London Web Factory

SEO Articles

Practical notes on SEO.

Best Practices for Creating XML Sitemaps

An XML sitemap helps search engines discover, crawl and index your website. But a good sitemap should do more than simply list every URL found. Images, videos, redirects, duplicate and non-indexable pages must be handled correctly, while larger sites need careful sitemap structure. This guide explains best practices for creating accurate, search-engine-friendly XML sitemaps.

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AI & The Future of Search: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

Search is changing. People can now receive detailed answers directly from AI systems as well as discovering information through traditional search results. In this module, you will learn how AI Overviews, AI search engines and other emerging technologies are changing the way information is discovered online. We also look at what this means for SEO, content creation and the way businesses can improve their visibility in both traditional and AI-powered search.

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SEO Analytics & Reporting: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

SEO produces a huge amount of data, but collecting data isn't the same as understanding performance. In this module, you will learn how to use Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to measure organic visibility, traffic, leads and sales. We also look at how to turn that information into useful reports that help you understand what's working, what isn't and where to concentrate your SEO efforts next.

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Local SEO: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

Local SEO helps businesses appear when people search for products and services within a particular geographical area. In this module, you will learn how Google determines which businesses appear in local search results, Google Maps and the local pack. We look at Google Business Profiles, reviews, citations, location pages and the other signals that can influence local visibility.

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Technical SEO: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

Technical SEO ensures that search engines can efficiently access, crawl, render and index your website. Although technical SEO can initially sound complicated, you don't need to be a web developer to understand the fundamentals. Many of the technical features we cover are already built into modern websites and content management systems. The important thing is understanding what they do, why they matter and how to check that they are working correctly.

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Link Building & Authority: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

Creating excellent content is only part of SEO. Search engines also need signals that indicate whether a website is established, trusted and authoritative. In this module, you will learn how backlinks, brand mentions, digital PR, citations and other external signals can contribute to a website's authority. We also look at how to build authority legitimately and why manipulative link-building techniques can do more harm than good.

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Site Optimisation: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

Optimising individual pages is important, but those pages also need to form part of a logical, well-organised website. Site optimisation is about deciding what content your website needs, where it should sit and how individual pages should be connected. On our SEO training course, you will learn how to plan effective website structures that help users, search engines and AI systems understand your content and the relationships between different pages.

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SEO & AI Basics: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

Search Engine Optimisation has changed considerably in recent years. Traditional search engines such as Google remain hugely important, but websites now also need to be understood by AI systems and Large Language Models (LLMs). This module provides the foundations for everything that follows. You will learn how search engines and LLMs discover, process and understand web content, what influences visibility and rankings, and how these principles come together to form a modern SEO strategy.

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Page Optimisation: What You Will Learn and Why It Matters

Page optimisation is a fundamental part of SEO. It involves optimising individual web pages so that search engines, AI systems and users can clearly understand their purpose and content. On our SEO training course, you'll learn how to optimise page titles, headings, content, images and internal links — and, most importantly, understand why each element matters.

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