SEO Basics for Beginners

With businesses forced to market online due to these unprecedented times, there are many people new to the digital marketing world. If you’re of one them, you’ll need to gain a lot of online marketing knowledge as your end goal is to develop digital maturity. In order to get there, you’ll need to start somewhere, so why not start right here with this blog! We will discuss the basics of SEO so your business can begin to reap the benefits. This one’s for all the new digital marketer’s out there. Welcome to the online marketing world!  

First of all, you need to understand what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is before we can get down to the basics. SEO is a method of optimizing your website’s content for specific keywords that users will search relating to your product or service. Essentially, you want your content to show up as a top result on a search engine (Google) for people to view and interact with your content. SEO is a strategy your company needs to implement if you want to succeed in the online world. So, without further ado, here are the basics of SEO.

SEO Basic #1: Keywords

You’ll need to start using keywords in your content. Keywords are the terms or words that relate most to what you’re trying to market and are in the text copy of a website. Therefore, you should be using these keywords in as many places as possible on your site. These keywords should relate to your services and products, as well as the words people will be using in the search bar. These are crucial for your website to show up as a top result as search engines scan through web pages, their content, and their keywords, using that information to decide what to show as most relevant. Keywords are the first place you should start!

SEO Basic #2: Links

Your URL link is how users access your page, so it must work error-free. Like we mentioned before, search engines are constantly scanning websites, so you need to make sure your links to your website are working with no errors because how will your website get scanned if there is no access to it? Check your URL links regularly yourself or use a tool such as Google’s URL Inspection Tool to help you with accuracy and saving time.

With your links running smoothly, it’s time to focus on how to get other credible or high-ranked websites to start using your links in their content. A great way to do this is by conducting your own case study on a topic and providing original research. This will have other companies notice you and use the link to your case study on their site. Or, write testimonials for the companies you have worked with to have your business on their site. If a reputable company has your testimonial on their site with your link, then, BAM, there is more traffic on your site!

SEO Basic #3: Alt Tags

Alt tags (alternative tags), also known as alt text, alt descriptions, or alt attributes, are the texts that describe a photo or video on a website. They are used within the HTML code to help users understand what the photo or video looks like or how it functions. These make your site more accessible to those who use screen readers, or if your image/video doesn’t load properly, this text will replace the image. Either way, it’s a smart idea to describe any photos or videos you have on your site for search engines to understand what type of content you’re sharing on your website and, therefore, categorize it in the right place/search result. Just a tip – alt tags should be short descriptions, not just a collection of keywords. This way, content is accurate and helpful to the user.

SEO Basic #4: Original Content

Content is everything! Your website will never get to the top of the results page if you have the same or similar text as another website because the search engine will only choose one. Even using similar content on two separate pages of your website is not ideal for SEO. Either combine those pages or create new and original content on each page. 

As much as you’ll need a content strategy that uses original content, you will also need accurate and helpful content. If you’re providing false or useless information, search engines won’t get that content to the top of the results pages. 

You also want to give search engines more information about what you are trying to market – the more descriptive, the better. Oh, and don’t forget those keywords!

SEO Basic #5: Headlines and Metadata Descriptions

The headline and metadata descriptions are the first things people see on the results page before even clicking on your site. But you want them to click, so make sure this content is compelling and engaging. This is your chance to make a good first impression! It’s all about the user’s interest at this point. Search engines don’t directly use metadata descriptions as a way to rank your website, but it becomes important for pulling in users when they come across your website. It’s like typical marketing – you want people who walk by your store or advertisement to be intrigued and to take action. 

But, when it comes to the digital marketing world, the number of people who see a link and click on it and amount of people who see it and don’t click on it is calculated by search engines, becoming a factor in SEO. It’s called click-through rate (CTR), and you want to have a high CTR to get a higher rank. So, make sure that the headline makes users want to know more and use the main keyword you’ve chosen for your content. Wow, it looks like keywords are useful in all of these SEO basics. They truly are a crucial element!

SEO Basic #6: Website Performance

Is your website easy to use and navigate? If it’s not, then that’s a problem for SEO as search engines examine user experience. As soon as a user gets to your site, search engines will analyse how users behave when on your website. Are they leaving your site quickly because of useless content or because a page takes forever to load? Or, are they navigating your site with ease and interacting with the content for a lengthy period? You’ll want to be on the latter of the two because it could make or break you. 

First off, at least make sure your website loads completely because people in this day and age are impatient and want instant gratification. If they see that spinning loading circle, they’ll go crazy and leave (We can all agree that the loading circle IS annoying). 

Another advantage is keeping your website simple and to the point. People will get what they want in front of their faces instead of searching long and hard (at that point, they’ll just give up). And lastly, limit the use of advertisements on your website. Actually, avoid them altogether because people hate ads; it’s just a fact. You don’t want them getting in the way of your content or the reason someone leaves your page. Simplicity is key.

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SEO knowledge is vital for any business trying to market online. Hopefully, these SEO basics have given you an idea of where to start. If you begin to implement these strategies, you are sure to see a difference in user engagement. But don’t stop here! Keep doing your research and stay tuned for our next blog! 

Contact UV Designs today to help with your company’s digital transformation. We can help your business thrive in the digital world!