When digital marketing offers so many channels and strategies for success, it can be tough to know where to start when you decide to get your feet wet. If you decided on SEO, then you’re in luck these beginner tips will help you become an SEO pro in no time flat.
Understand the Goal
Before you get into the technical aspects of search engine optimization (SEO), it’s important to understand the overall goal of getting involved in SEO in the first place. Whether you’re starting your own business or learning the ropes to help a small company that you currently work at, you can’t reach the goal without first understanding what and where it is.
So what’s the goal of SEO? To put it simply, the goal is to optimize a website for search engine results. So when someone searches for a word or phrase related to your services, SEO will help your page rise to the top of the search results. The closer your site is to the top of search engine results, the more likely you are to make a sale.
Now that you have an idea of what the end goal is, it’s time to talk about what it takes to get there. That’s where more technical knowledge comes into play.
Learn How to Use Keywords
We talked a little bit about search terms above. More commonly referred to as keywords, those are some of the most important tools in your SEO arsenal. And learning how to use them to optimize your site and its content is paramount to good SEO. First, you’ll need to know that there are two kinds of keywords: long-tail keywords and short-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords span three or more words and short-tail keywords hold only one or two words. In most cases, long-tail keywords are going to be better for generating interest on your site.
There are multiple ways you can use keywords for SEO, but incorporating them into your regular blog content is likely your best bet if you want to see results. When you craft keyword-rich content that’s informational, useful, and conversational, you’re encouraging customers to stay on your site longer. You’re also telling search engines like Google what each blog or page on your site is about.
Keep Mobile-Friendliness Top of Mind
Good SEO only goes so far with a bad website. If you want your SEO to work, you need to make sure your site is mobile friendly. Considering the U.S. consumer electronic market is worth over $300 billion, it’s safe to assume that a good portion of your sales are going to come from mobile searches. So when you’re building your blog and crafting that keyword-rich content, make sure you’re keeping user-friendliness and mobile-friendliness in mind.
Build a Better Backlink Profile
Links are one of the most valuable forms of SEO currency. When you have a strong backlink profile, you’re helping drive positive SEO results for your site. Three of the most important things you need to focus on when you’re learning how to build a better backlink profile are link quality, link quantity, and anchor text. Let’s review.
Link Quality – Do you think Chevy became the most awarded car company in America because their product quality was just okay? No. When you place a focus on building a quality profile — with links or with products — around your brand, you’re making sure that your reputation is solid. Quality links from a variety of high-authority sites build your reputation with search engines.
Link Quantity – It might seem better to get as many links as you can as fast as possible, but you should take caution in that strategy. While it’s important to build up a high number of links, it’s even more important to pace yourself. If you acquire too many links too quickly, your activity may look suspicious to search engines.
Anchor Text – This ties into the keyword use we talked about earlier. In the vast majority of cases, you want your anchor text to be the same as the keywords you’re hoping to rank for on your site. Good anchor text and good keyword selection go hand-in-hand.
When you’re learning how to use SEO, it’s easy to put these digital skills to use right from your own home on your own computer. And when you master them, you’ll be able to help your business succeed.
