Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Beginner's Guide

Stanley

November 7, 2023

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min read

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

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Search engine optimization, or SEO in short, is the method of improving a website’s visibility on search engines like Google or Microsoft Bing. People go on search engines for various reasons like looking up products for sale, services available, and information on certain topics that a website has experience and information on. The better a website’s visibility is on search engines, the more people will find and click on that website. The purpose of search engine optimization is to assist in attracting website visitors who will then be converted to customers, clients, or even an audience that will keep returning to the website in the future. This article will serve as a tutorial for beginners that want to learn and how to use SEO effectively.

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How does SEO function?

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Most likely you have used Google to look up what and how SEO works. Some terms that you may have used are, “what is seo”, “seo tutorial”, or “seo for beginners”. All of these terms are examples of what you may have searched to find this article. SEO works through search engine algorithms, which are computer programs that look for clues to give people the exact search engine results they are looking for. Search engines rely on algorithms to find web pages and decide on rankings for a website. There are 3 steps on how search engines work and they are as follows:

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Crawling: search engines send out what are known as web crawlers. Sometimes called “spiders” or just simply “crawlers”, they explore and discover newly existing pages in addition to periodically checking content on pages they have visited prior and scanning for any changes or updates.
Indexing: this is when a search engine decides if it is going to use content it has crawled. If a crawled web page is considered unique by a search engine, then it will be indexed. When a web page is indexed, it is kept in a database where it will be ranked.
Ranking: the most important step by far. Ranking can only occur after the crawling and indexing steps are completed. Search engines will rank websites based on keywords mentioned on a page, load times of a website, and the website’s reputation.

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Tips and Strategies for SEO

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Creating a SEO strategy can be difficult if you do not have a plan organized. Here are 5 SEO techniques and tips to use SEO successfully.

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Create a List of Keywords: keyword research is usually the very first step of creating a SEO strategy. One of the best ways to find keywords is Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer and think about what they would type on the search engine field if they were looking for something. Then, you would use these keywords in your website in order for your customers to find you.

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Write High Quality Content: high quality content includes content that is search engine optimized, that answers questions and concerns that customers may have. While writing good content, remember to use keywords that you have listed in mind. Do not try to stuff your web pages with keywords in an attempt to increase your website ranking. If search engines catch this type of technique, then they can penalize your website by either lowering your ranking or completely removing your website from visibility. Also, go straight to the point that you would like to make because you are writing to an audience that needs help with something immediately.

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Use Keywords in your Website Page URLs: make sure that you don’t overlook your page URLs because they are important for your SEO. Focus on the most commonly searched keyword terms and choose the ones with the highest search ranking. One of the best SEO tools where you can check things like search ranking, search volume, and much more are Semrush and RankTracker. Not only are they able to perform those tasks, but they are also able to provide you in-depth information about a certain keyword term or a website ranking to determine if they are doing good or not, making them worthwhile to use.

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Don’t Overlook Page Titles: it is very important to create engaging titles for your web pages since you want them to grab your target market’s attention. If you don’t, people will not take their chances reading the rest of your content. Make sure one of your keywords is part of your page title.

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Review Every Page for Additional Keyword Placement: with content and headlines done, go over everything you have written so far. Look for any additional areas where you think you can add a few more keywords. You may be surprised at what opportunities you may have missed the first time, especially the second time around.

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SEO Examples

Source: Nike

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Nike’s website is a great example of a company that has a great SEO strategy. Their strategy involves engaging their customers with eye-catching terms like “must-have”, “trending”, and “new releases”, which creates an exciting atmosphere. It leads to them being curious and wanting to learn more. Nike’s website is nicely designed, with the navigation being easy to go through for people to find the type of shoes that they want to look for. Nike’s SEO strategy works because targeted keywords are used to attract attention for their shoes while maintaining a smooth customer experience.

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Source: Amazon

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Amazon uses their user-generated content through reviews and ratings. They offer consumers a valuable resource to make more informed purchasing decisions. User comments on retail sites offer content that describes a product and their experience of using the product.

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Final Thoughts

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Search engine optimization, or SEO, is making a website more visible in search engines by creating content that helps them rank higher. Popular search engines like Google are used by people everyday to look for anything from finding more information about something they may be curious about or purchasing a product. Applying the strategies mentioned in this article can help beginners learn how they can make their website optimized for SEO and hope to be visibly seen by viewers on search engines.

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What’s Next?

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