SEO For Dummies: A Guide To Ranking Higher On Google
Do you want to know how can you improve your website’s ranking on Google? You’re not alone. With over 3.5 billion daily searches, it’s no wonder businesses are looking for ways to ensure their website appears as the top result. The good news is you can enhance your website’s ranking.
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is improving your website so that it is more likely to appear as the top results for relevant keywords. SEO is a complex and changing field, but there are some simple things you can do to get started.
Keep reading for a beginner’s guide to SEO and how you can start ranking higher on Google today!
What is SEO?
SEO is a complex and ever-changing field. It is the act of enhancing your site so that it is more likely to appear at the top result for appropriate keywords. These include things like optimising your website’s title and description and having relevant keywords throughout your website’s content.
Why is SEO important?
SEO is essential because it gets your website ranking higher on search engine results pages (“SERPs”). This is important because people are more likely to click on a result that appears at the top of the page, and higher rankings can also give your website a “trustworthy” boost in the eyes of potential visitors. Additionally, SEO can help to bring more traffic to your website. This is because, in addition to appearing higher in SERPs, a well-optimised website is more likely to be clicked on by users. More traffic should lead to more sales or leads and can also help to increase brand awareness and exposure. In other words, SEO can be a powerful tool for growing your business.
What are the SEO ranking factors?
Some factors can influence your website’s ranking on SERPs. Google has hundreds of ranking factors, but some of the most critical include:
- The quality of your website’s content
- The relevancy of your website’s content to the keywords you’re targeting.
- The number and quality of incoming links
- The speed and usability of your website
- The age of your domain
- Whether your website is mobile-friendly
How to do keyword research
One of the best things you can do when optimising your website for SEO is to choose the right keywords. If you are located in a specific town, you should add the town’s name, for example, SEO agency Swindon, or SEO services in Bournemouth. Keywords are the words or phrases visitors use when searching for something on the internet. For example, if you sell dog toys, some relevant keywords might be “dog toys,” “toys for dogs,” or “cheap dog toys.” Choosing the right keywords is vital because it will determine what kind of traffic you get to your website. If you pick keywords that are very general, you will get a lot of traffic that is not relevant to your product or service.
On the other hand, if you choose keywords that are too specific, you might get little to no traffic at all. The key is to find a perfect balance between the two. The best way to do keyword research is to start by brainstorming a list of relevant keywords. When you have your list of keywords, you can use a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner to get more information about each keyword, such as how many people are searching for it and the competition.
How to optimise your website for SEO
Optimising your website for SEO can seem daunting. One of the important things to do is ensure your website’s title and description are optimised for your chosen keywords. Your title should be brief and to the point, and your report should be a two- or three-sentence summary of your website’s content. In addition to optimising your website’s title and description, you should also include your chosen keywords throughout your website’s content. However, it’s essential to avoid “keyword stuffing” when you have a keyword so many times that it reads unnaturally. A good rule is to include your keyword a few times for every one hundred words of content. In addition to including your keywords throughout the body of your content, you should also have them in your website’s URL and in the titles and descriptions of your website’s individual pages.
How to measure your SEO progress
Measuring your SEO progress is important because it will help you determine whether your optimisation efforts are paying off. There are many ways you can measure your SEO progress, but one of the most important is your website’s “organic traffic.” Organic traffic is the amount of visitors who come to your website because of a search engine query. You can measure your site’s organic traffic with a tool like Google Analytics. Create a free account, add your website, and wait for Google to track your traffic. Once you have some data, you can see patterns in how your traffic changes over time. For example, if you change your website’s design, you should see a corresponding increase in traffic. If you don’t, it’s a sign that your change didn’t have the desired effect, and you should consider reverting it.
What are some common SEO mistakes?
A common SEO mistake is failing to do keyword research. As we’ve mentioned, choosing the right keywords is essential for getting relevant traffic to your website. Another common mistake is failing to optimise your website’s title and description. As we’ve mentioned, your title and description are two of the first things people will see when they find your website, so it’s essential to ensure they’re optimised for your chosen keywords. A third common mistake is “keyword stuffing,” when you include a keyword so many times that it reads unnaturally. Not only will this annoy your visitors, but it will also likely result in your website being penalised by Google.
How to troubleshoot SEO issues
If you’re having trouble with your website’s SEO, you should first check your website’s title and description. As we’ve mentioned, these are two of the most critical factors in your website’s ranking, so it’s important to ensure they’re optimised for your chosen keywords. If your website’s title and description are both optimised, you should check whether you use your chosen keywords throughout your content. As we’ve mentioned, it’s essential to avoid “keyword stuffing,” but you should still make sure to include your keywords a few times for every one hundred words of content. If you’re still having trouble, you should next check your website’s backlinks. Backlinks are links from other sites to your website. Google uses backlinks as a ranking factor, so it’s essential to ensure you have a good mix of high-quality backlinks. If you don’t have any backlinks, or if all your backlinks are from low-quality websites, your website’s ranking will likely suffer.
Where to learn more about SEO
If you’re interested in learning more about SEO, there are several resources you can turn to. The first place to look is Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. These guidelines are a good starting point for understanding what Google is looking for in a well-optimised website. Another great resource is Mos’s beginner’s guide to SEO. This guide covers many topics, from keyword research to link building, and is a terrific way to learn the about SEO. Finally, you can check SEJ’s e-book on SEO if you want more in-depth information. This e-book covers everything from the basics of SEO to more advanced topics and is an ideal resource to learn more about this complex and ever-changing field.
