Whoever is from Digital marketing field knows about the term called SEO.Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is mandatory for bringing traffic to your website. Every search engine set a system for ranking the content. Search Engines like Google,Bing,Yahoo have their own ranking systems.
If you are new to SEO then you came at the right place as this blog contains the basic and must have information.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the technique of escalating a website’s search visibility. This is a method for websites to enhance their ranking in the organic results of a search engine.
Importance of SEO
People search for different things on the internet, and they also search for things that you're already doing. You can attract customers by ranking on the things that you are already delivering as a service or product. But you are not the only one who is targeting the same terms, as there are other players in the game too. That is where SEO works. This assists Google in ranking those websites that actually deserve to be ranked.
What are the Advantages of SEO?
The majority of clicks occurred on the first few search results. That is why higher rankings result in more traffic. Differing from other channels, search traffic remains generally stable and low-engagement. This is due to the number of searches being generally consistent each month.
Also, search traffic is “free,” and that is why it is a real standout because ads can be costly.
For instance, a website is getting a traffic of 1 million visits from organic search. On the other hand, to achieve that, it will cost around $1.2M per month to reach that same level of traffic from search ads.
How many steps involved in SEO?
SEO involves five main steps:
Keyword research: Figure out what people search for.
Content creation: Make content for searchers.
On-page SEO: Bring clarity in your content.
Link building: Build trust and authority from other websites.
Technical SEO: Assisting search engines to find, crawl, and index your content with ease.
How to Set up for SEO?
SEO becomes easier when your website is set up properly. Here are some ways that can be implemented:
Securing a better domain
The majority of domains are good for SEO, and you don’t need to think much if you already have one. In case you are looking for the right domain, then it is advised to consider the below elements first.
Name of the Domain
A short and vivid domain is considered the best one. No need to add keywords forcefully. Business names without any hyphens or special characters are generally viewed as a safe choice.
Top-level domain (TLD)
Every domain name is parted into four things.
1.”https://” is a protocol.
2.”www.” Is a subdomain.
3.The “name” of the company(mostly) is called second-level domain.
4.”.com” is known as top-level domain.
Top-level domain does not make any difference for SEO. If we are looking for the well-known TLD, then “.com” is a better choice. Charities use “.org.”
Also, people saw “.info” and “.biz” as spam TLDs. But you can still create a trustworthy website that ranks.
Use a website platform
Website platforms assist in building and handling the website with ease. It is of two types:
1.Hosted platforms
Hosting platforms do everything for you. They are the presenter of your site and deliver you ready-made designs. Also, it allows you to add and update content without even touching the code.
2.Self-hosted platforms
These platforms also enable you to add and update the content without code. The distinction between the two is that in self-hosted platforms you have to host and install them on your own.
But SEOs endorsed a self-hosted, open-source platform such as WordPress. This is due to:
Flexibility
Open-source can be edited according to your preference. Also, a vast number of developers know this platform back to front.
Scalable
A variety of plugins are present that broaden its functions, and that includes plenty of SEO plugins also.
If you are looking for ease and support, then a hosted solution is considered a better one.
Employing good web hosting
Using a hosted solution? Well, you also require a web host too. It saves your site on a hard drive that can be accessed by anyone who is a user of the internet. Consider the below before choosing one:
Security
Confirm that you get an SSL/TLS certificate for free. If not, then at least support for Let’s Encrypt, which is a non-profit and provides free certificates.
Server location
Time is required for data to travel from server to visitor. That is why it is best to select a host with servers in the same country as the bulk of your traffic.
Support
It is ideal to have 24/7 nonstop assistance. Test the support team before signing up.
Initiate a positive user experience
Positive user experience is one of the factors that Google takes into consideration in the case of ranking. Here are some ways for doing this:
Use HTTPS
Visitors personal data needs to be secured, and that is why it is suggested to always use your site with SSL/TLS.
Visually appealing design
People don’t prefer the old designs. But there is no requirement to redesign your website periodically, but it should look good and show your brand.
Mobile-Optimisation
A big chunk of searches are happening on mobile rather than desktop. It becomes important if your website looks better on mobile too.
Choosing a readable font size
People use numerous devices for surfing the web. Your content is required to be readable across all devices.
Avoiding unwanted pop-ups and ads
The truth is no one likes ads, but sometimes they are required. When they are required, then avoid the unwanted full-screen ads, as these pages may not rank highly.
Faster loading speed
Page speed is considered as one of the main ranking factors. But it does not indicate that your website is required to load at a lightning-fast speed. Only the pages are affected that are having a slower speed.
Build a logical site structure
Visitors and search engines are required to find the content with ease on your website. A logical hierarchy is needed for your content.
Internal links are important for user experience (UX) and search engine optimisation (SEO) for several reasons, which are outlined below:
1. Assisting search engines in finding new pages. As Google is unable to find the pages that it cannot find.
2. They assist in developing PageRank for your site. PageRank is an algorithm created by Google for evaluating the value of a webpage based on the quantity and quality of redirects to it. It is still in use by Google today.
3.They assist search engines in interpreting what your page is focused on. Google watches the clickable words that are in the link, known as anchor text.
For example:
Link relevant content to your Off-page SEO strategies.
Connect older guides to updated insights, like Old SEO vs New SEO.
Employ logical URL structure
URLs play a great part in understanding the content and context of a page for any searcher. There are plenty of website platforms for choosing how to structure the URLs. Below are some options for URLs in WordPress:
1. Plain: website.com/?p=123 → Not SEO-friendly, just shows a post ID.
2. Day and name: website.com/2021/03/04/seo-basics/ → Includes full date and post title.
3. Month and name: website.com/03/04/seo-basics/ → Includes month/day and post title.
4. Numeric: website.com/865/ → Shows only a number, no keywords.
5. Post name: website.com/seo-basics/ → Short, clean, and SEO-friendly.
When building a new site, follow the plainest and most descriptive structure. That will be your post name. In case of working with the existing website, it is not considered a good idea to alter the URL structure, as it can disrupt things.
Install an SEO plugin
The majority of website platforms come preconfigured with basic SEO features. But in WordPress you need to install an SEO plugin. Without it, it becomes impossible to employ basic SEO best practices. Yoast and Rank Math are considered better available options.
Getting found on Google
Setting up a website for SEO success will result in Google crawling and indexing your pages. Submission of your website on Google can accelerate this further. That is why Google can find your website in the absence of backlinks.
Finding or creating a sitemap
Sitemaps are used for listing the important website pages that you want search engines to index. Already have a sitemap? Most likely, it will be at one of these websites:
site.com/sitemap.xml
site.com/sitemap_index.xml
If you are unable to locate it there, it is typically listed at site.com/robots.txt.
Submission of a sitemap
A sitemap can be easily submitted by using Google Search Console (GSC).
How to Analyse SEO success?
It is crucial for any SEO expert for tracking and measuring the SEO performance of the website. Now we will cover the overview of analysing the SEO success.
Organic traffic
In the event of rising organic traffic, it is better to track this out. How do you do it? Well, plenty of tools are on the market, and Google Search Console is one of them, which is free of cost.
Keyword ranking
When your website is ranking on the keywords that you target, then it’s a positive sign. In the Google Search Console you can find the average keyword rankings for free. If the requirement is for getting more accurate analysis, then look for tools such as Semrush or Ahrefs.
Visibility
This indicator shows how frequently your website shows in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for related keywords.
Suppose you tracked a single keyword and all the top positions in Google are taken by pages on your website. As your website is getting all the likely traffic from that single keyword your visibility becomes 100%.
Take another case where your website takes up a single spot in Google, while the rest is taken by competitors. When some of the clicks are landing on other websites, your visibility eventually falls from 100%.
Another positive indication that your SEO is working is if your visibility is growing.
For more advanced insights, explore Mastering SEO in the Age of AI for modern ranking strategies.
Conclusion
When it comes to ranking on Search engines then it becomes important to apply SEO tactics. Anyone who has started doing SEO needs all the basics and this blog provides it.
Also, employing the right practices for investing in keyword research, quality content, on-page optimisation, technical improvements, and link building will lead to more search rankings and reach for your target audience.