Do you want to learn more about SEO but don’t have the budget? There are free ways you can learn more about it, and this is the article that can tell you about those ways.
First off, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) isn’t a cut and dry topic. And starting doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. As we all know, everyone has to start somewhere. That is why we want to provide you with some easy-to-follow steps for traversing the standards of major search engines like Bing, Yahoo!, and Google.
This article will be a Bootcamp for SEO. We will cover the basic principles, as well as provide some useful resources to call on later. Below are the 6 steps for learning SEO.
Understanding Search Engines and SEO
While the marketing goals of businesses are usually different, one thing they do have in common is the need to increase revenue. That is where SEO comes into play. SEO will improve your site to allow a higher ranking in SERPs (Search engine results pages). This will induce traffic, and ultimately, revenue. However, before that can happen, you need to completely understand the way search engines work.
Google, as well as other major search engines, use “web crawlers” to index, find and rank sites across the internet. When someone searches a term, they are presented with a list of relevant websites that have content pertaining to the searched terms/questions.
SEO makes it possible as keywords are what the web crawlers are looking for when they sort out and index the information for public use. So, indexing your business should be one of the first things you do. You accomplish this by submitting your URL with Google’s URL Inspection Tool. Or if you prefer Bing (Or want to establish yourself there too), then you would use Bing Webmaster Tools.
Research Master Keywords
The next easy-to-follow step is to research your keywords. Keywords are phrases and words that are commonly searched. If the keywords you select are frequently searched, you could get your site in front of an audience that is bigger than what you have now.
Keywords come in two forms, Long Tail and Short Tail. Long-tail keywords use three or more words, whereas short-tail keywords only use one or two. Long-tail generates better interest while focusing your pages.
As an example, if you were to search “How to make Brownies,” you would get better and more accurate results than if you just typed “Brownies.”
You can use keyword tools like Soolve, and Keywords Everywhere to learn the top searches in your industry.
If you are interested in some healthy competition with your SEO campaign, then you can get a look at what your competitors are using for keywords.
Put simply, a central element for SEO is keywords. You will have them woven into content, meta descriptions, URLs, and titles. So, get familiar with them as you traverse this journey through SEO.
On-Page and Off-Page SEO: Learn the Difference
There are two places that SEO happens – Off-Page and On-Page. You have direct control over what happens on-page once you learn more about SEO. However, off-page SEO, you have no control over.
First, let’s talk about the easier one, on-page SEO. You manage your pages and customize them to be pleasing and inviting to the users and search engine web crawlers. It involves formats like H1 tags and H2 tags, navigation, URLs, image descriptions, keyword usage, and meta descriptions. However, you still need to work smart because these aren’t the only factors of SEO.
Next, let’s address off-page SEO. Basically, you are relying on the opinions of others to promote your online content. Links to your site, brand mentions, and marketing on social media all contribute to this SEO presence. Utilizing both of the SEO presences is the key to be successful.
Identify UX Signals
The goal of search engines is to provide users with results that are relevant to their search phrases. Use Experience, or UX, plays a major part in SEO. All the customization you put into your website should put the needs of the users first, prioritizing the design, functionality, material, and the users themselves.
Algorithms, such as Google’s RankBrain, monitor user behavior in order to measure the level of satisfaction they achieve. It also analyzes their preferences. Thanks to machine learning, we can get an even better look at the user practice patterns.
Google checks the organic CTR (Click Through Rate). It is a way for them to show the relevance of a result and how attractive it is to the user when compared to others.
Dwell time is another UX signal. This is basically the length of time a user stays on a page before they turn around and go back to the SERP. Search engines recognize this, influencing your SEO performance.
Depending on what the search is, a longer dwell time can mean one of two things. Either the user is showing interest in your content, or they aren’t finding an answer very quickly. The keywords used, as well as material, will help determine which response is most probable.
Make sure you are paying attention to these signals while you educate yourself on SEO. You are able to take these metrics and use them to make tweaks and optimize your SEO.
SEO Friendly Content
If you want to succeed with SEO, the primary base of it is the content on your site. This includes:
- News Releases
- Blogs
- Informational Articles
- Videos
- Images
These are the main areas to optimize for SEO in order to please not only the search engines but the searchers too. Quality content will drive traffic higher as long as you utilize SEO practices.
Web crawlers find it easy to index written content, mainly because they are made with the ability to sift through text. They sift in order to index sites based on keywords, digestible layouts, and comprehensive information.
Longer posts and SEO friendly content go hand in hand. The longer the post, the more likely the user will find use and information in it. Also, the content needs to address the topic while staying relevant to the keywords. Google scans for posts that do just that while ranking the more sloppy sites lower on the SERPs.
The content should also be fresh and original. They will punish sites that have the duplicate text from other websites. Make sure you avoid these punishments when you are learning the SEO process.
Link Building
There are over 200 ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. Links remain one of the most important factors. If you have links on other websites linking back to your page, it indicates to search engines that your site is useful and trusted. This will attract more users from across the web. However, shady link building tactics are not tolerated by search engines.
White hat link building is when you are earning the respect of other authorities in your industry, the general public, and trusted reviewers. You are able to build up a respectful reputation that is beneficial to your business. All you have to do is strengthen the network of your website and boost your brand awareness. Natural links also come from bloggers and requesting links.
Social media engagement is also an effective method of encouraging people to share, read, and also talk about your website. This is a proactive approach that will usually lead to link building once people start discussing the finer points of your business with their friends, family, social media groups, and review sites.
There you have it, 6 steps for learning SEO for free, from home, without heavy investing. When it comes to SEO, it can be a bit overwhelming and complicated for people who aren’t familiar with running or building an SEO campaign. That is why it is suggested that you reach out for help.
