What is SEO ? Everything a Beginners should know . The term “Search Engine Optimization” literally means web site marketing that focuses on making your website easier for search engines like Google to find. SEO encompasses techniques aimed at improving how content-rich pages rank in organic search results. The goal of SEO is to optimize your site for maximum visibility in search engines like Google
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a method that helps your website appear higher on search engines like Google, Bing, etc. SEO is the practice of optimizing the content, design, and functionality of your site to make it easier for people to find it online. There are many different aspects to SEO, but the two primary types of SEO are On-page and Off-page SEO. On-Page SEO includes the technical aspects of the page that’s being optimized. Off-Page SEO includes things outside of your control.
So what does this mean? Well, let’s say I have a blog about how to choose the best backpack. Now, if my goal was to rank for “backpack”, then I would need to focus on Off Page SEO. However, if my goal is to rank for “choosing the best backpack”, then I need to concentrate on On Page SEO.
How Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Works?
Search engines are free, automated programs that crawl across websites looking for content such as your blog posts, images and videos. They index these web pages in order to create a digital catalog that can be searched later.
When someone searches for something specific online
- They type keywords into a search box.
- These keywords match what’s on the page.
- If the website has been optimized for SEO, the search engine will then display links to those pages that have been optimized.
This way the right people find your website.
Well, first of all, SEO is not just about getting better rankings; in fact, these days, a lot of people think that is the only thing that matters. This is where they get into trouble. When they optimize their content, they should keep in mind that the objective of SEO isn’t to drive more traffic or increase conversions it’s to provide visitors with good information.
If they want to earn money from their website, they need to build trust and authority with their readers. This means providing them with good content that gives them value.
Why we need SEO ?
The answer to this question can vary from industry to industry but one thing is certain that the online world is moving at an unprecedented speed and if your business isn’t present online then it would definitely have a hard time competing against its competitors.
In simple terms, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of maximizing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website via search engines like Google and Bing. When people are looking for products or services on search engines, they type keywords into their browser search bar.
But, how do these keywords get ranked on SERPs ( Search Engine Results Page ) and what are the factors of high rankings?
These questions are best answered through the following steps involved in optimizing your website.
1. It’s free. If you do nothing at all for SEO, you should expect to spend around $0 per month and not get any results. You’re better off paying a few hundred dollars and using a reputable platform like HubSpot than doing nothing at all.
2. You’re almost guaranteed to improve rankings if you use SEO. No site is completely useless, even if it doesn’t have much traffic. You can still optimize it enough to show up high in searches, making it easier for people who are searching for your product / service.
3. You can scale it at your own pace. You don’t have to start with hundreds of thousands of visitors right out of the gate. Most platforms offer free trials. Spend some time learning about SEO and how it works. Then, once you’re ready, upgrade to paid plans. That way, you’ll only pay for what you use.
4. You can find a lot of information online. There is an amazing amount of material out there for anyone looking to learn more about SEO. Search engines themselves post articles explaining how they work and give tips on improving your ranking.
5. You can create content easily. Content is king, especially when it comes to SEO. Make sure your website has good quality content to draw in visitors. Once you have a large following, you can hire writers to create content for you.
How to improve SEO ?
It is very much important to improve the and to get rank in Google . Here are some important Points that you need to remember in order to improve the SEO:-
- Content
Content is king. If your site has no content (text) then it won’t do well at all — plain and simple. The best way to optimize your website’s SEO is not only have a good domain name or URL but also have content that people want to read. Having great content will help drive traffic, leads, and sales.
2. Links
Inbound links are extremely important to how high your page rank will be and how many other sites link back to yours. Most search engines like Google look at backlinks as a factor of importance in determining the relevance of your site. The more relevant other websites refer to your site, the better off you’ll be. To get these links, make sure that the content on your site is useful and contains valuable information others would want to share. The easiest way to get links is through guest posting. You can post a blog article on related and popular websites and ask them if they’d like to add a link back to your site. This is a win-win situation because the author gets to publish their own content, plus they get to give you some free publicity.
3. Optimizing Your Domain Name
It’s always best to create your own domain name if possible. This way, you can include whatever keywords you want without having to worry about other people stealing them. When it comes to buying a domain name through Google, though, make sure that it’s not already taken. You might find that your dream keyword turns into a cybersquatter once you purchase it!
4. Using Keywords in Title Tags & H1 Headings
Your title tags are what show up in the title bar when someone opens up a website. Make sure that they are focused on your chosen topic and contain relevant keywords. Similarly, you should use your H1 heading tag (the first paragraph) to provide information and emphasis on your content.
5. Optimize Images
Images are incredibly powerful on their own. But, if they aren’t optimized correctly, they won’t rank well in searches. If you’re using WordPress for your site, use the featured images feature to automatically generate thumbnails of each image you upload. Then, look at those thumbnails and optimize them according to certain parameters. Keep file names relevant. For example, if you are uploading a picture of a flower then name the image something like “flower-5.jpg.” Also, make sure that the alt tag is descriptive of what the image shows.
6. Use Google analytics
Use google analytics and create a dashboard that shows website visitors, their activity on your site, and what people are doing once they arrive at your site. You can also view how many pageviews each day. This will give you insight into who visits your site and how often.
7. Consider adding social media buttons
Doing this allows you to share your content on sites like Twitter and Facebook. This gives you even more opportunities to promote your brand and reach a wider audience.
8. Use Keywords
Keyword research should be your first step in Google SEO strategy. There are many tools that can help you find what terms people enter into search engines. This data can give you insight into how people think about your company, your brand, and your services. You’ll want to identify what words your audience uses to search online, and then incorporate those keywords into your content.
9. Optimize Your Title
Make sure you use relevant keywords in your title tag. When writing titles, keep in mind that they’re only seen if someone clicks on your link from a search results page. So make sure your headlines include some of these searched-for terms. If you have the opportunity, check out a few pages that rank well for the term that you’d like to optimize; this will let you know what kind of title resonates best with users.
10. Optimize Your Description Tag
Your description tag is shown below your post or article on social media sites like Facebook. This snippet of text shows up within a user’s newsfeed; therefore, it’s one of the most likely places for you to catch a person’s attention. Make sure this area contains relevant information related to both your product and service. Don’t fill this section with fluff — instead, focus on providing potential customers with useful information.
11. Build a Content Strategy
If you have done all of these things correctly and you still don’t rank high enough, then it’s time to build a good strategy to help boost rankings and gain traffic. This needs to include keywords but also includes other strategies like building links or using social media.
- Do not underestimate link building. You can do this by getting links from other websites. For example if you are writing content on how to design websites then you can get backlinks through articles that help people to learn about design. If your product is related to web hosting then you can get back links from blogs that offer services on web hosting, or just simply get links from forums that provide web host services.
- Use long tail keywords. This way your website will get ranked higher. Long tail keywords have less competition than short keywords and they are more targeted to the specific audience. So if you want to rank high for a term like “best webhost” then make sure that you target your site at only those who need a web hosting service.
Have multiple pages, these will increase traffic. Having multiple pages means that each page has useful information, instead of having one big page full of useless text.
12. Technical Stuff
On top of having fresh, useful content, having strong design elements in place and using clean coding techniques will go a long way towards helping you outrank your competitors in search results. Clean code means no messy HTML or CSS tags and being organized helps keep things neat and tidy. Search engines love clean code because it makes it easier for them to index your pages properly.
- Make a plan. Your first step should be planning your strategy before anything else. You need to think about how to make your site stand out from the rest. What keywords do you want to rank high? Do you have a special marketing campaign that you are going to promote? These things are critical to how successful your online business can be.
- Use white hat SEO techniques. White Hat SEO means using strategies that won’t get you blacklisted. This includes using off-site links, content promotion, social media, etc. There are many other things that fall under this umbrella but these two points are core to any good SEO strategy.
- Build credibility. Don’t just build your website…build a reputation! Have quality articles that are informative. Get reviews from people who know what they’re talking about. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the Google results page.
- Keep an eye on competitors. Look at their work and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Try to figure out what makes them better than you and how you can take advantage of that.
- Promote your work. Use email campaigns, social media, and even paid advertising if necessary to get the word out. A lot of businesses aren’t willing to spend money on internet marketing, but you shouldn’t let that hold you back!
Create a unique approach. Many companies try to sell themselves short by only building a website with flashy graphics and a catchy slogan. You need something that really stands out and sets you apart from the rest.
13. Meta Description
A meta description is an HTML element that provides a brief summary of a web page. A page’s meta description tag is displayed as part of the search snippet in a search engine results page (SERP) and is meant to give the user an idea of the content that exists within the page and how it relates to their search query. What is SEO ? Everything a Beginners should know.