SEO is necessary if you want Google to find your website. These are easy.
Learn about SEO, how to set things up, and how to get indexed.
Contents
1. SEO fundamentals
2. Setting up for SEO success
3. Getting on Google
4. How to track SEO success
Part 1
SEO fundamentals
What is SEO?
SEO increases a website’s organic search traffic. SEO helps you rank higher in search engines’ organic results.
Why is SEO important?
People may be searching for what you do; ranking for those terms can attract customers. As others try to rank, you won’t without effort. SEO matters. It helps Google rank you higher.
What are the benefits of SEO?
Higher search rankings lead to more traffic because most people click the first few results. Search traffic is usually passive and consistent. Because monthly searches are consistent.
Most people click the first few search results, so higher rankings increase traffic. Passive and consistent search traffic is typical. Consistent monthly searches.
How do you do SEO?
Five steps comprise SEO.
Keywords. Find people’s searches.
Authorship. Create search-friendly content.
SEO-on-page. Clarify your writing.
Links. Get credibility from other sites.
SEO-specific. Improve search engine crawling and indexing.
Our SEO beginner’s guide emphasises these steps.
Part 2
Setting up for SEO success
When your website is SEO-ready, SEO is easier. Let’s see how.
Get a good domain
Don’t worry if you already have a domain for SEO. If you’re still shopping, remember these two domain elements.
Domain name
Something memorable is best. Avoid keyword stuffing. Without hyphens or special characters, your business name is usually safe.
Top-level domain (TLD)
It’s the part after.com. Your choice of TLD doesn’t affect SEO[1], but.com is the most recognisable and trusted. .org or local equivalents work for charities. If you only do business in one foreign country,.co.uk is fine.
Avoid spam-associated TLDs like.info and.biz. But having one isn’t terrible. You can build a legitimate, ranking website.
Use a website platform
Website platforms simplify website creation and management. Two kinds:
Platforms hosted. You’re set. They host the site, provide ready-made designs, and let you edit content without code.
Platforms self-hosted. These let you edit content without code. You must host and install them.
Most SEOs recommend WordPress because:
Modifiable. Open-source code can be edited. The platform has a large developer community.
Expandable. Millions of plugins, including SEO plugins, extend its functionality.
If you value ease of use and support, consider a hosted solution. All the big ones have enough SEO for most.
Use a good web host
Hosted solutions require a web host. These store your website on a hard drive that anyone with internet can access. Choose using the three S’s:
Security. Free SSL/TLS certificates are available. Or support for LetsEncrypt, which provides free certificates.
Located server. Server-to-visitor data transfer takes time. So choose a host with servers in your traffic’s country.
Support. 24/7 service is best. Ask the above questions before signing up.
Create a positive user experience
Google wants to rank pages that please visitors. [2] Let’s examine some options.
Use HTTPS
Personal data hacking is the worst for visitors. Always use SSL/TLS.
Choose an appealing design
No one wants a ’90s-style website. Your website shouldn’t be redesigned every few months, but it should look good and reflect your brand
Make sure it’s mobile-friendly
Mobile now outnumbers desktop searches. [3] Your website must be easy to use on mobile and desktop.
Use a readable font size
Different devices are used to browse the web. Ensure your content is readable.
Avoid intrusive pop-ups and ads
Ads are annoying, but sometimes necessary. Avoid intrusive interstitials. These may rank lower. [4]
Make sure it loads fast
Desktop and mobile page speed affects rankings. This doesn’t mean your site must load quickly. Only slowest pages are affected. [5] [6]
Create a logical site structure
Visitors and search engines should easily find site content. So, organise your content logically. Mind maps can help.Each branch on the map becomes an internal link between website pages.Internal links are important for UX and SEO.
They help find new pages. Google can’t index unfound pages.
They spread PageRank. PageRank powers Google search. It evaluates a page based on the number and quality of incoming links. Google uses it still. [7]
They explain your page to search engines. Google looks at the link’s clickable words, called anchor text. [8]
Use a logical URL structure
URLs help searchers understand a page’s context. Website platforms let you structure URLs. WordPress URL options include:
.com/?p=123
Website.com/2021/03/04/seo-basics/
03/04/seo-basics.website.com
www.865/
Website.com/SEO-Basics
Choose the clearest, most descriptive structure for a new site. Post. Changing a website’s URL structure may break things.
Install an SEO plugin
Most website platforms have built-in SEO. Install an SEO plugin on WordPress. Without one, it’s hard to implement SEO basics. Yoast and Rank Math are useful.\
Part 3
Getting on Google
Google will crawl and index your pages if your website is SEO-friendly. Google submission can speed up this process. Google can find your site even without backlinks.
Finding or creating a sitemap
Sitemaps show search engines the pages you want indexed. If you have a sitemap, it’s probably at:
site.com/sitemap.xml
site.com/sitemap index.xml
If not, check site.com/robots.txt.
If you can’t find it, you probably don’t have one.
Submitting your sitemap
You do this via Google Search Console (GSC). It takes about two seconds.
Part 4
How to track SEO success
Before we get into SEO, let’s talk about tracking and measuring its performance. This is never easy, so here’s a high-level overview.
Organic traffic
First, the obvious. Increasing organic traffic indicates success. GSC allows free tracking. If you don’t have GSC, sign up for AWT. Site Explorer will estimate your domain.
Keyword rankings
If your keywords’ rankings are rising, you’re doing something right. GSC offers free keyword rank tracking. You’ll need Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker for accurate tracking.
Organic Share of Voice (OSoV)
This is your brand’s search visibility versus the competition. SoV affects market share.
Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker tracks organic SoV. Tag your business’s keywords. Check the “Visibility” tab in “Competitors Overview.” This shows the percentage of tracked keyword clicks on your website vs. competitors.
Key takeaways
Ranking in organic search results helps.
Without SEO, you’ll rank poorly.
High rankings bring passive, monthly traffic.
SEO includes keyword research, content creation, on-page SEO, and link building.
When your website is SEO-ready, SEO is easier.
Google will find and index your website on its own, but submitting a sitemap can speed up the process.
References
“nTLD SEO Benefits?” 2020-12-5 Search Engine Journal. ” 24-May-2016 Google. Helping users access mobile content. 2016-08-23 Google.”Search Through Time”. Google. “Link architecture importance”. 2008-10-07 Google. 2022-08-17