SEO for beginners can be overwhelming. There is so much information to go around that you get lost. What to implement? Which SEO optimization technique is the best to shine a light on your content?
And what pitfalls to prevent so that your website can be on the search charts for a very long time?
Such are the questions you have to ask yourself repeatedly, hoping that you get the right answers. So, we thought, why not come up with an ultimate guide for SEO beginners that can help you get started on the right track?
We have created this blog for the SEO rookies – those who are crazy about getting noticed by google from the very beginning. But we have news for you – it is not that difficult.
Search Engine Optimization techniques sound like a mouthful but don’t have a lot of overcomplicated stuff. All it has some basic strategies that you can implement right now to pump your blog and get it to the search engine.
Do it right, and more people will start to come to you organically. And if you do it really right, you’ll be getting 3X more traffic on your website within the first few months.
Are you excited? Because we are to share these simple but ultimate SEO tips for beginners with you.
The only SEO guide you’ll need to Kick your website up in the Google Rankings
Install the WordPress SEO Login
If you’ve already started but are yet to install the Yoast SEO plugin, you’re already lagging.
But don’t worry. You’re not late. Just install that plugin right away. It is perfect for you if you don’t want to dive deep into the technicalities of online search engine optimization but still want to create SEO friendly content.
And it is free, so you don’t have an excuse not to do it. This nifty plugin will help you:
- Create an XML sitemap
- Choose which categories and tags to make crawlable
- Get social exposure by verifying social accounts
- And install breadcrumbs
For a beginner, this is all you need. Other tools in this plugin let you design correct meta descriptions and make your URL and title SEO friendly. Advanced tools are also available, but that’s the technical SEO stuff you don’t need to bother with if you’re starting.
Make the URL, Title and Meta Titles SEO friendly
URL is what gets listed by Google when the spider crawls, and Meta titles and descriptions are how your content gets relevancy on the search page.
But what am I talking about?
Meta titles and descriptions are what google shows in the search results. You already know how search results are, only giving a little sneak-peek of a website.
If you don’t update your meta descriptions, Google will choose the most keyword-relevant portion of your content and slap it in the search results. They don’t look good, and that’s why you need to create a customized description.
A meta description describes the page’s content within 155-160 characters.
Use the relevant keyword of your content to create a meta description. You don’t have to overthink about it either.
For instance, for this particular article, I am hoping to make my meta description read as follows:
Here is the ultimate SEO guide for beginners. Learn the best Search Engine Optimization tips that you can implement as a rookie to get better results.
The above excerpt is exactly 155 characters. It covers the title of the article (Ultimate SEO guide for beginners) and gives other info giving the reader a peek at the contents of the article. It is simple and easy to understand.
Insert the keyword in the URL and the title.
Add internal links
You want whoever comes to the website to stay there. That’s why you create internal links, not on the obvious texts but on those that flow naturally.
But why choose natural flowing texts as anchors? Why not create a separate section?
The reason is simple; it is for the reader.
If you’re a writer who wants to give valuable information to your audience, you’ll meld the links naturally with the texts throughout the post. Adding internal links increases the value of your content and incentivizes your reader to stay at your blog.
And it’ll help you get on the search rankings – if you have quality links. If there are broken links present, your audience will stop trusting you.
The lack of trust will then increase your bounce rate – the readers will bounce off your website – decreasing your rank.
Add internal links to your content, but unbroken ones leading to relevant sources. It won’t be long before Google starts seeing you as trustworthy and puts your website up in the rankings.
Add alternate Tags to images
Your readers love images, and they want something linking what you’ve written to what they’re seeing to get a better context. But adding an image is not enough.
You must also add an “alt” text to it.
Why?
Every piece of media you add to your content should be google-readable. If you don’t add alt text to your image, google won’t read it. Alt (alternative) text gives Google a context to crawl your photos and put them in the search results.
Sometimes, you’ll find the image of your content in the search results, even when your content isn’t.
Here is what to add to the alt text of the image: an image description. Make it short, sweet and snappy for Google to pick up quickly.
Do not go overboard on the keywords
When I first started, I sincerely believed that flooding my content with SEO keywords would help me get on top quickly. And it did – for about two days. After that, my content was nowhere to be seen.
It was much later that I realized that I was stuffing my content with keywords – not giving any actual value to the content.
That’s wrong. Choose a relevant keyword and make it appear 1-2% in the blog.
Some people say you have to maintain 10 to 15% keyword density; don’t do that.
Your keyword is merely a guide to let google see you. It is your content that gives value to the readers.
Conclusion
Take one step at a time. SEO is a journey, and sometimes, it can take months to see results. Be patient; keep your content SEO friendly and valuable. You WILL get better results. That’s the final SEO tip I have to give you.