Every marketer’s dream is to get their website rank the highest on Google search pages and to increase their website visibility. And for that, SEO is a must for every online business as it is a dynamic and fast-paced field. SEO can sometimes be stressful especially when you are using outdated trends. However, SEO has become more complex than ever as it is not only about ranking higher on Google or driving more organic traffic but also is about providing a better experience and generating good revenue. But what is SEO ? Let’s discuss the SEO basics, and how they work.
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What is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is practiced to increase both the quantity and quality of the website as well as to expand your brand awareness. SEO is much more about people than a brand or a business. It is about people’s interests and what they are searching for. People search online for answers to their questions and getting the answer to their questions will let them connect with you.
Understanding your audience’s queries is one part, and delivering the answer in a way Google Bot can find is another.
Keyword Research
Keyword research should always be the first step when it comes to SEO marketing. You want to optimize and use the most popular keywords that people search on Google. Moreover, if the most popular keywords are incorporated in your content, the chances of your website getting ranked higher on Google automatically increases.
You need to search for keywords according to monthly searches, search volume, industry, and many more. There are a few tools that can help you generate the right keywords according to your topic:
- Google Adwords Keyword Planner: This tool is by Google and probably the best choice for a beginner.
- Soovle: This free keyword research tool will help you boost search volume not only on Google but also on other search engines.
- Wordtracker Scout: This tool is s high-powered Chrome extension that will ensure the best possible results
Writing SEO Friendly Content
After generating the right keywords, the next step is to create an effective content marketing strategy. Keyword research makes this step very easy. All you need to do is include the keywords in the content strategically.
You can include long-tail keywords in your content. They do not have a lot of search volume but they are less competitive which will help your content rank higher on Google. Include the main keywords at the beginning of your webpage, ideally in the first 50-100 words. Include some of the main keywords in your title tag. Adding keywords to your images can also be very useful.
Adding tables, graphs, infographics, images, videos, podcasts, webinars, eBooks, etc. will add value to your content and Google appreciates that.
Link Building
It is the most important part of the SEO marketing strategy. Off-Page activity is an SEO practice of including hyperlinks from some other website to your own. Hyperlinks on your website help Google bots to navigate websites easier. The two main reasons to link websites on your own.
- To discover new and different web pages
- To rank higher on search engines.
Moreover, link building can help build better relationships, establish brand authenticity, and referral traffic.
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Sitemaps
Sitemaps are files that help search engines to know that the website is available for crawling. They consist of URLs and some other information about the page. There are two types of sitemaps:
- HTML Sitemaps: This file contains href tags that are linked to other pages that are useful for search engines.
- XML Sitemap: XML format is a format for distributing sitemaps. This particular format is a bit tricky to write, as it contains metadata. They do not look different from HTML sitemaps but are more complex at the core level.
Sitemaps play a very important role in SEO marketing. Once you create a sitemap you can add it to the Google Search Console and check for validity.
On-Page Search Engine Optimization
On-page search signals are the signals that are found on your website. This aspect is pretty easy to get right as it can be easily controlled. The following are the technical on-page search signals.
- Speed: Your website should load fast even with a slow internet connection
- Mobile-friendly: The content you include on your website should be effective on mobile devices too. Google favors mobile-first websites and therefore is one of the most important SEO marketing strategies.
- Code quality: The code you use to create your website should be easy to crawl for Google bots. Your code should be clear, clean, and accessible to Google in every case.
- Security (HTTPS): Your website should be a credible site.
Off-page Search Engine Optimization
The signal that is sent to Google by third-party websites is considered as off-page SEO. The signals mostly include mentions and links of your page on other people’s websites. Few other examples include:
- Inbound linking: A reliable backlinked profile is the key to successful SEO marketing.
- Social Signals: Promoting on social media platforms is marked as your content to be useful and helpful.
- Influencer marketing: When influencers promote your brand, it creates a sense of trust amongst the audience.
Conclusion
SEO is a lot more complex than you think and requires a long-term strategy. It all boils down to practicing trial and error.
Moreover, Google has been updating its algorithms frequently and it is important to stay aware of them. Always remember, SEO stands on three main pillars; understandability, credibility, and deliverability, and Google.
If you would like to know more about SEO and how it works, contact us to learn more.