A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering SEO
In the wide world of the internet, standing out might seem near impossible. That’s where a little acronym with a huge impact plays a role: SEO, or search engine optimization. SEO is what navigates your website through the online world’s complexities, leading your site to the top of search engine results. This guide introduces you to the essentials of leveraging SEO, even as a beginner.
SEO Fundamentals
SEO is the core of enhancing the quality and quantity of your website traffic through organic search engine results. It will attract the attention of your ideal visitors who are genuinely interested in what you have to say or offer. By mastering SEO, you can rise above the busy internet traffic and achieve visibility.
The key to effective SEO is understanding what your target audience seeks online. The problems they’re trying to solve, the content they crave, and the questions they need answered. It’s a balance between marketing, research and technology that elevates your site on a search engine results page (SERP) for relevant keywords.
Keyword Research
An essential element of a solid SEO strategy is keyword research. A keyword is a word or a group of words that are used when conducting a search. To uncover these golden keywords, our favourite tools are Answer the Public, SEO Softwares, and Google Keyword Planner. They offer a glimpse into the minds of your potential visitors, revealing the most popular topics and exact phrases - that are being searched.
SEO Software
SEO softwares can provide valuable insights into the keywords your competitors are ranking for, the difficulty of the ranking, and the volume of searches per keyword. It’s like a map that shows your destination and the road blocks you’ll have along the way. Although SEO Softwares often comes with a cost, the investment often pays off by significantly enhancing your SEO strategy. For a more in depth look at various SEO Softwares and which is the best choice for you, check out this awesome article by Zapier here!
Answer The Public
Answer The Public takes a bit of a different approach. Here, you would enter a broad topic, and it generates a graph of queries people have asked about that topic. The queries are categorized by questions (where, can, how, etc.), prepositions (without, for, etc.) and comparisons (vs., and, or). This tool is great for knowing what questions your audience wants answered. This platform allows three free searches a day. Anything more than that requires a paid subscription.
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a tool that helps you find keywords for your Google Search campaigns. It is a free tool that allows you to discover new keywords related to your business or ad group, and see estimates of their search volume and costs. You can also upload an existing list of keywords to see their cost and search volume. To use this tool, ensure your Google account is in expert mode, not smart mode. Then start searching!
Content Creation Strategies
Armed with knowledge of keywords and audience questions, the next step is to create content that will work for your audience. In order to have an effective SEO strategy, you need to use these keywords to provide your audience with compelling content that creates value.
Imagine you’re a food blogger focusing on budget eating. Through keyword research, you’ve discovered that “cheap food in Europe” is a popular subject. Instead of a generic post relating to food in Europe, you could create much more value and answer your audience’s questions by creating a guide about cheap food in various cities, and some recommendations. It’s all about creating value for your audience and knowing what they want to see.
Embarking on Your SEO Journey
Starting on your SEO journey can feel very scary if you’ve never done it before, but you don’t have to go at it alone. Our SEO services include comprehensive keyword research, technical SEO fixes, content strategy development, and ongoing support to ensure your website reaches the top of the SERP and stays there. SEO requires patience, persistence and a willingness to learn and adapt. But the rewards are well worth the effort. With the right tools and guidance, search engine success is within your reach.