioritise by: search volume x estimated CTR x business value. Create a content calendar based on this prioritised map.
Organise keywords into groups by topic. Each group maps to one page. Don't have two pages fighting each other for the same keywords - that's like having two outlets selling the same thing next to each other. Cannibalisation, they call it. Plan properly, then execute.
Suggested Agent Prompts
"I run [describe your organisation]. Who are my likely SEO competitors? Search Google for [your main topics] and list the top 5 domains that appear most often, with a brief summary of what each site covers."
"Generate a list of 30 long-tail keyword ideas for [your topic/niche]. Group them by search intent (informational, navigational, transactional). Focus on phrases that a small organisation could realistically rank for."
"Compare my site [your URL] with [competitor URL]. What topics do they cover that I don't? What pages or content types are they using that I'm missing? Suggest 5 new content ideas based on the gaps."
"Search Google for [your main keyword]. List all the 'People also ask' questions that appear. Group them by topic and suggest which ones I should answer on my site."
"Look at my Google Search Console data. Find queries where I rank between positions 5-20 with decent impressions. For each one, suggest specific improvements to my page title, meta description, or content to push it higher."
"Take this list of keywords [paste your list] and group them into topic clusters. For each cluster, recommend one primary keyword and suggest a page title and URL slug."
"Analyse the top 10 Google results for [your target keyword]. What's the average word count, heading structure, and content format? Are there featured snippets? What would I need to create to compete?"
"Based on these keyword clusters [paste or describe them], create a 3-month content plan. Prioritise by a mix of search volume, competition level, and relevance to my organisation. Include suggested titles and target keywords for each piece."
Limitations to Be Aware Of
SEO takes time
Don't expect to see results overnight. Good SEO is a long-term investment - most changes take 3-6 months to fully impact your rankings. Consistency and quality matter more than quick fixes.
No guaranteed rankings
No one can guarantee you'll rank #1 for any search term. Google's algorithm considers hundreds of factors and your competitors are also working on their SEO. Focus on doing the fundamentals well.
Google changes the rules
Google regularly updates its ranking algorithm. What works today might change tomorrow. The safest strategy is to focus on genuinely useful content and a fast, accessible website - those principles rarely change.
Analytics needs traffic
Google Analytics is only useful once you have visitors. For a brand new site, there won't be much data at first. Focus on creating good content and the traffic (and useful analytics) will follow.
AI can't replace strategy
AI agents are excellent at implementing technical SEO changes, but they can't replace a thoughtful content strategy. Decide what your audience needs, then use AI to execute efficiently.
Privacy and consent
Google Analytics tracks visitors, which means you may need a cookie consent banner depending on your jurisdiction (especially in the EU/UK). The AI agent can help you add one if needed.
Related Resources
Build and deploy a free website with Astro + Cloudflare, then use these SEO techniques to get it found on Google.