SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the set of techniques that help your website appear in Google's top results without paying for ads. It's one of the most profitable investments over time: a well-ranked article generates traffic for years.
In Normandy, SEO competition is less intense than in major cities, which means it's possible to reach the first page of Google for local queries with a strategy that's serious but genuinely achievable.
SEO rests on three pillars
Before getting into the details, it's important to understand that Google evaluates your site across three dimensions: technical health, content, and authority.
Technical health covers your site's technical soundness: load speed, indexability, URL structure, SSL certificate, mobile compatibility. A technically broken site will never rank well, even with excellent content.
Content covers the relevance and quality of what you publish. Google aims to give users the most complete, most reliable answer to their query. Your content needs to precisely match your audience's search intent.
Authority covers your site's reputation in Google's eyes, measured mainly by the number and quality of external links (backlinks) pointing to your site. The more recognized sites talk about you, the more Google trusts you.