SEO for Beginners
SEO basics that you can put into practice today
Introduction
Well, hopefully a search for “SEO for beginners” brought you here (if it did, we did our job right and now you can trust this article…). If you’re looking around for SEO help, you’re likely very confused right now. You’re also probably beginning to get emails from “SEO experts,” trying to sell you packages without knowing your business. It’s a lot, but while SEO can seem daunting, focusing on basic yet impactful practices can set you on the path to more and better qualified visitors for your business’ website. With that, here are three foundational tips to improve your website’s SEO.
Tip #1: Basic SEO (“technical SEO”)
The backbone of any effective SEO strategy involves mastering basic technical elements such as alt text, titles, and meta descriptions. These components might seem minor but play a crucial role in helping search engines understand and rank your website.
Alt. Text. This is the text description of images on your website. Not only does it make your website more accessible to visually impaired users, but it also gives search engines content to make note of. Use descriptive, keyword-rich alt text for every image to improve your site’s relevance and visibility. Most basically, just describe the picture using keywords you’re seeking to rank for (i.e., “buy cold brew coffee” as the alt text for a picture of a cold brew coffee… simple, but very effective).
Title Tags. These are the clickable headlines that appear in search results (search for anything on Google and you’ll see one). They’re critical for both SEO and user experience. A well-crafted title tag should be concise, include target keywords, and convey the essence of the webpage’s content. Keep them short, to-the-point, and actionable.
Meta Descriptions. These brief descriptions appear under the title tags in search results. While they don’t directly impact rankings, a compelling meta description can improve click-through rates (i.e., the amount of people who click on your site vs. the people who merely see it). Ensure your descriptions accurately summarize the page content and include relevant keywords. Keep these descriptions under 120 characters, so that people can see the full description.
alt text
Title tag / meta
Tip #2: SEO in Copywriting (“creative” SEO)
SEO isn’t just about pleasing algorithms; it’s about engaging people. The amount and quality of copy on your pages significantly influence your website’s SEO performance. You need enough content around terms relevant to your business to signal to search engines like Google that your site is a viable answer to someone’s query.
Keyword-Rich Content. Identify and use keywords that are relevant to your business and audience. However, avoid keyword stuffing (don’t put “world’s best coffee” in a sentence three times, as an example). Instead, focus on creating valuable, informative content that naturally incorporates these terms.
Quality Over Quantity. While having enough copy is crucial, quality should never be compromised. High-quality, engaging content encourages visitors to stay longer on your site, reducing bounce rates and improving SEO rankings.
Content Variety. Incorporate various types of content, such as blog posts, case studies, and infographics, to cater to different preferences and increase engagement.
Tip #3: Implement and Monitor Tracking
To measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and understand your website’s performance, it’s essential to use tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Meta Pixel. These are all free tools you can use and you should use all of them! They are the difference between measuring results and flying totally blind.
Google Search Console. Monitor your site’s presence in Google search results, understand how Google views your site, and optimize your ranking. Through this tool, you can see where your site shows up in ranking when someone types in certain phrases related to your business offering.
Google Analytics. Gain insights into your website’s traffic, user behavior, and the effectiveness of your content and SEO strategies. This can be handy for measuring people’s time on your site and what pages people are visiting the most, to name a couple of examples. This is a very powerful (and free) tool that you can get set up in just a few minutes! All in all, you’re measuring people’s behavior on your site. From that, you can draw conclusions as to what you might improve or what is working well already.
Meta Pixel. This is very useful for businesses leveraging Facebook ads, as it helps in tracking conversions from Facebook, optimizing ads, and building targeted audiences. This simple line of code (that is relatively easy to install) can help you track effectiveness of your ads from Facebook to your website. One of the most valuable tools is to be able to see the dollars you spent measured against the conversions you’ve earned. Meta Pixel helps with just that.
so what now?
All in all, these items can help you be competitive online at a base level. “SEO for beginners” is honestly a little misleading as a title. Really, this is the foundation of where it starts. You’re not jumping into an entry level kiddie pool, only to remove it and build something better later. Though simple, these are legitimate things you can do that will hopefully help you get actual results! Start with just one of these steps every week and you can then build up from there. Don’t stress, don’t rush, and take your time. If you find yourself stuck or needing more of a lift, you can reach out to us by clicking the button below!