SEO Basics: How to Do SEO for Beginners

Use this complete beginner’s guideline to SEO to understand the basics that tin thief you commencement building a strategy that boosts your website’s traffic.

What Is SEO?

Search motor optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website to thief it look much prominently for applicable topics erstwhile group hunt utilizing Google and different hunt engines.

For example, SEO helps websites focusing connected the word “best java makers” look among the apical results.

This matters because higher rankings often lead to much clicks and visits.

Why Is SEO Important?

SEO is important because it brings free, targeted postulation to your website each month.

Consider that astir online experiences commencement pinch a search engine. 

When personification needs a product, service, aliases information, they caput consecutive to Google. If your website shows up for these searches, you tin pull visitors actively looking for what you offer.

Plus, group mostly spot integrated (free) results much than ads. 

Users cognize businesses salary for advertisement spots, but earning a apical integrated spot intends Google considers your contented applicable and helpful. This tin thief build credibility pinch imaginable customers.

The champion part? 

Once you rank well, you tin get accordant organic traffic without paying for visitors. 

Compare that to societal media, wherever your posts suffer traction complete time. Or paid ads that drain your fund pinch each click.

How Do You Make Sure Google Can Index Your Site?

The first measurement to SEO is making judge Google tin crawl (find) and scale (i.e., shop your pages successful a database) your site.

Google uses crawlers (also known arsenic spiders) to observe pages and publication their content. It tin past adhd those pages to its index.

Here’s a simplified visualization of really crawling, indexing, and displaying results useful (though location are problems that tin get successful the measurement of immoderate measurement successful the process):

To thief Google crawl and index your pages, you’ll want to usage Google Search Console. This free instrumentality shows you really Google sees your pages and alerts you astir awesome issues that could wounded your rankings.

Sign up for GSC to begin.

After setting up your account, create anXML sitemap to guideline crawlers.

A sitemap is for illustration a array of contents for your website that hunt engines tin easy understand. It lists each your important pages.

This is what a sitemap tin look like:

Most website platforms (like WordPress and Wix) create sitemaps automatically. But you tin besides create 1 utilizing a instrumentality for illustration XML Sitemaps Generator.

Once you person a sitemap, taxable it successful Search Console by going to “Sitemaps” and entering your sitemap URL.

The position file should publication “Success.”

Next, spell to “Indexing” > “Pages” to place immoderate URLs that aren’t indexed.

It’s normal to person pages that aren’t indexed. But if you announcement immoderate important pages that you want to beryllium eligible for rankings, activity to place and reside the issue. 

Further reading: How to Get Your Website Indexed by Google

SEO 101: Search Engine Optimization Basics for Beginners

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of identifying position your imaginable customers usage erstwhile searching for topics related to your brand, products, aliases services.

In different words, keyword investigation shows you what users are really searching for. So you tin create contented that answers their queries and attracts them to your site.

For example, a java shop proprietor mightiness cognize that “best java shop” is simply a bully keyword to target. 

But they apt request to do keyword investigation to find retired that their assemblage is besides searching for queries for illustration “where to get oat beverage lattes” and “coffee shop pinch workspace adjacent me.”

Effective keyword investigation lets you find topics your assemblage cares astir and understand the search intent (the extremity down the search), truthful you tin create effective content. 

Find applicable keywords utilizing the Keyword Magic Tool. 

Enter a wide word related to your niche, group a country, and click “Search.”

The instrumentality provides a database of “Broad Match” position by default, which incorporate your starting keyword(s) and adjacent variations.

When choosing keywords for your tract (or a circumstantial page), attraction connected relevance first.

For example, a business shouldn’t target “specialty coffee” if it doesn’t waste specialty coffee.

After ensuring relevance, see 2 different keyword metrics:

• Volume: The keyword hunt volume—the mean number of monthly searches
• KD %: The keyword difficulty score—a measurement of really challenging it will beryllium to execute a top-10 ranking for a fixed term

Keep successful mind that ranking highly for low-volume, highly applicable keywords often drives valuable traffic.

Start small, past purpose for much competitory position arsenic your site’s SEO capacity improves. 

Further reading: 

• 11 Best Keyword Research Tools (Free + Paid)
• The Ultimate Keyword Research Checklist

Quality Content 

Let’s get into really tocreate contented that some hunt engines and users will love.

Understand What Searchers Want to See

Understanding what group want to spot erstwhile they hunt for a query intends discovering the logic down a user’s query (this is called search intent).

Knowing hunt intent lets you nutrient contented that users are much apt to find useful. And that’s much apt to rank successful hunt results.

Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines disagreement hunt intent into 4 categories:

• Know: The searcher wants to study much astir something
• Do: The searcher wants to do thing aliases participate successful an activity
• Website: The searcher is looking for a circumstantial tract aliases page
• Visit-in-person: The searcher is looking for a circumstantial business aliases category

But SEO professionals typically usage the pursuing 4 types of hunt intent:

• Informational: The personification wants much information
• Commercial: The personification wants to comparison different options earlier buying
• Navigational: The personification wants to find a circumstantial page aliases website
• Transactional: The personification wants to return an action (like making a purchase)

One measurement to find intent is by reviewing the top-ranking pages for a keyword (also called doing a SERP analysis).

For example, the hunt motor results page (SERP) for “how to make a latte astatine home” shows how-to videos and step-by-step guides.

Making contented pinch a akin format tin summation your chances of ranking well. 

Another measurement to quickly place a keyword’s intent is to usage Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool. Just look for the “Intent” widget. 

If you’re doing keyword investigation pinch the Keyword Magic Tool, find immoderate keyword’s intent by looking astatine the “Intent” column.

Create High-Quality Content

High-quality content is accurate, helpful, trustworthy, relevant, and user-friendly, which is precisely the type of contented Google wants to reward.

Some characteristics of value contented include: 

• Thorough sum of the topic
• Clear statement and structure
• Up-to-date information
• Expert insights and/or original research
• Engaging visuals
• Error-free writing
• Mobile-friendly formatting

Use the SEO Writing Assistant to thief you trade value content. 

Add your target keywords, and the instrumentality will supply recommendations for readability, originality, reside of voice, and SEO. 

Further reading:

• SEO Writing: 16 Tips for Creating SEO-Optimized Content
• Importance of Content successful SEO: Why it Matters + How to Create it

Optimize Content that Appears Above the Fold

Content that appears “above the fold” refers to the first surface users spot erstwhile they onshore connected your webpage and serves arsenic the page’s first impression. 

If visitors don’t quickly find what they’re looking for, they mightiness leave. Which tin wounded your performance.

A bully above-the-fold conception does the following:

• Includes your main keyword naturally
• Clearly provides value
• Uses clear, elemental language
• Avoids intrusive elements

Here’s an illustration of an effective supra the fold section:

User Experience

User acquisition (UX) is really visitors interact pinch and comprehend your tract (its design, usability, etc.)—and Google values a affirmative personification experience.

Here are immoderate cardinal champion practices for ensuring a affirmative UX:

Use Enticing CTAs

A call to action (CTA) is simply a punctual that encourages tract visitors to return a circumstantial action, for illustration subscribing to your newsletter, scheduling a demo, aliases making a purchase.

Make your CTAs circumstantial and value-focused:

• Not great: "Click here"
• Better: "Get your free SEO checklist"

Here’s an illustration of a Semrush CTA to get visitors to motion up for a free trial: 

The CTA is clear, highlights a tangible benefit, and drives action. 

Place your main CTA supra the fold for conversion-oriented pages and trial variations to spot what resonates champion pinch your audience.

Avoid Walls of Text 

Most readers scan alternatively than publication each word, truthful steering clear of ample blocks of matter makes it easier to quickly spot cardinal information.

Break up your contented into easy-to-scan chunks by doing the following:

• Use short sentences and paragraphs
• Add achromatic space
• Include images aliases different ocular breaks each 200-300 words
• Write descriptive subheadings

For example, the screenshot beneath uses short paragraphs, images, and headings to break up the text. Which makes it very easy to publication and follow. 

Use Bullets, Numbered Lists, and Short Paragraphs

Break up contented pinch bullets, numbered lists, and short paragraphs. This attack improves scannability and maintains personification interest.

Here are immoderate ways to usage these elements effectively:

• Turn agelong paragraphs into slug points
• Start database items pinch action words
• Keep bullets accordant successful magnitude and style
• Use numbered lists for step-by-step instructions
• Use a operation of short paragraphs, lists, and visuals to create hit passim your pages

Check retired this illustration from 1 of our blog posts:

On-Page SEO 

On-page SEO is the process of optimizing a page’s content, HTML elements, and building to supply a amended personification acquisition and summation your chances of ranking well.

Here are immoderate on-page SEO elements you tin optimize today: 

Title Tags

Title tags are HTML titles that tin look arsenic clickable headlines successful hunt results. 

Google uses title tags to understand your content's topic. But, much importantly, compelling titles person group to click done to your site.

Do the pursuing to constitute effective title tags:

• Stay betwixt 50-60 characters
• Include a target keyword
• Clearly picture the page
• Write a unsocial title tag for each page

Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are short summaries of a page that tin look arsenic a snippet beneath the title connected SERPs.

While meta descriptions don't straight impact rankings, they tin power click-through rates.

To constitute effective meta descriptions, do the following:

• Stick to 105 characters aliases fewer
• Include the target keyword naturally
• Highlight the page's value 
• Include a clear CTA
• Write a unsocial meta explanation for each page

Heading Tags 

Heading tags are HTML tags connected pages that shape your contented into sections and thief Google understand the building of your pages. 

It’s champion to usage headings and subheadings (H2-H6) to conception topics successful a hierarchical and logical way.

Like this:

Here are immoderate different tips to usage heading tags effectively:

• Include 1 H1 tag per page
• Use your target keyword successful the H1
• Structure main topics pinch H2s and subtopics pinch H3s and smaller
• Keep headings descriptive and clear

Page URLs 

A URL is the reside of a circumstantial webpage aliases record connected the internet, and it tin thief hunt engines understand your page better.

Your URL (and the larger building of your website) tin besides power really your URL way is displayed successful hunt results. Which whitethorn power searchers. 

Let’s opportunity you’re choosing betwixt the pursuing URL slugs (the past portion of the URL):

• /shoes/2789469760/
• /red-shoes/

Which 1 would you opportunity is amended optimized?

The 2nd one. Because it accurately reflects what’s connected the page while still being concise.

To optimize your URLs:

• Keep them descriptive but concise
• Use your superior keyword
• Separate words pinch hyphens
• Remove unnecessary words (“a,” “the,” “and.” etc.)
• Avoid typical characters

Images

Images tin make your contented much engaging and bring successful postulation done Google image searches.

But hunt engines can't "see" images. So, you request to make judge they tin understand what’s being shown.

To optimize images for search:

• Use descriptive record names (mountain-hiking-gear.jpg—not IMG001.jpg)
• Add applicable alt text to picture each image (include your keyword erstwhile it makes sense)
• Compress files to amended loading velocity pinch devices for illustration TinyPNG
• Choose the correct record format (WebP is often best, but you tin besides usage JPG for photos and PNG for graphics)

Further reading: Image SEO: How to Optimize Images for Search Engines & Users

Internal Links

Internal links constituent from 1 page connected your tract to different page connected your site—they thief hunt engines understand your site’s structure, walk nexus authority, and thief users find related content. 

Here’s what an soul nexus looks for illustration connected a unrecorded page:

Use soul links efficaciously by doing the following::

• Use descriptive anchor text (the clickable, linked text)
• Add applicable soul links to caller pages
• Audit and hole surgery soul links regularly

Also, see giving low-performing pages a boost by linking to them from your pages pinch precocious nexus authority to stock authority betwixt pages.

Find pages pinch precocious nexus authority utilizing the Internal Linking study successful Site Audit. And nexus from those pages to your underperforming pages.

Link Building

Links from different websites to yours (called backlinks) are for illustration votes of assurance that tin lead to amended rankings. 

The much high-quality backlinks (i.e., backlinks from reputable websites) you person pointing to your pages, the higher your site’s authority successful the eyes of Google. And the higher you whitethorn beryllium capable to rank. 

How do you do that? With immoderate effective link building tactics:

Build Links from Associations, Suppliers, and Connected Business

You already person connections pinch different businesses, truthful move those relationships into links. 

Many of your suppliers, business partners, and manufacture associations person partner pages aliases personnel directories wherever they tin nexus to your site.

Start by making a database of:

• Companies you bargain from
• Professional organizations you beryllium to
• Business partners you activity with
• Chambers of commerce successful your area

Then, scope retired pinch a elemental email asking to beryllium added to their partners page. Since you already person a relationship, galore will beryllium happy to nexus to you.

Submit Your Site to Quality Directories

If you’re a section business aliases activity successful a circumstantial niche, getting your tract connected a morganatic directory tin nonstop you postulation and perchance immoderate nexus authority.

Focus connected industry-specific directories wherever your customers are apt to find you.

And beryllium alert that astir well-known directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.) usage attributes that show hunt engines not to dainty the links arsenic endorsements. Which tin make those links little valuable than modular links. 

Use a instrumentality for illustration Listing Management to automatically taxable your business accusation to apical directories.

Earn Links from the Press

Getting mentioned successful news articles and manufacture publications is 1 of the champion ways to build powerful links. 

Here's really to commencement attracting attraction from the press:

• Follow cardinal journalists successful your manufacture connected societal media and prosecute thoughtfully pinch their content
• Create reports pinch original data, surveys, aliases investigation and stock those reports pinch publications
• Build a elaborate media kit pinch your expertise areas, past coverage, and interaction information
• Monitor trending topics successful your manufacture and transportation applicable master commentary
• Write property releases for genuinely newsworthy institution updates
• Connect pinch section news outlets astir organization initiatives

Focus connected building relationships pinch journalists alternatively than conscionable asking for links. 

When you supply existent worth and found yourself arsenic a reliable master source, the links will travel naturally.

Create Content That Attracts Backlinks

Content that people attracts backlinks includes original research, infographics, timely content, and broad guides.

That’s because these types of contented supply new, absorbing information. Or simplify existing accusation to make it much understandable. 

Technical SEO

Technical SEO ensures hunt engines tin efficaciously find, understand, and scale website content. 

Here are 3 cardinal method elements you request to get right:

Provide Crawling Instructions pinch Your Robots.txt File

A robots.txt record tells hunt engines which of your pages they should and shouldn't crawl, which helps hunt engines prioritize the astir important pages.

For example, you decidedly want hunt engines to crawl blog pages focused connected valuable keywords. But you astir apt don’t want them to crawl admin pages.

Depending connected your site’s contented guidance strategy (CMS), you whitethorn already person a robots.txt record group up. You tin typically find it at: https://www[yourdomain.com]/robots.txt.

Here’s what a robots.txt record tin look like:

If you don’t person 1 yet, create one.

But beryllium observant to debar accidentally blocking immoderate important pages pinch disallow directives. And usage Google Search Console's robots.txt tester to validate your file

Optimize Your Core Web Vitals

Google’s Core Web Vitals are a group of metrics that bespeak really user-friendly your site.

They see the following:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures really agelong it takes for the largest constituent connected your page to load
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Assesses really quickly a webpage responds to personification interactions
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures overmuch the elements connected a page unexpectedly displacement arsenic the page loads

The amended your pages execute according to these metrics, the amended acquisition they provide. And the amended they tin rank.

Follow this step-by-step process to cheque and amended your Core Web Vitals:

Open Google Search Console and caput to “Experience” > "Core Web Vitals."

Then, look for pages marked arsenic "Poor" aliases "Needs Improvement."

Run those URLs done PageSpeed Insights to get circumstantial recommendations connected really to hole them.

Like this:

Or, usage the Core Web Vitals study successful Site Audit to spot circumstantial recommendations for 10 pages of your choosing.

Just click “View details” successful the “Core Web Vitals” section.

Look for the “Metrics” conception to spot your scores and recommendations connected really to amended them.

Further reading: Google PageSpeed Insights: What It Is & How to Boost Your Score

Use HTTPS

HTTPS is simply a protocol that lets web browsers pass pinch web servers successful a unafraid measurement (using encryption) and is simply a ranking factor.

Migrating from HTTP to HTTPS is straightforward:

• Purchase an SSL certificate (many hosts connection them for free)
• Set up 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS
• Update immoderate links and assets that are still utilizing HTTP
• Update your spot successful Google Search Console and taxable a caller sitemap

Mobile SEO

Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it prioritizes the mobile type of your site’s content. 

So, if your tract isn’t optimized for mobile SEO, it could execute poorly successful hunt results.

Here are a fewer ways to make judge your website is mobile-friendly: 

• Prioritize speedy load times
• Use a responsive website layout that automatically adapts to the user’s screen
• Optimize title tags and meta descriptions for mobile SERPs
• Keep paragraphs short and usage plentifulness of achromatic space
• Avoid intrusive pop-ups
• Make each your buttons and matter accessible and readable

Measuring SEO Success 

Track and measurement cardinal SEO metrics to measure your SEO capacity and find whether you request to make immoderate adjustments.

Here are immoderate metrics to see monitoring:

Organic Search Traffic 

Organic hunt traffic refers to really galore visits your tract gets from integrated (unpaid) hunt motor results. 

The champion measurement to measurement this metric is utilizing Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

Go to “Reports” > “Acquisition” > “Traffic acquisition.”

Set the clip scope to the latest afloat period and cheque the “Organic Search” statement to spot really galore visits your tract sewage from search. 

And show this number each period to spot whether your SEO efforts are driving much postulation to your site. 

To spot really beardown your integrated postulation capacity is compared to your main competitors, usage Traffic Analytics.

Further reading:

• SEO Traffic: What It Is & 6 Ways to Increase It
• Google Analytics for Beginners: Getting Started pinch GA4

Keyword Rankings

Keyword rankings mention to wherever your website ranks connected a SERP for circumstantial keywords.

This is an important metric to way because the higher you rank, the much postulation you tin get from hunt engines.

Track your Google rankings utilizing Google Search Console.

Go to “Performance” > “Search results” and cheque each the boxes astatine the top.

Then, scroll down to the “Queries” array to spot up to 1,000 keywords your tract is ranking for. 

For much useful insights, use Position Tracking.

Add the keywords that matter astir for your business, and the instrumentality will way your rankings daily. 

Further reading: SEO Ranking: Factors & Tips to Improve Your Positions

Engagement Time

Engagement clip is the mean clip your webpage was the visitor’s main focus. 

It’s a adjuvant metric to spot really good your contented satisfies hunt intent.

In GA4, the engagement complaint is the percent of sessions (website visits) that meet astatine slightest 1 of these criteria:

• Last longer than 10 seconds,
• Include a conversion event
• Involve astatine slightest 2 page aliases surface views

To cheque engagement time, spell to “Reports” > “Engagement” > “Pages and screens.”

Look for the “Average engagement clip per progressive user” column.

Investigate pages pinch notably debased numbers. And study them to find what whitethorn request improvement. 

Further reading: What Is Engagement Rate successful GA4? + How to Improve It

Conversions

A conversion is erstwhile a visitant completes a desired action connected your tract for illustration subscribing to your newsletter, requesting a demo, aliases making a purchase. 

Conversions bespeak whether your SEO efforts thrust existent business results.

To way conversions, usage Google Analytics. 

In GA4, conversions are called “key events.” Use Google’s guideline to study how to create and edit cardinal events.

Then, find your conversions by going to “Reports” > “Acquisition” > “Traffic Acquisition.” Look for the “Key events” column.

Specifically, look astatine the “Organic Search” file to spot really good you’re driving conversions done SEO.

Further reading:

• How to Set Up GA4 Conversion Tracking: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Increase Your Conversion Rate (Tips That Work)

Start Your SEO Journey

You now person the basics of SEO down. And a blueprint for amended hunt rankings. 

Start small—maybe optimize 1 important page aliases hole a method issue. Each triumph builds momentum.

But due devices make each the difference. 

So, motion up for a free everlastingly Semrush account. You’ll get entree to 55+ devices that fto you:

• Do keyword research
• Analyze your competitors
• Create optimized, user-friendly content
• Track your keyword rankings
• Run a method tract audit

Plus more.