Having a comprehensive search engine optimization (SEO) tutorial at your disposal can help you hit the ground running while building your first campaign.
SEO has become one of the most common forms of digital marketing because it can drive free traffic. That said, old optimization methods that produced results a few years ago no longer do the trick. You need to avoid keyword stuffing as well as other unethical SEO techniques and boost your site visibility through sound practices.
This compact SEO tutorial for beginners will tell you everything you need to know about search engine optimization. This includes a list of elements that impact SEO, including relevant content, internal linking, and the target keywords you choose.
We’ll also discuss the importance of SEO, how it works, and its benefits as well as disadvantages.
What is SEO?
SEO is the practice of making changes to your website in order to get a high ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs) when a potential customer searches for your business.
From content optimization to the page’s URL, there’s a huge group of variables that helps Google determine who gets ranked on the first page. The SEO process increases your chances of landing on the first positions and sending a large amount of organic traffic to your site’s pages.
For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll focus on Google. That said, SEO is suitable for all search engines, although each one requires a tailored strategy.
Importance and Applications of SEO
Before going into our SEO tutorial for beginners, let’s take a moment to discuss the importance and applications of this practice.
SEO is important because it allows you to connect with your audience through quality content. Search engines like Google have become important resources for consumers that want to find a local business. By creating an SEO strategy, you can generate high-quality, search engine-friendly content that showcases your products and creates interest in your audience.
As for the application of SEO, this practice is not only used by small businesses. All website owners that want to drive engaged traffic at a low cost likely have an SEO strategy. This is one of the reasons why SEO is so tough, competition comes from all angles.
Elements of SEO
Next in our Google SEO tutorial, it’s time to review the elements of SEO.
One of the reasons why SEO is compatible with content marketing is that search engine optimization requires the creation of quality blogs and pages. That said, it’s important to note that SEO ranking factors can be divided into three distinct groups, which are on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.
On-Page SEO
This type of SEO refers to all the ranking factors located on your site. This includes the URL structure, title tag, meta description, target keyword, and visual elements of every page. As a website owner, you also have to fix all bokeh links, optimize meta tags, and publish at least one blog post a week to maintain a good performance.
Off-Page SEO
Here’s the first curveball of our SEO basics tutorial.
In short, this form of SEO includes all ranking factors that are located on other sites. This includes review websites, social media profiles, and inbound links. These variables are not directly under your control, but you can take many different steps to influence and ultimately optimize them.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is technically an on-page variable. But, it’s so crucial that it needs to have its own section.
The technical elements in SEO refer to your website’s architecture. Besides having great content, you need to have structured data and an intuitive site design with both internal and external links pointing to other relevant pieces of content.
Additionally, because of how a search engine works, your site also needs to speak the right language in order to communicate. All of these will help boost your organic search results, but you need to spruce up your page’s content to increase your site visitors.
How SEO Works
In this part of our SEO step-by-step tutorial, we’ll analyze how SEO can help you generate leads. Keep in mind that you have to install a tracker like Google Analytics in order to monitor the performance of your site.
This will help you identify potential errors, like having the same keyword on two different pages, and assess the overall performance of your strategy.
Here are the actions that take place during an SEO conversion.
Bots Visit Your Website
Search engines like Google use bots, which are simple programs, to read, understand, and catalog your site. This is called the indexing process. If your site is not indexed, it will not appear on search engine results.
A User Conducts a Relevant Search on Google
Next, a user in your area conducts a search using keywords that are relevant to your content. The exact keyword and search volume are essential.
This means that you have to conduct keyword research and ensure that every piece of content has the right keyword density.
Your Site Appears on the SERPs
If your site is optimized for SEO, indexed, and tailored to the user intent it should appear on the results displayed by search engines. A great local SEO plan will help ensure that you appear on the first page, at or close to the top of the results.
Prospect Enters Your Site
Users see your site link on the search results and click on it. Then, they enter your site. If the content is engaging, they will access other internal linked pages.
A Conversion Occurs
After browsing through your site and finding the right resource page, users are primed to become conversions. This can mean that they make a quote request, ask to be called, or make a purchase. Besides being search engine-friendly, your site should also be equipped with features that help boost conversions.
Advantages and Disadvantages of SEO
No SEO tutorial is complete without reviewing the pros and cons of SEO.
Pros of SEO
SEO can boost your visibility by helping you claim one of the top positions on search engines, right next to the leading competitors.
Not only this, but some of the pros of SEO include:
- It’s cost-effective
- Leads have high engagement levels
- It supports email marketing and other digital strategies
- It helps you understand how search engines work
- You can use free SEO tools like Google Search Console to manage your strategy
Cons of SEO
Some of the cons of SEO are:
- It produces gradual results
- Competition is tough
- It’s a constant practice
- Bad SEO can lead to penalties from Google
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – SEO Tutorial
As part of our SEO tutorial, we’ve answered the three most common questions beginners ask.
How can I Learn SEO?
It’s possible to learn SEO through free resources published by Google. That said, the best way to learn is through hands-on experience, which can take years.
Does SEO Require Coding?
While it’s possible to create pages and optimize them without code, the only way to achieve great technical SEO is through programming. In this case, your best bet is to work with a reliable agency that has a team of SEO programmers ready to boost your site.
Which Language is Best for SEO?
Most queries and search engine results appear in English, which makes it the best language for SEO.
Conclusion
Do you want to find out more about SEO and working with a reliable digital marketing agency? Get in touch with Fannit today and book a free consultation today.
