SEO Basics: A Beginner’s Guide to SEO

What is SEO?

SEO is the process of making your website content more visible when users look for a relevant keyword on the search engines. In other words, Search Engine Optimization is all about making your online content more engaging in a search engine such as Google. For instance, if your website has an article about building a website from scratch, you would want search engines to rank it at the top result page when users search for this keyword. In short, SEO is about creating the right website for the right audience.

Categories of SEO

We can divide SEO strategy into two different groups, namely, off-page and on-page SEO. Although they are entirely different from each other, both are necessary if you want to have a successful SEO campaign. Both aim at increasing your website visibility on the search result page. However, the difference is that the former refers to the actions undertaken outside of your website, while the latter deals with optimization carried out within your control.    

When it comes to on-page SEO, there are several technical facets that you can optimize on your website. Some of them include title tags, URL structure, headings, Meta descriptions, alternative text for images, and internal links.

Why Do You Need To Rank High In Search Engines?

Ranking high on search engines can be the deciding factor between flourishing or bankrupting businesses. The average figure of people using Google per day is approximately 5.6 billion. It means the search conducted every second is over 63,000. Further studies have concluded that 67 percent of users usually click on the first five results.

Now, you might be quite clear why it is crucial to rank high on the search engines. When your website does not rank well on the search result page, you will miss out on thousands of potential prospects or clients. If you want to increase sales and expand your business, then it is essential to practice proper SEO, which will help your website to rank higher in the search result page.

Crucial Elements of SEO

Following are some of the essential elements of SEO for your website:

Keywords:

One of the essential elements of SEO is the keywords, which you should carefully research and use them in your website content. But what exactly are keywords when it comes to SEO? These are words or phrases that users use when searching for a particular product or service on a search engine.

When researching keywords, it is fundamental to search for keywords with lower competition and high search rates. You should also give importance to long-tail keywords (like Frenchie for sale), short-tail keywords (like cats), and local keywords (like Frenchie for sale in Melbourne). Besides, you can use the identified keywords for optimizing on-page SEO elements such as title tags, heading, and URLs.

Content

Another vital element of SEO is the content through which you can reach and engage your audience. For example, if you are selling gas grills and want to enhance your search result visibility, you should consider publishing content about how to choose the right gas grill, its benefits, how to use it, and other related aspects. When potential prospects look-up for this particular information, they will find you easily, thereby enhancing your credibility. These are the people who will purchase your products or services.

Nowadays, your website content must be not only educational but also engaging, relevant, and shareable. You should also note that content comes in several forms, including blogs, web page content, local listings, videos, and social media posts.

Local SEO

With the introduction of Smartphones, local SEO has become a popular digital marketing strategy. It focuses on increasing your business visibility when potential customers near your location search for a similar product or service. In simple terms, it aims at gaining more customers within a particular location, such as a specific town or city.

Some best practices of local SEO include using local keywords, claiming directory listings, and generating pages for your business on Google Maps, and so on.

Visibility and Rankings:

As mentioned, SEO helps increase your website visibility, which means ranking higher in the search engine result page. This way, your potential prospects will easily find you when searching for a similar product or service that you offer.

Web Traffic

When your website ranks high on the search results, it will automatically increase web traffic. Studies have revealed that 75 percent of all clicks go to the first five listings, while the first ranking page gets around 33 percent of clicks.

Create a Better User Experience

When you optimize your website, it enhances your site’s usability, thereby creating a positive visitor experience. For instance, users will be able to visit your site through their laptop or mobile when you make your site responsive. Equally, by increasing the load speed, you can encourage users to stay on your website for a more extended period. Remember that many customers want a website that loads within seconds.

Conclusion

To sum up, SEO can be a complicated undertaking as it involves various tactics and techniques. You should also note that SEO practices keep on developing as new technologies emerge and with the change in search engine algorithms. Nonetheless, SEO is the best digital marketing strategy for business owners who want to increase their online visibility.

The ultimate reason why SEO is critical relates to the fact that it helps you accomplish your business goals. It allows you to build better relationships with your visitors, thereby attracting more prospects. This process will help you to flourish your business by increasing conversions.

These are some of the essential aspects of SEO and are by no means an exhaustive list. We believe that this guide has helped you in understanding the basics of practicing SEO for your website.