SEO can be a complex subject. A Google search for “SEO” returns almost 500 million results. Far more than anyone could hope to read in a lifetime. And a lot of that information is simply out-of-date or just not relevant to the needs of a beginner trying to get some basic, easy wins.
In this article, we are going to outline the absolute SEO basics for 2018. This will be a series of simple, actionable SEO tips that you can use right now to improve your visibility in organic search and rank higher in Google.
For those of you hungry after reading this we also have a more comprehensive set of SEO tips for small businesses along with a buyers guide to SEO packages to help you effectively outsource your SEO.
Still with me? Right then. Here are five simple SEO tips for beginners to help you optimise your site and drive more organic traffic:
1. Research & Use Relevant Keywords
Keywords are the foundation of successful SEO. When your potential customers use a search engine what do they search for? For most small businesses this will be a combination of what you do and where you do it: SEO company in Birmingham or plumber in Sutton Coldfield.
There are some tools and strategies we can use here to make sure we get a good selection of keywords together.
Brainstorm potential keywords – here we simply write down everything that is relevant. What we do, the services we offer, and the locations in which we offer those services. Once you have all of these elements you can combine what you do with where you do it and form a basic list of keywords.
Use keyword research tool – there are a number of keyword research tools out there that can help you identify new keywords. Google has a tool that forms part of the AdWords PPC service. There are other tools like ubersuggest and keywordtool.io that are useful in their free and paid variations.
Search for your keywords – when you search for your keywords you will often see suggestions in the search bar as you type and there will also be a list of suggested keywords at the bottom of the page. Add any relevant variations to your list (and search them again).
What you are really looking to do here is end up with groups of keywords that have the same basic meaning and intent behind them. As an example, if we consider this article on SEO tips for beginners, we could group the following keywords:
SEO tips for beginners
Beginners SEO tips
SEO basics 2018
Beginners search engine optimisation tips
Search engine optimisation tips for beginners
How to do SEO
SEO basics
In this article, we are going to outline the absolute SEO basics for 2018. This will be a series of simple, actionable SEO tips that you can use right now to improve your visibility in organic search and rank higher in Google.
For those of you hungry after reading this we also have a more comprehensive set of SEO tips for small businesses along with a buyers guide to SEO packages to help you effectively outsource your SEO.
Still with me? Right then. Here are five simple SEO tips for beginners to help you optimise your site and drive more organic traffic:
1. Research & Use Relevant Keywords
Keywords are the foundation of successful SEO. When your potential customers use a search engine what do they search for? For most small businesses this will be a combination of what you do and where you do it: SEO company in Birmingham or plumber in Sutton Coldfield.
There are some tools and strategies we can use here to make sure we get a good selection of keywords together.
Brainstorm potential keywords – here we simply write down everything that is relevant. What we do, the services we offer, and the locations in which we offer those services. Once you have all of these elements you can combine what you do with where you do it and form a basic list of keywords.
Use keyword research tool – there are a number of keyword research tools out there that can help you identify new keywords. Google has a tool that forms part of the AdWords PPC service. There are other tools like ubersuggest and keywordtool.io that are useful in their free and paid variations.
Search for your keywords – when you search for your keywords you will often see suggestions in the search bar as you type and there will also be a list of suggested keywords at the bottom of the page. Add any relevant variations to your list (and search them again).
What you are really looking to do here is end up with groups of keywords that have the same basic meaning and intent behind them. As an example, if we consider this article on SEO tips for beginners, we could group the following keywords:
SEO tips for beginners
Beginners SEO tips
SEO basics 2018
Beginners search engine optimisation tips
Search engine optimisation tips for beginners
How to do SEO
SEO basics
The intent behind those keywords is all largely the same so they can be grouped together. Any given piece of content can then be optimised for (i.e. feature) those terms. This then ranks the article for the widest range of possible terms.
I would typically put these keywords into a spreadsheet with approximate search volumes and a score relating to how relevant they are. Don’t overcomplicate this – we are just trying to give a loose priority to the language we are going to use here.
Tip 1: Identify and prioritise the keywords that your prospective customers use when looking for the products and services you offer.
2. Optimise Page Titles & Meta Descriptions
Once you have your keyword list then you will want to optimise your page title. Note that this is the behind the scenes HTML <title> element and not what is shown on the page. This is usually editable in your website control panel (CMS) or in your SEO plugin.
What we are trying to do here is get our keywords into the title of the page in a natural way. We have to remember that page titles are what is shown in search results so we are aiming to clearly indicate what the page is about and entice a user to click on our listing.
What I typically like to do is include the what, where, and who if possible. The keywords are the what, the location is the where along with your business name for branding purposes. In an ideal world, you want the keyword at the beginning of the title to aid click-through and for potential ranking improvements.
Plumber in Sutton Coldfield – Marcus’s Plumbing Service
If we look at service pages we can extend upon this:
Boiler Repair Service – Free Quote | Marcus’s Plumbing Service
Emergency Plumber – available 24/7 | Marcus’s Plumbing Service
In both of these page titles, I have included an element that is more for marketing than actual SEO: Free Quote & Available 24/7. These are elements we put there to increase the likelihood that someone will click your listing.
Remember that a search engine listing is still an advertisement, so we must get our marketing dialled in along with our SEO. And, as it so happens, engagement with your listing can have a positive impact on your rankings, so *shock horror* doing good marketing is also good for your SEO.
A word of caution here is not to over-optimise your page titles and just cram them full of keywords.
Plumber | Plumbing | Plumber Company | Emergency Plumber Company
Your page titles should include your keywords but not at the expense of readability or clickability (if that is even a real word).
When we are happy with our titles, the other component to consider is our meta description. Again, this should be editable in your website’s CMS.
Page titles can have the biggest SEO impact, however, the meta description acts as the description for the content on your page. Your title should grab people’s attention but your meta description should help convince them to click.
Read Full Article Here: SEO Tips for Beginners – 5 Easy Wins for 2018
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