Everyone Starts at the Same Place…Basic SEO Principles

To put it simply, search engine optimization (SEO) is a very complicated aspect of internet marketing. In the broadest sense, the process of developing an effective SEO approach for your website can be daunting. After all, building SEO involves committing your time and efforts towards perfecting various online activities from content writing to advanced keyword research. Nevertheless, SEO is a methodical process, as well. Therefore, learning the primary concepts of SEO principles will help you better develop strategies that can maximize the online potential of your business.

One of the most popular questions among businesses striving to create an valuable online presence is simply, “Where do I begin?” As you will find out, boosting your SEO wholly depends on how you lay your foundation. This foundation is essentially composed of a few SEO principles you will read about in this article. Read on to learn more about how you can get started changing the course of your SEO.

Use SEO Tools

 

SEO is determined by metadata that can only be comprehended by specific online tools. To begin tracking your SEO progress, rely on premium online SEO tools that can translate this data into information you can understand. The most common SEO tools you can use are:

• Google Search Console – This tool allows you to track your website’s performance from Google’s interactive console. Using this system, you can also diagnose specific SEO problems, conduct effective keyword analysis, and analyze your website’s UX factors
• Bing Webmaster Tools – Although Bing is not as popular as Google, the search engine is accountable for approximately 25% of search queries in the United States. This tool does allow users to track inbound links, analyze certain keywords, and more.
• Google Analytics – In order to use Google Analytics, make sure your website is appropriately linked to the Google Search Console. Once this is done, you will have access to a myriad of data from page views to your website’s bounce rate.
• Yoast SEO – WordPress is the most popular CMS on the web, and powers nearly 30% of the entire web. If you are using WordPress as your content management system, be sure to download the Yoast SEO plugin to keep tabs on the quality of your content, as well as efficiency of your metadata.

Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is the primary building block of SEO. Once all of your tools are set up, you will need to understand which keywords are lucrative in your niche. After doing so, you can create your content based on these keywords, generating organic traffic around the web. To get you started, here are a few things you should know about keywords.

• Don’t Use Too Many – Google is very particular about keyword stuffing, or simply the practice of cramming excess keywords into your content. Always check your keyword density to be mindful of how often you should include keywords when you are writing content.
• Try Long-Tail Keywords – Long-tail keywords are basically longer phrases that individuals use to find specific information on a search engine. In order to boost optimize your website keenly on user intent, use online tools, such as the Keyword Tool, to brainstorm the most practical Long-tail keywords.
• Use LSI Keywords – Using different variations of keywords is exactly what Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is all about. When you are creating content, try not to lean on the same keywords, but create similar keywords to keep your content varied for a larger audience.

 

Optimize Your Website

 

Before Google can rank your website, it must first process the data on your site. The colloquial term for this information is called, “metadata”. Fortunately, you can edit the metadata on your website to show Google that your website is better than your competitors. Here is some metadata that you need to pay close attention to:

• Descriptions and Tags – Page titles, subtitles, meta descriptions, and even alt tags are fundamentally important website SEO factors. Make sure that all of your website pages and additional content (blog posts) contain this information in order for Google to properly index your website.
• External Links – To add value to your content, find authoritative links that give undisputed facts and information. Not only will Google look for external links in your content, but your readers will enjoy this addition, as well.
• Internal Links – In your content, keep your audience engaged by providing internal links. Essentially, these links make it easier for Google’s bots to navigate through your site. Therefore, it couldn’t hurt to create links to other pages and content on your website.

Final Words

Overall, SEO is a detailed and often difficult process for beginners. However, by engaging in the basic SEO principles listed above, you could be well on your way to generating a complete SEO presence online, while familiarizing yourself with the entire concept.

If you enjoyed this article, or have any questions or concerns, feel free to use the comment section below and let your voice be heard.

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