SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimisation, can be an extraordinarily mind-boggling and frustrating term for newbies. It is the power that exists in the digital marketing realm long before Facebook or Reddit was even close to fruition. It is the essence of keeping the digital library aka Google Search Engine relevant and in check. Indeed, techniques that were utilised by professionals in the early days were not as intricate and not as complex. All you had to do was to create a bunch of bogus inbound links or keyword stuff the entire site to rank for the intended search phrases. Without a hitch.
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SEO, The Timeless Digital Marketing Technique
Rather than solely relying on partnerships and word of mouth, start-ups can utilise the power of search, social media and referrals to build a stronger online presence on the Internet and ultimately a more substantial and sustainable user growth rate in the long run. Search engine optimisation is a high return on investment (ROI) and often overlooked key aspect of increasing exposure online, i.e. organic search traffic. The idea of SEO is simplified into two categories, on-page SEO and off-page SEO.
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Today, most digital marketing specialists would know that Google uses over 200 signalling factors and that quality takes precedence over quality. Gone were the days where you could comfortably rank thrashy content and hoping to get views (New bloggers you might want to tweak your content for the sake of SEO). Nevertheless, picking up and thriving at SEO in this day and age is very much more than possible.
Note: Like how magicians would never reveal their tricks, most guides do not share explicitly how one can become an expert in the field of Search Engine Optimisation. We will only share the key concepts and must-dos (Stay tuned for more). Do expect lots of trial and error on your part!
On-page SEO: Meticulous Work At All Times
Image Source: Neil Patel
For on-page SEO, content creators’ goal is to create informative and relevant keywords and title tags in their content. This will ensure that content is optimised to be easily crawled by search engine crawlers such as Google Bots. Relevant keywords can be found or generated with keyword tools such as Google Keyword Planner by Google Adwords or Ubersuggest), where users on the platform can find related keywords with high search volumes by entering a search phrase or URL link.
Good News To WordPress Users
Image Source: Yoast SEO
For websites installed with content management systems such as WordPress can also do on-page SEO can also be done effortlessly by installing readily available SEO plugins, notably Yoast SEO. Plugins such like Yoast are capable of handling the technical aspects of a website, such as sitemaps, automatically and also provides a rough guideline for key metrics such as keyword density, content word length, internal linking and number of outbound links (followed and no-followed) for content creators to follow and adhere to while curating their content. A few key metrics worth mentioning are keyword density, content word length, internal linking and number of outbound links (followed and no-followed).
Off-page SEO: The Annoying Email Spam that Occasionally Offers Cash
For off-page SEO, backlinks matters. The number, as well as quality of backlinks linking to a page or domain, will determine the popularity of a page and be ranked accordingly on search results. One way of building kind of quality backlinks on a site is to build are pyramid backlinks. This works by building tiers of backlinks linking to the first tier of backlinks that links directly to the site. It is also important to note that the first tiered backlinks should be of high quality, to begin with, e.g. from niche websites.
Image Source: SEMrush
But how do we even start off with a single backlink from authoritative sites? One solution that will save you loads of time is SEMrush’s Brand Monitoring and Link Building Tool. These tools help SEO experts crawl the web for suitable sites that are worth the time emailing to for backlinks. By entering key phrases and or words, SEMrush is able to track any mentions online within a selected period of time, as well as indicating the BM score, Traffic level and estimated reach.
Image Source: MonitorBacklinks
Additionally, Website owners must learn to analyse their search traffic, index status, links to their site inbound links etc., to understand whether their SEO efforts are being reflected and beneficial to their site in the long run. This can be done by first by registering their domains on search consoles such as Google Search Console. Last but not least, they can also opt in for backlink monitoring tools such as Monitorbacklinks, which helps enables them to take actions on their site decisively swiftly e.g.e.g. filter out and disavow low-quality backlinks from their website…
As for the email spam you may or may not be receiving in your inbox, these are usually professionals who are trying to do the same and earn backlinks from your domain! Some of these requests could actually contain sponsored links (paid). You should exercise discretion on all links as it could ruin the credibility of the brand you’ve worked HARD for, affecting the overall authority and trust of your site.
Now that you are ready…
Image Source: SEMrush
There are courses related to SEO you can take to improve your skillset at no cost at all. Most of these courses do award the user a certificate upon completion, which is valid for one year before requiring users to retake a refresher course to renew their certifications. Guidesify’s SEO team recommends taking the SEO Fundamental Exams with Greg Gifford at SEMrush Academy to polish up your SEO skills in no time. The course currently features 31 exclusive video lessons and guarantees you to learn all the SEO essentials in just 4 hours, 100% free.
Regardless of the nature of your website, be it a blog or an eCommerce website, SEO is perfect for anyone to drive more traffic and customers to your site. Never downplay the significance of SEO and always keep yourself updated to the latest news; it is a neverending strategy to increase online visibility and will never stop to surprise (frustrate) digital marketers.
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