What Is SEO? - An Introduction To Optimization
SEO or search engine optimization is a key part of any online business and marketing strategy. You may have heard the term in passing and while some argue that it is becoming less important as time moves on, the exact opposite is occurring. When you google something and see the pages upon pages of listings and ever wondered how that’s is ranked, then you are already thinking like an SEO engineer. In this blog we are going to go over the basics of search engine optimization in order for you to start thinking about it for your own business or personal brand.
With that said we are only scratching the surface here and over time more blogs will come out targeting specific elements of SEO. So make sure to subscribe (its free!) to get notifications when new content comes out so you can stay in the loop.
Fundamentals of SEO
If you want to get advanced already, the definition of SEO is a set of practices and strategies aimed at improving a website's visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). The primary goal of SEO is to increase organic (non-paid) traffic to a website by making it more relevant and valuable to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Ok lets slow down!
SEO, is the secret sauce for getting noticed online. Imagine it as your ticket to a prime spot on the digital highway, where your website stands out amidst the vast internet landscape. But how exactly does this magic happen?
In straightforward terms, SEO is your backstage pass to impress Google and other search engines. Picture this: behind the scenes, there are these digital creatures called crawlers. They're like supercharged bots that tirelessly roam the web, soaking in information from every nook and cranny. Their mission? To report back to their overlords (search engines) about what they've found.
When these crawlers visit your website, they don't just take a quick glance. They analyze everything – the words, the images, the code, even the reputation – to understand what your site is all about. It may seem daunting that everything is put under the investigation glass so to say, but there are a few places you can start to optimize that hold high impact and are the most digestible. Lets go over a few.
Areas Of Impact -
Keyword Research: Keywords are simply the words or phrases that are entered into Google (or other search engines) that translate into content. So when someone is searching ‘pizza near me’ pizza is a keyword that will help determine the results, and ‘near me’ is telling the search engine that the results should be near the searcher. This is called a search query. So for example, when deciding on a blog topic it is common practice to use tool such as Google Trends to see what people are searching and capitalize on it. Though, if your more serious about your SEO you can use specialized tools like Ubersuggest or Semrush. But be aware that more in-depth tools like the ones mentioned come with a hefty price tag over time.
On-Page SEO: On-page SEO refers to ways that SEO can be optimized on the page itself. For example, when you are constructing your titles for each section. H1, H2, and H3 function differently! This is all about optimizing your written content and making sure you write something that people are actively interested in. Further, you want to make sure your content informs and answers the searchers question quickly in an engaging manner.
Off-Page SEO: Off-Page refers to things that happen outside of your site. Like when someone backlinks to you when referring to some content you wrote in the past. Simply put, its activities done off site in an effort to increase your ranking.
Technical SEO: This is a little more complex so Let’s keep it brief. This is stuff like site loading speed, site structure/site maps, and more. Its harder to nail this down unless you are keen to get into the nitty gritty. But keep an eye open for future blogs on the topic.
These are just some areas of importance out of the many roads you can take. But out of all the options you have these are the simplest with the highest impact, but now lets talk basic strategy.
Practical SEO Strategies for Beginners
Keyword Research Strategy: As alluded to previously all SEO planning should begin with keyword research. It is critical to know what is being searched for and how your targeted keywords are performing. It can save you a lot of time if you see that what you are targeting is simply not gaining a lot of searches, then you can pivot to something else. As a beginner in the world of SEO it should be a priority to learn some basic keyword tools as the ones listed above. Doing so will make your planning a whole lot simpler.
Once you have a keyword in sight and your ready to start building written content around it make sure you put it in your title. This is because the page title is one of the most important elements of any page. It’s what will appear in the search engine results page, also called SERPs, and its the first thing your potential customers or readers will interact with.
Quality and Relevance: Then Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content that answers users' queries or provides useful information. Search engines prioritize content that satisfies user intent. Ensure your content is comprehensive, well-researched, and relevant to your target audience.
Internal Linking: Link relevant pages within your website to each other. This helps search engines understand the hierarchy and relationships between different pages on your site. It also keeps users engaged by directing them to related content. For example, in the future there will very likely be more blogs about specific parts of SEO as its a wide topic to cover. These blogs will act as interconnected nodes, all linking back to this foundational piece. As these interconnected blogs grow, they will seamlessly reference and link to each other, creating a robust network for readers to explore. This interconnected structure forms a content hierarchy, allowing readers to effortlessly navigate through different sections. Each blog can be approached independently, offering readers the freedom to choose and delve into specific areas of interest. This offering a dynamic way to be introduced into each section.
Once again these are just some tips to guide you along in the right direction. But SEO does not have a one size fits all solution, finding what works best for you and expanding on that will be your road to success.
Conclusion
As search engine optimization grows in importance it is a great idea to consider this as a growth option for your digital brand. Even if your building yourself up and not a product. A lot of people skip out of this valuable option opening up new opportunities for you to sneak in and gain valuable spots in SERPs. Hopefully this helps you along the way and again feel free to subscribe and keep an eye out for more SEO content.
