As per industry news, many business owners switch their marketing budget from paid campaigns (google ads/facebook ads/any paid platforms) to organic campaigns (SEO). So this is the right time to learn about these skills nowadays for you. Now let’s dive into why.
Why is it the right time to go with Search engine optimization/SEO?
Here’s a screenshot of Google Trends showing the current trends for SEO, Google Ads, and Facebook/Meta Ads. The location is the USA, and the Time frame is the last 12 months. You can see that SEO is an evergreen category/niche with consistently high search interest. In contrast, Google and Facebook Ads have seen significantly lower and declining interest.
What is SEO and Why Does it Matter?
In simple words, SEO is like making your website more visible on search engines like Google. When people search for things related to your business, SEO helps your website show up higher in the results. This means more people can find you online.
There are many benefits to investing in SEO, and here’s how I’ve seen them play out in my career:
- Increased Website Traffic: With better search engine rankings, more people will find your website. For example, after improving the speed and performance of a client’s website, we saw a 30% increase in visitors. This shows how effective SEO can attract more people to your site.
- Better Visibility: When your site appears higher in search results for the keywords that matter, it becomes more visible to those searching for what you offer. In a recent project, we focused on improving on-page elements and saw a 25% boost in search rankings, making the site more visible to potential visitors.
- Higher Credibility: Ranking well on search engines isn’t just about being seen, it’s also about being trusted. High rankings can enhance your reputation, making users more likely to view your business as a credible source of information or products.
- Cost-Effective Marketing: Compared to paid advertising, SEO is a more affordable strategy with potentially higher returns. It’s a smart investment that can deliver significant benefits without breaking the bank.
- Improved User Experience: SEO often involves optimizing your website to make it more user-friendly. This means faster load times, better navigation, and a more enjoyable experience for visitors. When we enhanced the user experience on a client’s site by fixing technical issues and making it mobile-friendly, we saw improved user engagement and lower bounce rates.
- Long-Term Results: Unlike paid ads that stop working once you stop paying, the benefits of SEO can last for a long time. Good SEO practices can provide lasting improvements to your site’s visibility and traffic. The improvements we made in speed and security continue to benefit our client’s site performance and rankings.
- Better Understanding of Your Audience: SEO tools can give you valuable insights into what people are searching for and how they interact with your site. This information helps you understand your audience’s needs and tailor your content to meet them better. Using tools like SEMrush and Google Analytics, I was able to identify important keywords and adjust our content strategy to better meet user needs..
Search engines work behind the scenes to deliver relevant information to users. This process involves three main steps: crawling, indexing, and ranking.
Crawling
Search engines use specialized programs called bots, spiders, or crawlers to find new and updated web pages. These bots systematically browse the web, following links from one page to another. When a bot visits a web page, it reads the content and follows the hyperlinks to find additional pages. This process ensures that the search engine can discover most of the web content out there.
Internal linking is really important for effective crawling. When a website has a well-structured internal linking system, it helps bots navigate through the entire site more efficiently. Pages that are well-linked internally are more likely to be discovered and indexed by search engines. This is because bots can easily follow links to access deeper pages on the site, ensuring that no valuable content is missed.
Indexing
Indexing is crucial because it allows search engines to efficiently retrieve relevant pages when users search. Once the search engine bots have crawled a web page, the next step is indexing. Indexing involves storing and organizing the information collected from the web pages. During this process, the search engine analyses the content, including text, images, and other media, and stores this information in a massive database known as an index.
Keywords and metadata are essential for effective indexing. Keywords are specific words or phrases that represent the main topics of the content. Metadata includes information like the page title, description, and tags. By analyzing these elements, search engines can better understand what the web page is about. This understanding helps the search engine accurately categorize the content and retrieve it quickly when users query.
Ranking
When a user enters a search query, the search engine must determine which pages are the most relevant and useful. This determination is made based on various ranking factors that assess the relevance and quality of web pages.
Keyword relevance is one of the primary factors in ranking. The search engine looks for pages that contain the keywords or phrases used in the query. However, it’s not just about matching keywords; the search engine also evaluates how well the content answers the user’s query. User experience (UX) is crucial because it indicates how satisfied users are with a website. Search engines prioritize pages that offer a positive user experience, such as fast loading times, mobile-friendliness, and easy navigation.
Site authority also plays a significant role in ranking. Authority is determined by factors such as the number and quality of backlinks to a page. Backlinks are links from other websites that point to a specific page. A page with many high-quality backlinks is seen as more authoritative and trustworthy, thus ranking higher in search results.
Other important ranking factors include the freshness of the content, the presence of multimedia elements, the use of secure HTTPS connections, and the overall technical SEO of the site. It’s important to note that search engine algorithms are constantly evolving, and ranking factors can change over time.
Search engines aim to provide the best possible results for users based on their ever-changing needs and behaviors. By considering all these factors, search engines strive to provide the most relevant and high-quality results to users.
Essential SEO Strategies for Beginners
- Keyword Research
- Importance of keywords as the foundation of SEO.
- Tips: Use tools like SEMrush, focus on long-tail keywords, and analyze search volume and competition.
- Share insights on competitor analysis to identify gaps and opportunities.
2. On-Page SEO
- Importance of optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and content quality.
- Focus on providing valuable content, not just keyword stuffing.
- Mention any specific techniques or tools you use.
3. Technical SEO
- Key areas: site speed, mobile-friendliness, XML sitemaps, robots.txt optimization.
- Explain the importance of Core Web Vitals for user experience and rankings.
- Share any recent experiences or updates you’ve implemented.
4. Link Building
- Importance of backlinks as a ranking factor.
- Tips: Create high-quality, shareable content, strategic outreach, and guest posting.
- Highlight a successful link-building strategy you’ve used.
5. Content Creation and Optimization
- Share a case where content optimization led to increased engagement or conversions.
- Emphasize the role of content in SEO: relevance, value, and alignment with user intent.
- Tips: User-centric content, optimize CTAs, regular updates.
Staying Updated with Google’s Algorithm Changes
Discuss the importance of staying current with Google’s algorithm updates. Two recent key updates:
- E-E-A-T: Focus on experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
- Helpful Content Update: Prioritize content that provides unique value and insights.
The Importance of Monitoring and Analysis
- Highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and analysis in SEO.
- Tools you use: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs.
- Share how data-driven decision-making has been crucial in your SEO success.
Additional Content Suggestions:
- Expand on SEO Benefits: Clearly outline the advantages of SEO, such as cost-effectiveness, long-term results, and increased brand authority.
- Address Common SEO Misconceptions: Clear up any misunderstandings about SEO being complex or time-consuming.
- Provide actionable tips: Offer practical advice for beginners, such as keyword research, content creation, and on-page optimization.
- Include a call to action: Encourage readers to learn more about SEO or subscribe to your newsletter for further insights.
Conclusion
- Encourage readers to start their SEO journey with the basics and build their skills gradually.
- Emphasise that SEO is about creating a great user experience and demonstrating expertise.
- End with a motivational call to action: Begin with keyword research, optimize on-page elements, and create valuable content.