Ever felt lost in the digital marketing world? Maybe you are a business owner and you’re wondering how to get your website to show up when people search online. You can always leave it to the experts at SEO Locale to help with your national SEO or local SEO. This guide breaks down how to do basic SEO, making it simple for anyone to get started and that is truly what matters when it comes to how to do basic SEO.
SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, helps your site appear higher in search results. But thinking that “more traffic” should be the main goal is like saying you want more sand at the beach – its already everywhere. Targeted traffic helps you connect with people already looking for what you offer.
What Exactly Is SEO?
SEO is all about making your website more visible on search engines like Google. It is about understanding what potential customers are looking for. When done correctly, this results in people finding your site through search results for keywords that you have provided in your website pages and content.
Most people click on the first few search results, and those who get the most clicks for their keyword show up near the top. The goal is consistent and passive search traffic. SEO, so we think that is important when talking about top level domains, helps demonstrate that you should rank well,
Why SEO Matters For Your Business
If people are searching for your products or services, ranking high can attract customers. This process, requires effort because you will have other business competing for top spots in the search results too. Because most people tend to only click on the first few results of a Google search, its is helpful to have good content that is relevant to search.
The best part about having well-written, properly set up pages of content? Free consistent traffic from a Google search. This kind of free, targeted traffic has high value and will not only benefit your customers, but your website.
The Core Elements of How To Do Basic SEO
There are five critical pieces for building an effective SEO setup. You will need these to rank higher on search engines. They go hand-in-hand.
These essential elements of basic SEO include:
- Keyword Research.
- Content Creation.
- On-Page Optimization.
- Link Building.
- Technical SEO.
These aspects should all have to do with answering users query. Lets go through some steps of creating a page optimized with your main topic and some semantically related keywords.
Keyword Research: Knowing What People Search For
What are the main ideas that people naturally think about when they relate it to what you are offering. Once you have that down on paper (digital or analog) try putting that keyword into google to see what else people search for.
When starting out, its useful to try to get on the first page of Google’s results on terms that dont have a lot of volume yet, but still pertain to you and your business. Finding more specific words that show the true intent, helps your business get clicks to pages and helps establish your content in search engines.
The first part of keyword research involves discovering what people search for. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or SEMrush, or head straight to the source on Google.
Creating Content People Want
Content is king, as they say. The core of creating valuable content will include; making sure you do not have spelling errors and use the right keywords.
But beyond the obvious, what is good content really all about? Truly effective content gets right to the intent a person looking for when they search for a certain phrase on Google.
Your goal is for the content that is helpful, interesting, informative, or something fresh. Backlinko did a study, which showed that having about 2,000 words in a post can help you do well in a google search. Use images when relevant, too.
Optimizing Content On Your Pages
You must ensure each of your pages are using different variations of your chosen phrase. Remember to utilize each different HTML header.
Your page’s title tag should only include the main topic of your content, but the related keywords can still be naturally found on your page as well. If your topic is more detailed and layered, you might want to add pages under it and build it out as needed.
Keep it straightforward, simple, and easy to use for search engines and for the users. Once your users arrive at your content page, you can use elements such as: tables and images, and even provide a place to contact you or ask questions.
Using your selected words effectively involves:
- Placing keywords in your title tags.
- Putting the words in your page title.
- Also using keywords in your page URLs.
- Keywords are relevant to use in your headers.
- Keep the key words as a focus, without sounding too obvious, inside your content text.
Building Links From Reputable Sources
Getting reputable websites to include links from your page has to do with proving your worth and the trustworthyness to a visitor as well as search engines. For new or newish business’ and websites its important to link back to well-know, trusted websites too.
There are various effective, simple, safe ways to build links back to your site. If your product is connected with another in the industry, link them from within the pages on your website to theirs, if the partnership or usage has been recognized and approved. These will become links.
If there are businesses or sites your website is connected to and you think users could benefit from seeing each others content, then reach out. This creates connection, trust, relevance, and credibility.
Technical Aspects Of Setting Up A Page Or Site Properly For SEO
A good and useful website is something that has ease-of-use from multiple aspects and multiple devices. Being easy to get around, especially for someone new who is just finding you on a google search. It must be quick and simple to figure out how to use the pages within your website or its likely people might give up too easily and that might impact the user experience.
This includes getting some basics right like an easy navigation bar and the ability to quickly view relevant information and also providing quick access to get questions answered. Setting a sitemap correctly is part of setting things up, but a website must also show proper care for having a working and quick speed.
Having content for the whole process a visitor might go through with your business online shows how well you are at thinking like your users do and answering them with solutions for problems they are thinking. Its about the whole online digital experience.
Tips for Improving Your Website’s SEO
For search engines to trust you, you want a clear, secure website, set up with SEO best practices. People need to easily find what they’re searching for, and the easier the website is to get to and interact with, the more appealing for users as well as for search engines to find. This creates a better experience.
First create a plan to organize all the data we have and then move forward with your content.
Lets see a possible game plan in an HTML table:
| Week | To-do list |
|---|---|
| 1. Keyword research and finding out intent. | Create a content plan, mapping and laying the words chosen on each new and old page on your website |
| 2. Content, linking, and set-up plan | Edit or add, based on the information already organized for content pages; with new copy, linking out. |
| 3. Content Editing and optimization | Look at things more from user’s perspective; edit the content, linking, layout to get to “complete,” |
| 4. Technical things, like set up of search visibility | Look over analytics with an “everything’s-finished, no-going-back” attitude to make final choices, including speed, search settings, analytics tracking etc., and publishing settings |
This kind of data should give you a helpful plan. Always double-check how search engines view a site and do some tweaking to what helps for an even better user experience.
Easy SEO Basics For Website Experience
Start by asking yourself if users like visiting your website. Would someone spend quality time on your website to find content to a main topic or search and find information they would naturally need? Can a website visitor move around seamlessly and with purpose to quickly use various pages, contact your business if need-be, make comments or do other easy interactions as well.
Google uses HTTPS protocol, started in 2014. Using the more up-to-date versions of your technology stack is safer for people.
Your website must work properly on mobile, not just a desktop computer, since there are more mobile users using search. Make sure to use readable font sizes and try basic image editing, to crop images correctly. When providing basic elements such as this, visitors like using your pages on the internet.
The design should be visually appealing. Try doing this on mobile and a computer to confirm, even checking between various different versions of both mobile and desktop interfaces and sizes.
Using things correctly creates an even more professional overall look. Your user gets an efficient feel because pages are set-up in the correct style for search engines too.
Tips on Your Pages URLs
Having a clear way to navigate on a site and finding pages within is very valuable. Many of these things make it so its simple for Google and visitors to your site to quickly see what your site is doing and its really all about simplicity and relevance to what a visitor hopes to accomplish when they search and visit you.
Consider structuring your page address system in this format: *website.com/topic-name/*. Avoid using strange characters or strings of numbers.
Keep the structure logical and don’t use filler-words that wont convey context to search engines or readers. URLs tell users and search engines exactly what they should expect to see on a certain page. They do so quickly too.
Understanding User Search Needs
This whole process is always about keeping the users top-of-mind. From the content writing, linking, images, speed, to technical set up. Its always and only truly about what the person using and typing in on Google wants.
You have to put the user first, even before creating value, trust, content or your actual brand. Think of yourself as an assistant in their digital path, rather than someone in the lead trying to drag them to do what you hope.
This might seem obvious, but often people can make an about-us, which could give the impression of an “about me,” instead of “what I offer that provides solution to the thing users are looking to have answered. Always stay on your user’s intent with SEO.
Conclusion
Search engine optimization might seem very overwhelming at first. When doing basic website builds its useful to include simple set ups for on-page basics like keyword optimized title tags, correct content set up that addresses users queries, technical elements and a proper way for building a base to your credibility with links. Doing it consistently from the get-go makes sure it’s manageable.
Following this plan makes SEO very simple. It is an achievable element of business in modern times to reach potential users looking for you on Google, with the best practice set in place on how to do basic SEO. Hiring a SEO company to handle more than the basics is ideal so you can continue to expand your digital marketing, give us a call when you are ready.
