SEO

A Simple SEO guide for 2021: The basics of SEO optimization

You already know that SEO is critical when it comes to maintaining an online presence. What you would like to know is how to implement SEO to produce the desired results.

Search Engine Optimization can be a daunting task, especially for beginners. Although it is always better to hire SEO experts and hit the ground running, I’ve written this simple guide to help small businesses and individuals who would like to try it for themselves.

If you have no experience with SEO, this is an excellent place to begin. However, this is by no means an exhaustive guide; instead, you can think of it as an introduction to get you started.

The most important thing before we begin is to know what you want from your audience. Do you want loyal readers? Or do you want to convert visitors into returning customers? Knowing exactly what you want can help you create the best SEO strategy specific to your needs as well as help you make the most out of your incoming traffic.

Part 1: Content

When it comes to SEO or local seo experts, content is, was, and always will be, THE KING.

If there is only one thing you wish to do in the coming year to improve your online presence, let it be producing quality content.

No amount of optimization can make up for a website that doesn’t offer what it promises.

You can get the clicks with tricks and gimmicks, but you’ll never be able to build credibility for search engines to rank you higher. When you deliver good content with a smooth user experience that readers enjoy, it inevitably increases your site’s engagement.

Some tips for better, more engaging content:

  • Provide Value: At this point, this goes without saying. Make sure your site delivers what it promises to offer. In fact, go a step further and provide a little more. The online space is extremely competitive, and so the best way to stand out is to give more than what your user asks for. No matter your niche or industry, try to do your best when it comes to content. Good content always pays off.
  • Diversify your content: The demand for video content has been on a steady rise lately. The use of images, illustrations, and even recorded audios has been shown to increase user engagement. The point is, diversify your content. Avoid having a plain long wall of text for your blogs, and do not be afraid of mixing things up. Utilize multiple media formats like images, illustrations, videos, (even gifs!), etc. depending on your audience and niche.
  • Improve User experience: It is not merely enough to have great content on your site when your readers can’t enjoy it. Make sure your site is lightweight (for faster loading times), well designed, and responsive. (Responsive sites are those which adapt to the user’s screen size, device, and orientation. These are enjoyable across all devices and platforms). And finally, do not forget website security. Make sure your website offers a secure connection and protects user data. Doing so will improve your rankings and increase user confidence.
  • Get Specific: Specialization goes a long way when it comes to rankings. You are better off being good at one thing than average at ten. Target only a few relevant keywords in your niche and create the best possible content around them.

Part 2: Simple SEO tips

So you have high-quality content on a well-designed website, now what? Now comes the optimization, and there is a lot to be done here. At this point, it is worth noting that there are many SEO tools out there to help you with things like keyword research, backlink analysis, on-page SEO checking, etc. Anyone serious about SEO will surely need these at some point.

Some basic and easy to implement SEO tips:

  • Backlinking: When it comes to search engine rankings, perhaps the most important factor after high-quality content is your backlink profile. Backlinking is when other (preferably high authority) sites link back to your site. Google trusts sites that other trustworthy sites are willing to direct their traffic to; backlinking thus, is essential for your website’s long-term health. Some legitimate ways of generating backlinks are writing ‘skyscraper’ content, guest posting, influencer marketing, etc.
  • Keyword optimization: Make sure you conduct enough keyword research before committing to target the ones relevant to your niche. Only pick keywords within your competitive range. You don’t have time for keywords too competitive to rank for. Once you know what keywords to target, dedicate a single page to each on your site. Make sure you do not try to rank the same page for multiple keywords; again specialization is the key.
  • Internal linking: Google uses the links on your site to understand your site’s structure and hierarchy. Once you have your keyword specialized pages, make sure other relevant pages on your site link to them. This way, Google can know what pages on your site are important and will rank them accordingly. A good strategy would be to write blog posts on topics relating to your targeted keywords and linking them back to your specialized pages.

There is so much more when it comes to SEO, and we haven’t even scratched the surface with the above guide. If interested, you can always follow a more thorough and detailed guide, like this one.

The entire world has transitioned online and as traffic and competition continue to grow, the world of SEO will inevitably change. While it can be difficult to keep track of and implement every new SEO technique, be assured that good quality, well-optimized content always wins.

Hope this simplified guide was informative and beneficial to you. How will you leverage SEO in the upcoming year to improve your online presence?

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