A Beginners Guide to SEO

Are you struggling to understand SEO? Follow this ABC guide!

Analytics –

A key understanding to SEO is consistently checking your websites analytics. Doing this will help the understanding of effectiveness of your keywords and content strategy.

Black Hat –

Black Hat SEO techniques are punishable as they are sketchy. Google are trying harder to try and recognise their tactics.

Competitive or Comparative –

Try and find out what is missing for your market or industry, you can then use this information as inspiration for your content strategy and key word planning. You can also see what your competitors are doing and find what they are doing wrong so you can be better.

Disavow –

Not all links are good links, disavow links appear on low quality directories or hyperlinked keywords.

Experience –

SEO UX is becoming more and more important. SEO targets search engines and UX targets your websites visitors, so both of these combined will share a common goal of giving users the best experience on your website.

Funnel –

Treat your website as a funnel, if you use broad search terms across all your pages then it won’t be as effective as creating a focused keyword plan.

Google –

Google is the heart of SEO. It has never been beaten since its inception and most SEO guidelines are created to go along with Googles actions.

Hummingbird –

In 2013, Googles hummingbird algorithm was created. It focuses on user intent, content and better understanding on what searches want.

Intent –

User intent will always be an important consideration when developing a keyword plan, buyer personas and a comprehensive SEO strategy.

Juice –

Link juice is a powerful force when improving a website ranking. It doesn’t matter how many back links you create, it matters about the quality.

Keywords –

In all SEO plans, keywords are the building blocks. We’ve come a long way from hyperlinking all the keywords in forum posts to more specific key word phrases.

Local –

Local SEO will help you if you’re a smaller business. It will help you compete with national and international services. If you have a local service, then you will need local traffic.

Mobility –

Mobile search is gaining more popular and its starting to bring the element of voice search to the SEO table. If you plan a keyword strategy, then you will need to mimic how we speak to make it imperative.

NAP Consistency –

You will need your contact information on Google if you want your business listed within and next to the map results. Adding your contact information will also make it more accurate and consistent.

On/Off Optimisation –

You will need quality optimised content on your website as well on all your digital marketing channels.

Penalty –

Google will penalise your site if you use unsavoury optimisation tactics. You can appeal a penalty, but the damage has been done so it is better if you avoid it.

Quality –

When you are choosing a keyword to optimise then make sure you have the relevant content to support it. Google rewards quality content.

ROI –

If you increase your organic traffic, then decrease your ad spend then it will seem like a worthwhile investment.

Social –

Even though social media doesn’t affect your page rank it will increase the likelihood of your content, portfolio and your brand appearing in front of the eyes of a potential client or partner.

Time –

SEO isn’t a quick fix. The research and implementation will take time, but so does the true reward of a site when it is well optimised.

URLs –

Seeing keyword stuffed core domains are a thing of the past, in SEO there is power in your URL extensions and your folder names

Volume –

You need to research the search volume when choosing your keywords. Make sure the ones you choose are what you offer and what your customers want.

Website –

A big part of SEO is your website, even though a great looking site is an amazing asset, Google won’t be able to ‘see’ it.

XML –

XML is a simple way to transport digital data. For SEO, XML is critical for the way that you create sitemaps that are submitted to Google.

Yellow Pages –

This is the predecessor of the internet, SEO and the phrase ‘Google It’. It is alphabetical and slightly categorical.