SEO is very important if you want to get traffic on your website . But what are the Basics of SEO? In this article I’m going to answer this question.
What is the SEO?
In the last article I wrote about opening online business based on website, which is foundation of every serious business. Today you will learn what to do to push your website or blog to the better position in the Google ranking. SEO is the way, but first we need to answer what is the SEO?
Search Engine Optimization – it’s the process of optimisation your website to get better results in the Google and other search engines ranking. SEO consists of techniques, methods and strategies that help your website to be more visible to others and get better traffic as a result.
The most important elements of SEO include:
- Keywords
- Title tag
- Meta Description
- Image optimisation
- Good quality content.
There are also two kinds of SEO – on-page and off-page SEO.
On-page SEO
Simply said it’s everything you do with your website. You have a full control. Let’s start…
Keywords
All the phrases that people type in Google are called “keywords” and they are related to the subject of your website and content. Don’t be overzealous and put too much keywords in your posts. Google doesn’t like it and will treat it as a spam!
Put two or three keywords in your article, first one in the title, second one in the first paragraph and the third one in the conclusion of the post or page. And that’s it!
Try to use good keywords. I will show you later, in this article how to find good keywords and the best tools you can use.
Title tag
It tells what your post or article is about. It appears at the top of the page. The best title tag shouldn’t be longer then 60 characters. Put the primary keywords in it to make it work.
Meta description
It’s description of your website shown in the search engines results. The same as the Title tag it says what your website is about, but provides a little bit more details. The best meta description should include the primary keywords and be no more then 160 characters long. Both Title tag and Meta description could be done in WordPress.
Headers
It doesn’t matter that you use WordPress or Content Creator at Wealthy Affiliate. Both of them have header tags, marked as H1, H2, H3 etc. the first one is usually the title of your post and it should include the keywords. But this is not the only one task of headers.
First of all, it makes the article looking nice and aesthetically to the reader and put the content in the order. Google and other search engines can see that as well and definitely will rank your website better than other pages with one string of text.
Content creator at Wealthy Affiliate is a great please to create the article as it includes templates ready to use, so all you need to do is just put your content there and headers are done automatically.
Image optimization
It’s very simple. If you put any image in your post in WordPress, use descriptive file names and alt tags which include the keywords. Alt tag is the Alternative description of the picture. When someone type the keywords, Google can display your image in the results and it leads to your website.
Links between your pages
That’s a great method of optimization. Try to put the links in your posts that lead to your other posts or pages. Google, Bing or Yahoo like it and they see your website as a valuable.
It’s good to the people reading your content. They don’t have to search for another post, but just click the link and that’s it. Don’t forget to use that method.
Content
Even if you use a proper keywords, links etc, your website won’t be ranked well in Google without a good quality content. You must remember that if you start a business, you need to help people first to build the trust. The revenue is a result.
Good content should include minimum 1000 words, but longer is better. Try to write an article which includes around 2000 words. Google can see that and will rank you better. Make sure that your content also looks nice, so everyone wants to read it. If it’s just one big string of text, then it discourages reading.
All of these are a basics of on-page SEO. Make sure that you do everything described above and over time your website will definitely appear higher in the search engine rankings.
Off-page SEO
It’s everything that leads to the traffic and its source is outside your website. Usually off-page SEO are links placed on other websites.
It’s good to put your links in social media profiles. If you have a Facebook account, you can create a group for people from your niche and it’s fantastic idea to paste links to your website articles. You can imagine how many visitors you’ll get!
In the beginning place your links only in social media, otherwise it may harm your blog! There is plenty of services offering better rank in Google, but search engines treat it as a spam.
So called backlinks are links to your posts or pages placed on other websites.
Sometimes, someone else can put your link, for example in Internet forum, if your article is valuable. That’s one of the reasons to create a good and helpful content.
Deeper into the rabbit hole
The subject of SEO is like a bottomless pit. We all learn all the time. I want to show you how to find a good keywords.
If you have opened a Wealthy Affiliate account then you have an access to Jaaxy. It’s a great tool where you can type a phrase, click Find keywords button and the list of keywords will be shown below with all important statistics.
If you haven’t open Wealthy Affiliate account yet, click the link below to join and get an acces to the best tools:
==> Join Wealthy Affiliate now for FREE <==
Choose keywords with low competition, that mean QSR. The best one is under 100. We call that Low hanging fruit, because it’s easy to get the traffic using that keywords, the same as it’s easy to pick low hanging apple. You don’t have to climb up the tree.
The same is here. All the low competition keywords are not searched very often, but there is not many websites in the whole internet which include that keywords, so the probability that someone visits you is higher. If your website is new then using Low hanging fruit method is perfect to increase the traffic and in effect put the website on better position in Google ranking.
Another method is called Alphabet soup. It’s about typing phrase in Google and a letter, starting from “a”, after or before that phrase. Google will show you the most searched keywords so you can choose one and type it in Jaaxy to check the competition. If it’s under 100, you’ve got a perfect keywords.
Try to write a good quality post, putting that keyword in the title and first paragraph. Do not forget about the tag and meta description.
Conclusion
SEO is an important process that helps your website to get better results in search engines rankings. We all learn that process all the time. It’s like a rabbit hole. But the basics can be mastered by anyone.
The best is to focus on the on-page SEO as it is what you have a full control over. Using keywords, images optimisation, tag titles, meta description and obviously good quality content is the best way to have a well ranked website.
Over time you can use the backlinks wisely which will increase the traffic. Remember that all the companies offering the paid backlinks are a scam. It will not help you. Google will take it as a spam and you will have to work hard and spend a lot of time to put your website back to the rankings.
The best methods of off-page SEO I to paste your links in your social media profile that your friends can see it.
Jaaxy, which is available through Wealthy Affiliate is a perfect tool to research keywords. Make sure that you use it to find the best keywords.
Obviously the good content is the most important. Even if you’ll follow step by step all the methods described above, but your content is poor, then people won’t like to come back and Google will put your website in worse quality section.
I hope so I have helped you and if you’ll follow my instructions you’ll achieve success. If you have any questions or suggestions please let me know in the comment below.
Kind regards
This is a great article on the basics of SEO and I would like to get started on my journey with the help of a course like the one from Wealthy Affiliate. Are they helpful when you would encounter any problems along the journey? I sometimes see these very expensive courses on SEO and affiliate marketing and I have always wondered if they would be worth it. Thank you!
Hello Lizzy! I do my best to write the reviews to help others. I’m glad that you like it. I am personally using Wealthy Affiliate and I learn from there. I didn’t know anything about building website, SEO and all that stuff before. That’s why I can highly recommend WA as I know it’s really valuable
This is a great overview of the basics of SEO for anyone who is new to the concept. As someone who is just starting to learn about SEO, I found the explanations for on-page and off-page SEO very helpful. I also appreciated the tips on how to optimise content for search engines, such as using descriptive file names and alt tags for images. However, I’m curious to know more about how to build backlinks and the best practises for doing so. Overall, this article has given me a good foundation to start building my website’s SEO strategy.
Hey there,
I found your blog post about the Basics of SEO incredibly informative and helpful! As someone who’s been working with SEO for a while now, I can’t help but appreciate the value you’ve provided to your readers.
Your explanation of SEO is clear and easy to understand. I love how you’ve broken down the concept into simple terms, making it accessible even to those who might be new to the topic. It’s essential to understand what SEO is and how it can benefit any online business.
Your focus on on-page SEO is spot on. The way you’ve explained keywords and their strategic placement is commendable. It’s crucial not to overdo it with keywords, and your advice on using two or three relevant ones in a well-structured manner is perfect.
The tips on title tags, meta descriptions, and headers are incredibly valuable. These seemingly small elements can make a huge difference in how search engines perceive and rank your content.
Image optimization is often overlooked, but you’ve stressed its importance, and I couldn’t agree more. Alt tags and descriptive file names can indeed improve the visibility of your images in search results.
I appreciate how you’ve distinguished between on-page and off-page SEO and explained the significance of backlinks. Your warning about avoiding paid backlinks is wise; it’s essential to focus on genuine and organic methods to build a strong online presence.
Your insights into finding good keywords using Jaaxy and the Low Hanging Fruit method are excellent. These tools can indeed be valuable assets in any SEO strategy.
I agree wholeheartedly with your emphasis on the importance of good quality content. In the end, it’s what keeps readers engaged and coming back for more. Providing value to your audience is the key to a successful website.
In conclusion, you’ve crafted an outstanding guide that covers the essentials of SEO. Your writing style is approachable and down-to-earth, making it easy for readers to connect with the information you’re sharing.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise on this topic. Your blog post will undoubtedly benefit many who are looking to improve their website’s search engine ranking.
Looking forward to reading more insightful content from you!
Best regards,
Sandro
Hi Sandro! I really appreciate your comment, and I’m very glad that you like my article and you have found it helpful.
Kind Regards!
Błażej