SEO can often cause a surge of panic for new entrepreneurs and business owners. We all want to drive traffic to our website and get the word out there about our new business, but how does all of this come about? We have created a quick guide on the basics of SEO to get you started.
What is SEO?
One of the first steps in the basics of SEO is understanding what SEO actually is! SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is the process of establishing yourself naturally and organically on search engines. The job of a search engine is to provide the “searcher” (in other words your customer), with the best and most accurate result possible. The ambition of every company is to make sure they are the number one result in any search engine.
SEO is a great way for your potential customers to find you, if they haven’t already done so. Learning the basics of SEO can also enable you to attract customers who are not necessarily looking for you, but have been driven to your website anyway. It’s important to get the basics of SEO right, because if your customers and potential customers can’t find you straight away, they are most likely to find your competitor instead.
How can I be found?
Search engines take into account hundreds of factors when determining a result. Google provides a sneak peek into how they determine a search result. Knowing the basics of SEO, means knowing which phrases to use.
Keywords
Whether writing a blog post, the copy for your website and so on, you must ensure that you add short descriptions, especially to videos and images, as this will boost your ranking in search engines. However, going back to the basics of SEO, it is important to not overuse keywords otherwise you fall into the trap of spamming. Trying to ram too many key words into a short space can detract from what you’re actually trying to tell your audience who are taking an interest in your website. Also avoid writing too much for the sake of including more key words. The basics of SEO means keeping it short and simple. Search engines can easily detect if you are overusing keywords for SEO purposes, and there are many systems in place to stop the spam that is generated. Don’t fall into this trap!
Images and Videos
Another one of the basis of SEO is ensuring you use videos and images in your content. Search engines love visual content, so feel free to include eye-catching and attention-grabbing information on your website. Using relevant images can turn a simple blog post into successful website content that drives traffic to your website. Image and video optimisation is an essential component of SEO strategy. The basics of SEO means not just writing content, but writing creative content that will draw your audience and be shared across social media channels.
SEO Strategy
The basics of SEO also take into consideration strategy. Strategy doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be logical. Think about what you want your audience to find on your website, blogs and so on. Think about what images, videos, or links you could include alongside your content, to boost your presence in search engines. Put the time into finding the most appropriate images, and don’t include one for the sake of it. Poor quality images will not boost your content in any way. Image optimisation is just as important as text optimisation. Use of relevant titles and heading can direct traffic to your website.
So keeping it short and sweet, those are the basics of SEO you ought to take into account when building up your SEO and web presence. Don’t forget to keep your content fresh, engaging and relevant. Think carefully about keywords and what your potential customers might search for in terms of the phrases and descriptions they enter into search engines. Great visual content is a sure fire way to boost your online presence, so think carefully about what you’re trying to convey.
The basics of SEO couldn’t be simpler!
