Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is becoming a very powerful tool for brands and businesses that want to establish a stronger online presence and increase their website’s visibility. With everything that revolves around SEO, it can seem impossible for a beginner to really break into this industry, but this step-by-step guide will introduce you to some easy SEO basics and techniques to help you kickstart your SEO journey!
How to Do SEO: A Step-By-Step Guide
Step 1: Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research involves identifying popular search terms that people are using on search engines like Google, along with their competitiveness and search volume. By understanding the keywords and phrases relevant to your audience, you can create high-quality, optimized content that addresses those topics, improving your website's visibility and organic traffic.
Although many keyword research tools can help you stay updated on search trends, as a beginner you may want to try manually selecting the keywords. This approach allows you to develop your skills while identifying keywords that align with your client's SEO objectives.
Want to know how to do keyword research properly? Check out the ultimate four steps of keyword research here!
Step 2: Search Intent
The second thing that you need to understand when practicing SEO is the importance of search intent. Every search online has a specific reason for it, and this is what SEO refers to as search intent. Understanding the user's search intent helps determine exactly what people are looking for, thus guiding you on the type of content and format you should create to attract them to your website.
A simple way to identify search intent is by finding the idea on Google. Such as from the People Also Ask section, or through Google ranks because the results are generally based on relevance, which shows what people are most likely looking for.
Read more: SEO Step-by-Step Tutorial: 7 Easy Basics for Beginners
Step 3: On-Page SEO
On-page SEO focuses on improving your website for better search engine results. Thus you need to understand how to optimize your on-page SEO element, by focusing on key elements like the page title, URL, and headers. Some good practices you can do to optimize on-page SEO are:
- Adding the target keyword to the page title is important because it’s the first thing users see in search results, helping attract traffic and setting expectations.
- The URL should be clear and include relevant keywords so users and search engines understand the page’s topic.
- Headers organize content and help search engines prioritize sections based on relevance.
To help you understand more about how to optimize on-page SEO, you can check out our thorough guide!
Step 4: High-Quality Content
No matter how optimized your page is, users visit it for high-quality content. Your content should be specific, informative, engaging, and original. The goal is to meet users' needs by addressing their search intent, while also delivering a good user experience.
Step 5: Technical SEO
Technical SEO helps to improve user experience and helps search engines crawl your site. These are the key areas to focus on:
- Page loading speed: You can improve this by compressing images and minimizing code to ensure fast page load times.
- Mobile-friendliness: Nowadays more people do searches through their mobile phones rather than computers. Thus focusing on creating a mobile friendly website is becoming even more important to ensure user satisfaction.
- User experience: Focus on user experience and making overall improvements, like making your site easy to navigate, usable, and accessible.
Read more: What Is Technical SEO? Basics and 10 Best Practices
Step 6: Link Building
Link building means getting other websites to link back to yours. This helps search engines see your site as more credible, increasing your chances of ranking higher. Quality backlinks from relevant, trustworthy sites boost your authority and help promote your content, while also expanding your audience.
Interested to learn more about link building? Read here for further reference!
Step 7: Data Monitoring and Analysis
Last but not least, understanding your SEO performance is also crucial! You can monitor them by utilizing tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These tools will help monitor how well your strategies are working.
Additionally, they also provide insights into user behavior, and keyword ranking allowing you to make adjustments and improve results over time!
How to Learn SEO?
Learn from Reliable Sources
SEO is a constantly evolving field, so it's important to learn from trusted and authoritative sources. These could be websites, blogs, and guides created by SEO experts or Google’s own SEO starter guides. Reliable sources provide accurate, up-to-date information and can help you avoid outdated practices that may hurt your rankings!
Join Free Webinars or Courses
Many platforms and industry experts offer free webinars and online courses that teach SEO fundamentals, strategies, and advanced techniques. These interactive learning sessions are valuable for gaining insights directly from professionals and can help clarify SEO concepts. You can check out courses on platforms like Coursera, Udemy, or Google’s SEO certification programs.
Familiarize Yourself with SEO Tools
One of the things that you should know before starting to practice SEO is that SEO tools are your essential weapon. SEO tools can help you analyze keyword data, track rankings, audit website performance, and so much more!
Familiarizing yourself with tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, and Ahrefs helps you measure results, understand how search engines view your site, and optimize accordingly. Knowing how to use these tools is key to effective SEO practice.
Read More: 30 Free SEO Tools for Your Website
Be Up-to-Date with Current Trends
SEO is a field that frequently changes due to algorithm updates, new search features, and shifts in user behavior. Staying updated with the latest SEO news, Google algorithm changes, and industry trends ensures that your strategies remain relevant.
To stay informed, you can follow trusted SEO blogs, forums, and newsletters. Additionally, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and SEO-focused Facebook groups offer valuable insights. There are hundreds of industry experts, profiles, and communities to follow and join, providing real-time updates, discussions, and tips from leading professionals in SEO.
This can help you quickly adapt to changes and refine your strategies!
Study Your Competitors
Last but not least, analyzing your competitors can provide valuable insights into their SEO strategies and what’s working in your niche. Look at their content, keywords, backlink profiles, and ranking positions. This competitive analysis helps you understand industry standards, identify potential gaps, and refine your SEO approach to stay competitive or gain an edge.
How Can I Do SEO Myself?
Before following any of the steps in the previous section, you need to have a website that you can work on. Understandably, you won’t have any clients or brands to work with when trying to practice your SEO skills, but you can create your website and hone your abilities with that.
How Can I Learn SEO For Free?
There are many online resources, courses, and certifications that you can use to start developing your SEO capabilities. When looking for the best one, take the time to consider the lessons being taught and covered, the methods used in teaching, and the credibility of the websites.
How Do I Get My First SEO Job?
After learning and practicing the foundational concepts, you can start looking for your first SEO job to showcase your skills and what you’ve learned. One way to do this is by joining a reputable freelancing platform such as Upwork or Fiverr that will allow you to have some firsthand experience with clients. Alternatively, you can also start applying for full-time positions that don’t require applicants to have any prior SEO experience.
Final Thoughts
When starting your SEO journey, it’s important to remember that it can take time to see significant changes and progress in both your skills and results, but it’s important to be patient and persistent during your learning process. And while there are more techniques to be learned in the exciting world of SEO, these seven basics will help you hit the ground running.
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Contact us today for a consultation and take charge of your online success.
