SEO for Beginners: A Basic Search Engine Optimization Guide
SEO for Beginners: A Basic Search Engine Optimization Guide
Given that on any given day people conduct more than 2 million searches on Google, with many others conducting searches on the other search engines, the gurus over at runrex.com, point out that showing up on the first page of search results on Google can be a major deciding factor between a business that is thriving and one that is struggling. This is where SEO comes in, but what does SEO even mean? This article will look to help answer this question for you by providing a basic guide on the same.
Definition
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a process of optimizing your website to improve your rankings in the search results, and, therefore, getting more organic traffic. As explained over at guttulus.com, this means optimizing your online content so that a search engine likes to show it as a top result for searches of a certain keyword.
Why it is important
To give you an idea of why search engine optimization is important, it is important to first highlight that nearly 75% of searchers start their searches on Google. In addition to that, the first five results on Google get 67% of all clicks as discussed over at runrex.com. This shows why it is important to appear on the first page of search results and be as high as possible, something that will only be possible as a result of SEO, showing why it is so important.
White hat SEO vs black hat SEO
There are two ways you can go about things when it comes to SEO. Black hat SEO focuses on optimizing your content only for the search engine, without giving any consideration to humans. It is a set of unethical practices to improve the rankings of a website as explained over at guttulus.com. While these techniques can get you to the top of the search results in a short time, search engines will most likely penalize and ban your website sooner or later. It will also lead to spammy pages and will lead to severe punishment for the marketer, ruining their reputation.
White hat SEO on the other hand refers to all the regular SEO techniques that stick to the guidelines and rules. It is a long-term strategy in which good rankings are a side-product of good optimization, quality content, and a user-oriented approach. This is the approach that the top-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com focus on.
On-page SEO vs off-page SEO
There are two broad categories of SEO: on-page SEO and off-page SEO.
On-page SEO refers to everything you can do on the website as discussed over at runrex.com. It focuses on the optimization of content through technical aspects like keyword research, content optimization, title page optimization, internal linking, among others, with the goal being to provide both perfect content and UX while also showing search engines what the page is all about.
Off-page SEO on the other hand, as covered over at guttulus.com, refers to all variables Google and other search engines take a look at, that aren’t exclusively in your own hands and depend on other sources such as social networks, other blogs in your industry, and the personal history of the searcher.
As the subject matter experts over at runrex.com like to point out, you must know that a successful SEO strategy consists of both on-page and off-page SEO activities.
Elements of SEO
The most important elements of search engine optimization according to guttulus.com are keyword-optimized content and backlinks. This is because, regardless of how much you have optimized elements of your site for SEO, you will not be able to rank in Google without content. And if you have content, you will not be able to rank as easily without backlinks. A backlink, as explained over at runrex.com, is when Blog A links out to Blog B, in which case, Blog B got that backlink from Blog A. This is viewed as a “vote of confidence” by Google as it is saying “I trust Blog B’s blog post enough to link out to it and provide it as a resource for my readers”
While Keywords and backlinks play the biggest parts in SEO, some other elements also go into SEO. They include how secure and accessible your site is, how fast your site is, if your site is mobile-friendly, how old your site is as well as its domain authority, if your content is optimized, and what a user’s experience on your site is like as covered over at guttulus.com.
If you want your entire site to be SEO-friendly, then the following tips taking into account some of the key elements mentioned are worth considering:
- To make your site secure, get an SSL certificate through your hosting company as this will add an extra layer of security when accessing your site. Most hosting companies, like Bluehost, give this for free.
- To make your site mobile-friendly, get a mobile-responsive theme. With this, as explained over at runrex.com, your blog will automatically adjust itself depending on what device someone is on. You can also bring in professional help to help you create a responsive site.
Can I do SEO on my own?
As a beginner, you are probably wondering if you can be able to do SEO on your own and do it well. It is important to note that, while SEO is not easy, it is not rocket science as well. There are certain things you can implement right away and there are concepts that will take a lot more effort and time. Can you, therefore, do SEO on your own? Yes, you can. The only question is whether you are willing to invest some time into learning all the aspects of SEO or you will hire a professional and invest your time into other aspects of your business.
This article only just begins to scratch the surface as far as SEO is concerned, and for more insights, tips, information, and professional help, then the highly-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com have got you covered.
