The almighty SEO. I used to think of SEO as some sort of picky overlord who decided whether or not my content was worthy of being found on the internet. Like a Queen of Hearts on their throne arbitrarily shouting “Off with her head!” if I missed the optimization mark even slightly.
And I would stand in dumbfounded awe as I attempted to do my best to please the algorithms and it’s not-so-benevolent dictator, SEO.
But I’ve got great news as we head into this new year – SEO is actually more of a supportive, knowledgeable professor who wants the best for you and is going to help you out in any way they can.
If you’re new to the online business game, ready to create valuable, high-quality content to help build your brand and business, this is a great place to start.
What is SEO?
SEO, search engine optimization, is simply the things you can do to help your content get found online when someone types in a search within your topic area or niche.
There are three areas of SEO that ultimately drive your ability to rank high in search:
- On-Page SEO – the way your content is optimised for search engines
- Technical SEO – the backend stuff; site structure, speed, crawlability, etc.
- Off-Page SEO – backlinking and relationship building
This post is going to look at On Page SEO – this is the most do-able and beginner-friendly way to start increasing your site’s ranking.
An important thing to know about SEO is that it isn’t a quick fix. Strong SEO is a true long game. On average it will take 90 days of consistent, optimized content creation to see some movement in your search rankings. So be patient and it will pay off!
How Does SEO Help Me?
SEO gets you found online by the people who need you.
There are currently 1.18 billion websites on the internet right now.
And while only 17% of those are active (that’s still a bit over 2M, btw) being the site that comes up on the first page of search results within your given niche takes some work.
Having strong on-page SEO, and the strategy behind it, is what is going to drive your ranking up and establish you high in search results.
I’m a beginner, how can I build strong SEO?
1. Who is Your Audience & What Do They Need?
Every business has an ideal client and ideal audience – the people who are seeking out what you do or produce to solve a problem they have.
Knowing these clients well is the first step in creating content that serves their needs!
Once you understand what they are searching for, the problems and pain points they need solutions to, you’ll be better able to produce that content.
(Not sure who your ideal client is? Give this a read )
2. Know Your Keywords
So you know who your ideal client and target audience is, you understand what their pain points are – next up is keyword research.
The keywords you use throughout your various pieces of content signal to the search engine bots that this is something to pay attention to.
For example:
Jane is a business owner who needs help automating her sales process. She goes online and Googles: “best sales automation software”.
Your business is selling sales automation software and you think it’s the best.
If you have included those keywords, or keyphrases, in your web copy, in blog posts, and in the alt text of the images and videos on your site, this increases the chances that your website will show up high in Jane’s search results
Also, keyword/keyphrase research doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.
It can be as simple as typing the words or phrases you want to rank for into Google and seeing what the autofill gives you. Then scroll through the first two pages of results and see what others in your field are producing.
Take your content creation cues from them.
If you want to get more specific and in-depth with your targeted keywords, websites like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Moz can provide more substantial results.
3. Diversify Your Content & Make Sure It’s Fully Optimized
The search engine algorithms are getting smarter with each passing year.
In 2022, Google announced MUM (Multitask Unified Model) as its newest AI-based search update.
One of the things that MUM, and algorithms like it, are going to be on the lookout for is content in all forms – long-form articles, video, images, audio, etc.
Search engines want to be able to deliver the best of what the searcher needs. Maybe that’s a video, infographic, or episode of a podcast.
The below video is an Instagram Live I did about SEO. Embedding it here, and optimizing it with my topic keywords, will signal to the Google search bots that I’m answering questions about SEO.
That brings me to the 2nd sub step of this – always have images, video and audio on your site optimized with your target keywords in the Alt. Text and Description.
4. Build Backlinks
A backlink is a link from another website back to yours.
These links build authority and signal to search engines that your content is relevant and of high quality.
Securing these links is one of the more tedious and time-consuming parts of on-page SEO but really important in ranking high in searches.
Building backlinks starts with building relationships. This article from Content Marketing Institute – 30+ Link-Building Tips, Tools and Examples for SEO – is a great place to start learning about how you can build those all important backlinks.
It can be easy for SEO to feel overwhelming and complicated, but it doesn’t have to! Breaking it down and taking on the beginning steps one at a time will put you well on your way to increasing your search rankings and building your business.
And if you’re ready to really dive deep and learn all aspect of SEO, I suggest Neil Patel. He is the SEO guru!
Comment below and tell me what your biggest SEO questions are and follow me on Instagram for more content marketing tips and insight!
