What is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of making your website easier for Google and other search engines to find, understand, and rank. Good SEO means more visitors finding you organically — without paid ads.
The Three Basics You Control
1. Page Titles
The title of your article becomes the page title in search results. It's the first thing people see.
- Keep titles under 60 characters so they don't get cut off in search results.
- Include your main keyword naturally — e.g., "Affordable Web Design for Nonprofits" instead of just "Our Services".
- Make titles descriptive and specific.
2. Meta Descriptions
The meta description appears below the title in search results. It's your elevator pitch.
- In the article editor, go to the Publishing tab.
- Fill in the Meta Description field.
- Keep it under 160 characters.
- Summarize what the page is about and include a call to action.
3. URL Aliases
The alias determines your page's URL. For example, an article titled "Our Team" with alias our-team creates the URL yourdomain.com/our-team.
- Joomla generates aliases automatically, but you can edit them.
- Use lowercase words separated by hyphens:
web-design-services. - Keep URLs short and descriptive.
- Avoid changing URLs for published pages — it breaks existing links and search rankings.
Additional SEO Tips
- Use headings properly — H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections. Search engines use these to understand your content structure.
- Add alt text to images — Describe what the image shows in a few words.
- Link to other pages on your site — Internal links help search engines discover and rank your content.
- Write for humans first — Natural, helpful content always outperforms keyword-stuffed text.