Ja, einen grossen Teil der SEO kann ein Unternehmer selbst machen: das Google Unternehmensprofil, Seitentitel und Beschreibungen, die Inhalte der Leistungsseiten, den Blog und das Lesen der Search Console. Besser delegieren sollten Sie Technik wie Ladezeit, Weiterleitungen und strukturierte Daten, Website-Umzüge und alles rund um Links von anderen Websites. Die nötigen Werkzeuge sind kostenlos: Search Console, PageSpeed Insights und die Google-Suche selbst. Rechnen Sie mit zwei bis drei Stunden pro Woche in den ersten drei Monaten, danach mit etwa einer.
Die ehrliche Antwort auf «Kann ich SEO selber machen?» lautet: einen grossen Teil ja, einen kleinen Teil besser nicht. Das Problem ist, dass Agenturen beides gern vermischen, und Ratgeber im Netz so tun, als sei alles ein Nachmittag Arbeit. Diese Seite trennt die beiden Teile, nennt die kostenlosen Werkzeuge, die dafür reichen, und gibt ein realistisches Zeitbudget. Die zehn wichtigsten Massnahmen im Überblick finden Sie unter SEO für KMU; hier geht es darum, wer sie erledigt.
Was Sie selbst machen können
| Task | Warum selbst | Werkzeug | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Unternehmensprofil pflegen | Nur Sie kennen Leistungen, Öffnungszeiten, Fotos | Google Business Profile | 2 Stunden, dann 15 Minuten pro Woche |
| Seitentitel und Meta-Description schreiben | Es geht um Ihre Worte für Ihre Kundschaft | Das CMS Ihrer Website | 20 Minuten pro Seite |
| Leistungsseiten mit Inhalt füllen | Niemand kennt die Kundenfragen besser | CMS, Notizen aus Kundengesprächen | Halber Tag pro Seite |
| Blogbeiträge zu Kundenfragen | Die Fragen kommen aus Ihrem Betrieb | CMS oder ein Blogsystem | 1 bis 3 Stunden pro Beitrag oder Minuten für die Freigabe |
| Search Console lesen | Die Daten sagen, wonach Ihre Kunden suchen | Search Console | 30 Minuten pro Monat |
| Bewertungen einholen und beantworten | Persönliche Ansprache wirkt | Google Business Profile | 15 minutes a week |
| Firmenangaben vereinheitlichen | Adresse und Telefon prüfen kann jeder | Suche nach dem eigenen Firmennamen | 2 Stunden einmalig |
Gemeinsam ist diesen Aufgaben: Sie brauchen Wissen über Ihr Geschäft, nicht über Technik. Eine Agentur müsste dieses Wissen erst bei Ihnen abholen, und das kostet beide Seiten Zeit.
Was Sie besser abgeben
| Task | Warum delegieren | An wen |
|---|---|---|
| Ladezeit verbessern, wenn es nicht an Bildern liegt | Braucht Zugriff auf Server, Code und Plugins | Web agency or developer |
| Redirects when moving or relaunching | One mistake costs years of visibility | Web agency, with checklist |
| Structured data (Schema.org) | Code in the source, errors go unnoticed | Web agency or a CMS that has it built in |
| Fix Search Console error messages | The messages are worded technically | Web agency, by the hour |
| Build links from other websites | Time consuming, risk with purchased links | Better none than wrong; if at all, then through genuine partnerships |
| Set up a multilingual website correctly | hreflang and structure are prone to errors | Web agency |
Google itself states in its documentation «Do I need an SEO?» that a specialist is mainly worthwhile for a relaunch or a new website, and at the same time warns against providers that guarantee rankings. This matches this list: the technical side of a rebuild is the moment for help, not day to day work.
Free tools that are enough
- Search Console. Shows which search queries your website appears for, at what position and with how many clicks. The most important tool, and it's free. Set up in an hour, instructions at Setting up Search Console.
- PageSpeed Insights. Measures loading time on mobile and names the causes. What the figures mean is explained in Core Web Vitals for SMEs.
- Google Search. Autocomplete shows what people type. The «People also ask» box provides blog topics. Searching for «site:your-domain.ch» shows which pages Google knows.
- Google Business Profile. Statistics on views, calls and direction requests directly in the profile.
- Keyword Planner. Part of Google Ads; without an active campaign it only shows search volume as ranges. That's enough to compare two terms.
Paid tools come later, if at all. In the first six months, most business owners spend more time with the tool than with the website.
Time budget: a weekly plan
Example for the first three months, two to three hours per week:
- Monday, 30 minutes: Search Console. Which search queries are new? Which page has impressions but no clicks? That's the title you improve this week.
- Wednesday, 60 to 90 minutes: Content. Revise a service page or write and approve a blog post.
- Friday, 30 minutes: Business profile. Upload a photo, ask two customers for a review, reply to new reviews.
From the fourth month, the one-off tasks are done. What's left is around one hour a week, most of it for the blog.
An example: a painting business with eight employees
The owner takes on the business profile, page titles and the texts for four service pages: interior painting, facades, wallpapering, plastering. This takes three weeks, two evenings each. The agency that built the website gets a one-off job: check loading time on mobile, switch over images, fix Search Console errors. He hands off the blog, because he doesn't have the time for three hours of writing a week; he supplies the topics from customer conversations, keeping approval for himself. Result after one quarter: everything that needs knowledge of the business, he did himself; everything that needs technical skill cost one hour of agency time.
Doing it yourself doesn't mean doing it alone
The biggest time block in doing your own SEO is the writing. If you hand that off without handing off the decisions, you're still doing it yourself: you choose the topics, tone and services, someone else puts them into words. That can be a copywriter or a system like BlogPilot, which plans topics from search queries and presents posts for approval. What agencies charge for which service and when it's worth it is explained on the page What does SEO cost in Switzerland?.
Frequently asked questions
What prior knowledge do I need to do SEO myself?
No technical knowledge. You need to be able to change titles, texts and images in your website's CMS, and be willing to check a statistic once a month. Everything else on this page classed as «yourself» is learned in the first week by doing it.
How do I notice I've hit a limit?
If a task still isn't clear after two hours of searching online, it can be delegated. Typical examples are error messages in Search Console, loading time problems not caused by images, and anything that needs code in the source. An hour of agency time is then cheaper than a lost Saturday.
Is a paid SEO tool worth it?
Rarely in the first six months. Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and Google Search show everything you need for your own measures. Paid tools are worth it if you want to systematically monitor competitors or manage many pages.
What does it cost if I hire an agency instead?
That depends heavily on the scope, from a one-off technical check to ongoing monthly support. There are no public pricing statistics, so only quotes for a clearly defined project will help. The answer page on SEO costs in Switzerland breaks down the different models.