Starting out in SEO can be a daunting prospect, which is why there are SEO techniques which have to be learned in order to capture strong rankings. To do this a business must have at least a fundamental understanding of search engine optimisation, which involves a commitment to continuously developing the practice.
The basics of SEO aren’t difficult to master and can provide a solid start which a company can build upon. It’s a long process to become experienced with SEO, and the practice is always changing, but at its core there remains a structure which hasn’t deviated over the years.
In this guide, Soap will take you through the SEO techniques which can set your campaign off to a smooth start towards Google recognition and organic traffic.
SEO For Beginners
As long as you put quality time and effort into your SEO endeavours, there’s no reason to fear the world of SERPs, page rankings, and Google algorithm updates.
SEO isn’t the enemy, but you do need to watch out to follow recognised techniques in order to avoid a Google penalty. Incurring one of these would effectively crash your business before you’ve even begun your journey, so street clear of spammy Black Hat SEO tactics.
Embrace White Hat SEO and put quality time into building something Google will recognise as helpful to the internet. You’re in this for the long-haul and the result will be a rise up search engine results pages (SERPs).
Keywords & Keyword Research
Keywords are what bring internet users to your website. If you’re selling shoes, you’ll want to have “shoes” placed effectively in your content, including your title tags and meta descriptions (see below).
However, you’ll also want to research how your market searches for shoes. This is where keyword research comes in – free tools like Google AdWords help you search for the right keywords for you, which will greatly influence how you structure your site’s content.
Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
These are vital to your site and shouldn’t be underestimated. Title tags make you stand out in SERPs and appeal to your audience, whilst meta descriptions take this a step further and simultaneously endear the content to Google’s algorithms. Ultimately, without these two, your content isn’t optimised and faces the risk of disappearing into the mass of online information.
Competitor & Market Research
Understanding your competitor’s SEO approach can help you structure your campaign and fit you neatly into your market. Similarly, understanding your audience and their searching habits is the ideal way to attract the audience you want. There are many free tools you can use (such as the aforementioned AdWords), which you can use to understand how you can fit into your market. Take full advantage of them – knowing what works in your niche can do wonders for your traffic.
Make Your Content King
Now you’re armed with the best keywords for your business, you can structure your site’s content to draw in your target audience. “Content is King” is one of the most popular, overused pieces of industry jargon, but content really is vital to your efforts.
Apply, and monitor, the keywords to your site’s content, and invest some time into an official blog and social media accounts. These can help build your authority and online presence, as well as gifting you with the opportunity to develop unique, quality content on your site. This can then be disseminated across the internet with social media tools, furthering your online standing.
Try Blogger Outreach
Receiving quality links from reputable, relevant online websites is an ideal way to take your SEO in a strong direction. Building your authority with strong articles to connect you with a wider audience, as well as develop your links on quality websites – Google’s algorithms crawl this and determine your input to the online world to be a positive one. The result greatly benefits you.
Understand Basic Coding
You don’t need a university degree or professional status to get to grips with code. Whilst professionals can work wonders with their expert knowledge, a simple understanding of the basics can help anyone go a long way.
Study the essential aspects of HTML and CSS so you can implement SEO features which will add quality to your site. You could take things further and possibly have a look at JavaScript. Understanding the basics of code helps you manipulate your situation and become confident in spotting areas of improvement.
Be Patient
SEO is a finely tuned art and it takes time for results to come in. Mistakes can happen along the way, and it’s important you learn from these. However, with the above practices in place organic traffic will come in your direction. There is no overnight solution, only good quality hard work and a dedication to analytics.
Get Involved With The Community
Whilst you’re waiting for your hard way to pay off in the SERPs, getting involved in the highly active SEO community is a great way to further your skills. You can do this online or by heading out to the many conferences and venues which take place regularly across the world. Connect with SEO newcomers and experts, develop rapport, and learn more great advice along the way.
