One of the first things every digital marketer should learn about is SEO or search engine optimization. SEO is at the center of most digital marketing activities. Without SEO, a business will be practically invisible on the internet because no one will be able to find it. This is not a one-off activity, and you can expect to be the first result in all search engines. SEO is a continuous process. If you are a beginner in digital marketing, keep reading and find more about search engine optimization and 8 of the most effective tips.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization is the action of optimizing your website pages with the goal to rank higher on the search results for particular keywords. The SEO process involves adding the right keywords the correct number of times, so the search engines’ algorithms detect them and put your page in a higher position.Â
This is done because when a person searches a particular keyword, they are more likely to open one of the first results they see. If your site is in position number one, then the traffic to your site will increase tremendously. The traffic coming to your pages thanks to SEO is called organic traffic.
Organic traffic compared to the visits coming from the paid acquisition is for free. It is also considered to be more valuable because the person is already searching for a keyword related to your business. Therefore, they need a solution or a product you offer. So, it will be much easier to convert them to become paying customers.
There is no magic formula, and none of the search engines disclose all the factors they consider when determining the rankings. However, there are some tips that we can share with you when you want to improve your SEO.
8 SEO tips for beginners
If you are just starting with SEO, there is a lot you will have to learn because this is an extensive topic, and new information is coming out all the time. But let’s start with the baby steps. Here are eight handy tips for beginners.
Conduct a keyword research
What you should definitely start with is very extensive keyword research. Don’t count on old data done by someone else who knows how long ago. Keyword trends are constantly changing, and the search volumes too. This is why you shouldn’t count on old research data.Â
Another reason is to find out other keywords you might be interested in adding to your site. It happens that you are so focused on a set of keywords that we forget about other terms that might bring potential customers. Extensive keyword research will help you build a significant keyword backlog that you can base your optimizations on.
Don’t focus only on short keywords, but consider long-tail keywords and combinations. Like this, you will be covering more ground and avoid the need to repeat the same keyword all the time. This is especially important for creating content which is the second tip on our list.Â
Create engaging content
Once you have optimized your site and landing pages, you shouldn’t just forget about SEO. Creating additional content like blogs, ebooks, guides, etc., is a perfect way to leverage search engine optimization. Producing different written pieces that are engaging and relevant for your public will give you more chances to rank in good positions for various topics.
You can add different keywords in each piece of content that will expand your reach but still focus on the most important ones. Don’t produce content just to help your SEO strategy — create engaging content that your visitors will love. This will also be an advantage for you when a potential customer is comparing you with a competitor. If you are offering them the added value of a lot of useful content, they can consult whenever they need it; this might be the winning point for you.
Creating short informative blogs, long-form content, gated content, or any other written piece will be great, and you can always find many ideas when checking your competitors’ resources. However, try to develop some fresh, original content that addresses your customers’ needs and their experience.
Optimize user experience
Some marketers forget that user experience is also part of SEO. As we mentioned, SEO is not based only on keywords usage but other factors too, and one of them is the user experience. So, improving your site speed and usability is equally important.
Your pages shouldn’t take ages to load. This means you need to know the right ratio between text and images and optimize the page components. If you are using images with huge sizes, those definitely will take quite some to load, and if the customer doesn’t have a stable internet connection, this is not perfect.Â
Customers don’t spend a long time looking at a landing page. They want to see everything they need at first glance. Keep this in mind when you are optimizing your page. Make sure that the layout is not too busy, the text is easy to read, images load fast, and all clickable elements work correctly. In this way, you will decrease the bounce rate as well.
Check your competitors SEO strategy
Part of the marketing research you did initially was to learn as much as possible about your competitors. Now you should try to learn as much as you can about their SEO strategy as well. Don’t focus only on big competitors because those will be hard to compete against in the beginning. Check competitors of all sizes and learn as much as you can from them.
Check what keywords they are targeting and compare them to your keywords backlog. Most of the keywords will be the same, but you might find some that you didn’t think of. Also, you will see which keywords are unique for you and your product or service. You will be able to highlight those keywords and show your unique selling points more easily.
Make your site responsive
Nowadays, people use their phones to check sites as much as they use their computers. This is why the responsiveness of your site is something you should address. Making all of your pages mobile-friendly should be one of your goals. If you don’t do so, you will lose many potential users.Â
Consider the best practices when it comes to making your site mobile-friendly. Don’t make your pages too long, and the person needs to scroll for ages to find the information they need. Also, they shouldn’t need to scroll left and right to see the whole page. Avoiding such basic mistakes will help you decrease your bounce rate and improve your SEO score.Â
Don’t neglect backlinking
Backlinking is another important factor for search engines (especially Google) when evaluating your SEO score. By backlinking, we mean internal and external links that you can put on different places on your site and in your content.
Internal links will help search engines understand better the main topic and purpose of your pages and content. So, don’t just link any page with another that is irrelevant. Because this might lead to wrong rankings and hurt your SEO score, use links that are pointing to the right complimentary content.Â
External links are something you should also consider. Don’t just link to any site that you find on the internet. Find ones with a high-quality score that is considered reputable by the search engines. Also, avoid backlinking to competitors’ sites since you will be directing people in the wrong way.Â
Use titles, headings, and metadata
Using and optimizing on-page elements is vital. You might think they are unimportant, but they play a significant role when the search engines determine the rankings. Let’s have a look over each of them:
- Title — This should be very clear, so people will immediately understand the purpose of your page. It shouldn’t be too short or too long. Anything between 50 to 60 characters will be perfect.
- Meta description — You need to add the important keywords in this field but still make it sound user-friendly. It should be between 150 and 170 characters. A best practice is also to add a call-to-action in your meta description.
- URL — Like the title, the URL should be clear and descriptive. Don’t make it too long, so avoid anything above 6-7 words.
- Headings — Use correct heading tags. This will make your content more user-friendly, well structured, and also SEO optimized.
Don’t forget to use social media
Social media is already omnipresent in our lives. This is why you should leverage it as much as possible. Promote your site and your content on your social media profiles or share them on relevant pages, profiles, groups, and others. Like this, you will be able to reach even more potential customers that you might be missing.
Presence on social media and sharing content there will help you also improve your SEO score. Bringing more traffic to a webpage or a particular content will help climb the rankings. On top of that, you will have another way to engage with your existing and potential customers.
Wrapping up
SEO is essential for any digital business. You will have to continuously optimize your pages to climb the rankings on different search engines and keep them stable. Our tips for beginners are just the basis on which you need to build your knowledge. Subscribe to some sites that will keep you informed about any recent news around SEO so that you can stay on top of any changes. Keep optimizing!
