The ultimate guideline for SEO step by step for beginner

Whether you're a business owner or a content creator, you need to have a deep understanding of SEO so that you can apply the principles of content optimization and reap the benefits of increased visibility in search engines.

This article explains SEO and provides a step-by-step guide for beginners so that they can get started on making web content that is search engine friendly.

Why is SEO important for web pages?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website to increase the visibility of a web page and rank higher in search engine results. SEO is achieved through a combination of on-page and off-page techniques that include optimizing site content and structure, building backlinks, and improving user experience.

When a web page has a high ranking, it is more likely to be seen by potential customers when they do a search. By using keywords and implementing optimizations techniques, web page owners can make sure that their pages are more relevant to what people are searching for. This can help to attract more visitors and convert them into customers.

What is SEO Organic Traffic?

Organic traffic from search engines is the holy grail for many businesses. After all, what could be better than free, targeted traffic that comes to your site with minimal effort? Unfortunately, organic traffic is notoriously difficult to come by. And even when you do manage to get some organic traffic, it can be hard to convert it into paying customers.

What then is the secret? Content creation and effective SEO. This powerful combination will make you create a well-structured site with useful content and relevant keywords, making it as easy as possible for search engines to find and index your content.

Important Google Ranking Factors

Google's ranking algorithm is a complex system that takes into account hundreds of different factors to determine which pages should be displayed in response to a user's search query. While no one knows exactly how Google's algorithm works, there are certain factors that are known to influence a page's ranking. Here are some key ranking factors that have the most impact.

• Content quality: Google wants to see well-written, informative, and helpful articles that are relevant to the keywords being searched. If your website has high-quality content, it is more likely to rank higher in Google search results.
• Number and quality of backlinks pointing to your website: Backlinks are inbound links that come from other sites. Google sees these as "votes" for your website making it worthy of a higher ranking.
• Website loading speed: If your website takes too long to load, you could be losing out on potential customers and search engine traffic. So, this means optimizing images, videos, and other files that you upload to your site. For reference, the average loading time for top-ranking sites is less than 3 seconds.
• Mobile-friendly: Because Google uses mobile-first indexing, it's important to optimize your site for mobile devices. This means having a responsive design that automatically adjusts to fit the screen size of the device being used. It also means ensuring that your content is easy to read on a small screen and that your site loads quickly on all devices.
• Keyword optimization: To optimize your website for Google, you need to select the right keywords and use them throughout your site in a way that makes sense and helps Google understand what your site is about. When done correctly, keyword optimization can help improve your website's visibility in search results and drive more traffic to your site.
• User experience: Google wants users to have a positive experience when they visit your site. This means providing relevant, accurate, and up-to-date information. They also consider how easy it is to navigate your site. Can users find what they're looking for easily? Are your pages well organized?

Finally, Google looks at how long users stay on your site. If they leave quickly, it could be a sign that your site wasn't relevant to their needs or that it was difficult to use.

SEO Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

1. Do keyword research

Before writing your content, you must first do keyword research. This will help you understand what people are searching for online, and how you can target those keywords with your content.

Keyword research can be done using tools like Google AdWords, Ahrefs, Keywords Everywhere, Ubersuggest, and SEMrush, to name just a few. These tools give you valuable insights on keyword difficulty, competition, traffic volume, and backlink data.

You need to understand the search intent behind them. This means understanding why people are searching for those terms, and what they're looking to find. Only then can you create content that meets their needs and ranks well in search engines.

Once you have a list of relevant keywords, you can start incorporating them into your website content, title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text on images. To increase the chance of ranking high on the SERPs, use long tail keywords instead of highly competitive keywords.

2. Create original, helpful content

With the release of Google's helpful content update, Google made it very clear that the focus is on people-first content. This means that content creators must be able to create original, helpful content that will give visitors a satisfying experience. That is, they'll be able to find what they're looking for - questions are answered and problems are solved.

Users are always looking for helpful information when they search the web, and if your content doesn't offer anything new or useful, they are likely to leave and find a better result. Not only will this cause you to lose valuable traffic, but it will also result in a lower SERP ranking, as Google penalizes sites with low-quality content.

3. Use compelling titles

Your title is the first thing that potential readers will see, so make sure it's catchy and relevant to the content you're sharing. A good title will help increase click-through rates, which is essential for boosting your SEO.

Including the main keywords in your titles is a great way to improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages. But keep in mind that your title should be reflective of the main theme in your article.

Although there's no limit on the title length, a good rule of thumb is to keep the title length at 50 to 60 characters long, so they will display properly and will not be cut off.

4. Structure, format, and optimize your page

The structure and format of your website's content also play a role in how well it will rank. It's important to make your content easy to navigate for readers.

Here are a few tips to help you structure and format your pages correctly and make your content easy to read for site visitors.

• Use headings and subheadings to break up your text and help readers navigate your content.
• Use the right tags. Tags are one of the most important elements of SEO. They help search engines understand what your page is about and how it should be indexed. Make sure to use relevant tags in your content, including H1 tags for titles, H2 tags for subtitles, and meta tags for descriptions.
• Use short, concise paragraphs to make your content easier to read and understand.
• Use bullet points or lists to make complex information easier to digest.
• Use images as they are a great way to break up big blocks of text. When you include images in your articles, be sure to use alt text to describe the image. It provides context that will help search engines index your images.

5. Build high-quality backlinks

Backlinks are inbound links to your website from other sites. Essentially, incoming links from trusted and authoritative websites are especially valuable because they signal to search engines that your site is also a high-quality resource worthy of ranking. That's why it's important to build backlinks from authority sites in your niche. Doing so will help increase your domain authority, improve your search engine rankings, and drive more traffic to your website.

Follow these best practices and effective ways to build backlinks:

• Create high-quality linkable assets: List posts, videos, guides, tutorials, case studies, statistics, infographics, etc.
• Do guest posting or guest blogging: This strategy entails writing an article and posting it on another website. It's a great way to build relationships with other bloggers and get high-quality backlinks to your website. However, make sure that you're only guest posting on relevant websites within your niche.
• Do link reclamation: Search for mentions of your company or brand that don't link back to your site. Reach out to the author and request to include a link. Do this for sites that have high domain authority.

6. Create internal links

Internal linking is an important ranking factor in SEO. This simply means linking to other articles within your website. By doing this, you are helping search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your site. This, in turn, can help them index your pages more effectively and improve your site's overall ranking.

In addition to helping with SEO, internal linking can also be used to help visitors navigate your website. By linking to relevant pages, you can provide a better user experience and keep people on your site longer. This can lead to more page views and higher engagement rates. You can use a URL shortener for links that lead to content that's part of a marketing campaign.