Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for Beginners (Online Marketing Basics)

Search engine optimization is a type of search engine marketing that aims to drive traffic to your website from search engines. There, search engine optimization (SEO) concentrates on what is known as “organic” rankings. Our internet marketing strategy will explain what SEO is and how you may influence your rankings.

You’re probably familiar with a few search engines. In many areas, though, Google is the uncontested market leader. It makes it logical to concentrate your search engine optimization efforts on Google in this case. 

This has advantages and disadvantages: Yes, it is easier to concentrate on only one supplier. However, your competitors will do the same, making it more difficult for you to differentiate your products and, as a result, driving up rates for keyword bidding and Google advertisements.

Making improvement in your ranks isn’t impossible, though. With the right strategy, you might be able to target relevant keywords that are less competitive yet still generate income.

What Does a Successful SEO Strategy Look Like?

All tactics done to get a website to the top of the organic SERPs are referred to as search engine optimization (search engine results pages). As a result, the first question: What is an organic first-place ranking?

Organic search results are listings that Google considers to be both useful to the user and relevant to the search keywords. Paid advertisements are the polar opposite (search engine advertising or SEA). Everyone is familiar with the pay-per-click advertisements that frequently show at the top or in the sidebar to the right of a results page. They are plainly labeled as advertisements. Everything else is a product of natural processes.

 Just look at the different click-through rates to see how valuable top rankings are (CTR). Despite the fact that multiple studies have been conducted on CTR statistics, the basic message remains the same: the top three positions receive about 60% of all clicks, while the first place receives 90%. That is to say, if you get to the second page of results, you are almost invisible.

Step 1: Identifying the Best Search Terms

The initial task is to determine which search phrases you should target for a top ranking. Other people may be ecstatic to rank first for their company name or some made-up search phrases. That, however, is of no consequence. Why? Nobody else would use your name as a search keyword in their approach. Second, if you pick search phrases without first evaluating them, you run the danger of no one ever using them.

So, before you begin, you must first determine how many search queries exist for a specific search phrase. The devil is sometimes in the details. Perhaps people look for the singular version of a phrase but not the plural or vice versa. 

Google’s Keyword Planner can assist you with this process. It will also display several words associated with your topic.

You must double-check your potentially profitable search phrases when you have discovered them:

1. Is it true that this keyword is being searched for by your target audience?

To find out, simply type your word into a search engine and examine the results. A common mistake is that if you use a technical word to describe your area of expertise, Google will return a large number of job ads. That isn’t due to Google’s fault. On the contrary, because Google analyzes billions of data points every day, it is quite certain that the majority of persons searching for this phrase are seeking work. So, if you want to sell your specialty as a service, start seeking a better search phrase.

2. What is the strength of the competitors? Frequently, the most popular search phrase used by your target demographic is not the ideal keyword. Of sure, obtaining a top rank with this keyword would be beneficial. However, the cost would be too expensive. Professional optimization, link building, and other services all come at a fee. It’s pointless to accomplish something if the expected return is higher. With such fierce competition, there’s no assurance you’ll ever make it to the top. Perhaps there are other keywords that have fewer searches but considerably less competition. When it comes to achieving good rankings, you’ll receive a better bargain there… 

5 Criteria to Evaluate the Free Market’s Competitive Environment

1. How many pages are ranked for your chosen search term? Google will give you what you need to know if you type in a question. 

2. What is the page rank of your competitors? Even if page rank (PR) is no longer a ranking factor, it may still be used to determine the level of trust that a page commands. For example, the free Firefox-Plugin “Seoquake” may be used to determine the page rank. Alternatively, you may use one of Google Search’s many PR checks. 

3. Is the competitor’s URL including the keywords? Or do they belong to a group of unidentified subpages? Subdomains, comparison sites, and online stores are all good indications. If the websites rank well without keywords in the URL, you have a strong possibility of outranking them.

4. Is there a place for keywords in the page title or the meta description? The section of the page title that appears in blue in the search results is the page title. It’s possible that the grey text below it is the meta description. If there are no keywords in the description, Google will extract them from the website content. However, because Google does not detect context, single text fragments are always combined with “…” instead of entire phrases. If you don’t see the three dots, it’s because the keywords were not included in the description. In other words, hiring an SEO expert just made your job a little more difficult.

5. What is the total number of backlinks your rivals have? One of the most significant ranking factors is backlinks. Even with all of Google’s changes, it’s still safe to assume that the more data you have (particularly on “strong” sites), the better. You can check this using one of Google’s free backlink checking tools. 

You may perform a rudimentary check of your competitors for free this way. SEO experts will examine additional metrics and will employ paid technologies to do these checks faster, better, and more precisely.

Step 2: On-Page SEO — Make adjustments to your website while keeping your keywords in mind.

After you’ve completed your keyword research, you’ll need to make changes to your website. You must persuade Google that your page contains the information that visitors are seeking. This may be accomplished by modifying your title, description, and URL to include your keywords. The search engine also favors things like a clear structure and coding, as well as a large amount of information. Of course, the information you wish to send to Google should be included in your article. Furthermore, you should emphasize the most essential terms by bolding them, using headings, and so on. Loading times are another factor that affects your page’s rating. More information about SEO may be found in a couple of articles linked at the bottom of this page.

Step 3: Collect Recommendation Links – Off-Page Optimization

With this concept, Google revolutionized the search engine market: if website A connects to website B, it counts as a recommendation. You wouldn’t link to a page that you didn’t like. The idea still holds true today. It’s all about the links. People, on the other hand, have long attempted and continue to attempt to game the system. That’s why Google claims to have a hidden algorithm that can distinguish between real linkbuilding and fake linkbuilding.

So be cautious, as poor linkbuilding can have significant ramifications. Many websites have had their ranks lowered or have been removed entirely. This may mean catastrophe for businesses that rely on online visitors for income. Make sure you focus on organic linkbuilding rather than exchanging links with everybody and everyone without first learning about their reputation. Don’t submit your site to every directory that offers free connections. You will be found out and punished by Google.

Some pointers on linkbuilding:

Don’t go overboard. The sirens were triggered by a thousand links at a time.

Make changes to the anchor text. If you consistently link your keywords, it stands out. Because real suggestion links would appear different as well. Make sure your links don’t just go to your domain, but also to subpages like blogs and other resources. The more authoritative the website linking to you, the better. Even so, Google will accuse you of buying premium links if you only receive them. Getting links from the wrong websites is much worse. You may see a drop in your rating if Google considers them to be in a poor area.