What is SEO? ( (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the compass of the digital world.
In the digital universe, you need SEO to find the right destination among billions of websites and content. Just as a ship needs a compass to navigate on the right course, a website needs SEO to reach the right audience.
SEO is not just about ranking high in a search engine; it is about understanding your target audience, speaking their language, and giving them the answer they are looking for. Keywords are the directions of the user’s compass. Content is the ship itself, sailing along that route. Backlinks increase the reliability of the ship like friendly flares along the way.
SEO is the guide to reach the right destination without getting lost in the dark. With the right strategy, you can both attract the attention of the masses and achieve sustainable long-term success.
Do not worry if you are unfamiliar with these terms. By the end of this article, you will understand the logic and workings of SEO.
Why SEO is Vital to Your Online Success
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t just about ranking higher on Google; it’s about making sure your website is seen by the right audience. If you’re running an online business or blog, SEO is the tool that helps you connect with potential customers or readers who are actively searching for the content you offer.
- For example, if you run an online shop for handmade candles, SEO can help your website appear in search results when people search for terms like “best organic candles” or “handmade soy candles.” It’s not just about getting more traffic; it’s about attracting targeted users who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
Why should you care about SEO? Effective SEO practices improve your site’s visibility in search results, leading to higher click-through rates and increased traffic. But more than that, SEO helps you attract qualified traffic. Instead of random clicks, you want users who are looking for exactly what you offer. More relevant visitors means a higher chance of converting them into paying customers or loyal followers.
If you’re new to SEO, working with a professional can help you avoid common pitfalls. However, it’s important to ensure that the SEO expert you choose has the right experience and knowledge, as poor SEO practices can damage your site’s reputation and rankings.
What Services Do SEO Professionals Offer?
Website architecture & technical SEO: Ensuring that the structure of your website is search engine-friendly, making it easier for Google to crawl and index your pages.
Content optimisation & strategy: Reviewing your existing content and advising on improvements or new topics to attract more visitors. This could include incorporating long-tail keywords such as ‘eco-friendly candles’ or ‘sustainable home decor’.
Keyword research: Identifying the best keywords for your business and ensuring your content matches what users are searching for.
Competitor & industry analysis: Understanding what your competitors are doing right (or wrong) to help you outperform them in search rankings.
On-page & off-page optimisation: Improving the content of your pages and building backlinks from reputable websites to increase your authority.
Clear SEO reporting: Professional reports outlining your website’s progress, keyword rankings, and other key metrics to measure success.
Why Understanding SERP is Key to Mastering SEO
When it comes to SEO, understanding SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) is crucial. If you get SERP right, you’ll be able to improve your rankings and attract the right audience to your website. Here’s why it’s important.
Let’s take a Simple SEO Marketing Example:
Suppose you’ve opened an online store selling smart home appliances. You want your website to appear on the first page of Google when people search for terms like “best smart thermostat” or “affordable smart home gadgets.” The first thing you’ll need to do is look at the current SERP for these keywords and analyze the pages that are already ranking there.
So, what should you focus on?
- Can you make your content more relevant and helpful than the pages that are already ranking?
- Do you understand what users really want when they search for these terms? (This is called search intent.)
- Are you prepared to compete with the top-ranked sites, and what are they doing well that you can learn from?
Successful SEO Strategies: Tips for High Rankings in Search Engines
Outperforming your competitors can be a challenging process, but this is where the real purpose of Search Engine Optimization comes into play. In order for your website to be understood and correctly ranked by Google, you need to optimise your content effectively.
If you want to be successful, it is important to first gain a deep understanding of how search engines work. I always compare it to solving a jigsaw puzzle. Every puzzle has certain clues and solutions, and these clues are hidden in Google’s guidelines. Our job is to succeed by combining these clues in the right way.
How do search engines work?
Think of Google as a huge library. To add new books, it needs to read them first. That’s where crawling comes in. Google uses special robots called “bots” to explore the web. These bots visit web pages, read the content, and collect information (text, images, videos) to learn what the page is about.
After the bots have crawled a page, Google stores all the information it has gathered in its “library” (called the index). This is where all the information Google knows about web pages is stored.
3. Ranking: Showing the best results
When you search for something, Google looks through its index to find the best, most relevant results. It’s like asking Google to show you the best page for your search. For example, if you search for “how to make pizza,” Google will show you the most helpful and popular pages on the topic.
Why does Google care about quality?
Google’s main goal is to provide the best experience for users. So, it rewards sites that have high-quality, useful, and trustworthy content. If your site helps users by answering their questions or solving their problems, Google will rank it higher.
What’s search intent?
When people search for something, they have a specific reason for doing so. For example, if someone searches for “best phone for taking photos,” their goal is to find reviews of the best phones for taking photos. This is called search intent.
To rank higher, your content should match what people are looking for. If your site answers their questions well, Google will show it to more people.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of finding out what terms internet users search for on Google or other search engines. It is one of the cornerstones of SEO because the right keywords will ensure that your website reaches the right audience. However, there are some important factors to consider when choosing keywords.
Know your target audience: It will be very difficult to create an SEO strategy without understanding who your target audience is and what kind of information they are looking for. For example, if you are a fitness blogger, you should consider that your potential readers may be searching for terms such as ‘exercises that can be done at home’ or ‘easy weight loss methods’. Identifying these keywords is the first step in creating the right content strategy.
How to Do SEO Keyword Research Like a Pro
There are three key factors to consider:
1) Search volume: How many people are searching for that keyword? This is called search volume. The higher the search volume, the more potential traffic you can get. However, don’t target overly broad keywords such as “shoes,” as they are highly competitive. Instead, aim for long-tail keywords such as “best running shoes for flat feet.” These are more specific and have less competition.
2) Competition: How difficult will it be to rank for this keyword? Some keywords are very competitive, meaning that many other websites are also trying to rank for them. You don’t need to target the most competitive keywords right away. Start with keywords that are moderately competitive but still have enough search volume to bring in visitors.
3) Relevance: Does the keyword match the content you’re offering? Even if a keyword has high search volume and low competition, it won’t help if it’s not relevant to your website or audience. For example, if you have a blog about vegan recipes, targeting keywords like “vegan cooking tips” or “easy vegan dinners” will bring in more relevant traffic than targeting general food terms.
How to Do Keyword Research?
Think Like Your Audience: Start by asking, “What are people searching for when they need my product or information?” You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to help you find related search terms.
Use LSI Keywords: Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are related terms that help search engines understand the context of your content. For example, your main keyword might be “best nike running shoes” or “best nike running shoes for women“.
Keyword research is an essential part of any SEO strategy. The real question is what do you want to achieve with the traffic coming to your website? Are you focused on attracting as many visitors as possible, or are you looking for traffic that will actually engage with your site and convert into actions such as purchases or registrations? While driving traffic is a great place to start, converting that traffic into meaningful conversions requires a different set of tactics. I’ll be covering conversion optimisation in a future post, where I’ll take a closer look at the strategies you can use to improve your results.
What is On-page SEO
Why on-page SEO is important
On-site optimisation is a process related to the design of your website. Its purpose is to make your site more visible to search engines. This process involves improving how users navigate your site and how they view your content.
Key Factors :
Title and Description: Each page should have a unique title and description. This tells search engines what your page is about.
URL Structure: The links on your site should be clean and clear. Instead of complex URLs, use short and concise links that describe the content of the page.
Internal Links: It is useful to create links between pages, but it is important not to overdo it. Links allow users to discover more content.
Title Tags: When used correctly, title tags (H1, H2, etc.) clearly indicate the structure and content of the page to search engines.
Image Optimization: It is important that images are correctly captioned and sized appropriately. Each image should also have a descriptive ALT tag.
Mobile Compatibility: Checking that your website is compatible with mobile devices is very important for the user experience.
Fast Loading: A fast loading website is important for both users and search engines. Slow-loading sites can fall down the rankings.
These steps are critical to improving your site’s ranking and user experience.
On-Page SEO Factors
Several factors influence on-page SEO and play a key role in improving a website’s ranking. These include:
Content Quality: High-quality, relevant, and well-structured content is a primary ranking factor. Content should provide value to users and match their search intent.
Keyword Placement: Proper placement of target keywords in titles, headers, and throughout the content improves keyword relevance.
User Engagement: Metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and click-through rate (CTR) influence how search engines perceive the quality of your content.
Semantic HTML: Using semantic HTML tags ensures that search engines can understand the structure of your content and its relevance to specific search queries.
On-Page SEO Checklist
To effectively implement on-page SEO, consider the following checklist:
1) Conduct keyword research and target both short-tail and long-tail keywords.
2) Write unique, high-quality content that targets user intent.
3) Optimise title tags and meta descriptions for each page.
4) Use header tags (H1-H6) to structure content.
5) Ensure clean and keyword-friendly URLs for all pages.
6) Add internal links to improve site navigation and SEO.
7) Optimise images by compressing them for faster loading and adding descriptive ALT text.
8) Ensure mobile responsiveness for a better user experience on all devices.
9) Improve page load speed using tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights.
10) Update content regularly to keep it fresh and relevant.
What is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO refers to the actions you take outside of your website to improve its ranking on search engines such as Google. Unlike on-page SEO, which focuses on improving the content and structure of your website, off-page SEO involves activities that build your website’s authority and reputation on the internet.
For example:
Imagine you’ve opened a restaurant. It’s not enough just to improve the menu, you need people to talk about it and recommend it to others. Off-page SEO is all about increasing the popularity and reputation of your website by using external channels such as social media, backlinks and mentions on other websites.
Off-Page SEO Techniques (How to Do It?)
For example:
Here are some common off-page SEO techniques that can help you improve your site’s ranking:
Building Backlinks
A backlink is when another website links to your site. Google sees these links as votes of confidence. For example, if a popular food blog links to your restaurant’s website, Google will see this as a sign that your site is trustworthy.
Social Media Shares
Sharing your content on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter can drive traffic to your site. While social media engagement isn’t a direct ranking factor, it can still increase visibility and bring more visitors.
YouTube Videos
Creating and sharing videos about your business on YouTube can help spread the word. You can include a link to your site in the video description to drive traffic back to your page.
Mentions and Comments
Even if someone doesn’t directly link to your website, mentioning or talking about your brand on social media or blogs can still help. Always interact with your audience and keep the conversation going!
Off-Page SEO Checklist (What to Do?)
1) Build quality backlinks:
Try to get backlinks from trusted, high-quality websites. These links can be more valuable than many low-quality links.
2) Be active on social media:
Share content often on social platforms. Engage with your audience by liking, commenting and replying to their posts.
3) Work with influencers:
Working with influencers who have a large following can give you more exposure and help promote your site.
4) Guest blogging:
Write guest posts for popular blogs in your niche. Not only will this help you reach a wider audience, but you can also add backlinks to your site.
Off-Page SEO Examples (How to apply?)
A simple example: The Digital Freelancer
Imagine you are a digital freelancer offering online services such as web design, digital marketing or content creation. Your goal is to attract more clients to your business. However, relying on your website alone may not be enough to reach potential customers. To increase your online visibility and improve your search engine rankings, you’ll need to implement off-page SEO strategies.
Off-page SEO refers to actions taken outside of your website to improve its search engine rankings and authority. These techniques include building valuable backlinks, increasing your site’s credibility and engaging with other platforms. Here’s how you can use these techniques to boost your online presence and attract more customers.
Guest Blogging
As a freelancer in the digital space, contributing to well-established blogs in your industry can be an effective way to increase your reach. For example, if you specialise in digital marketing, you could write a guest post on a reputable marketing blog. You can include a backlink to your website in your post.
Why is this important?
Guest blogging not only positions you as an authority in your field but also provides you with valuable backlinks. Search engines like Google consider these backlinks as signals that your website is a trustworthy and relevant source of information. This, in turn, can improve your search rankings.
Example:
You write a guest post on a popular digital marketing blog entitled “The best digital marketing strategies for 2024”. In the article, you include a link back to your own website where potential clients can learn more about your services. This will increase your credibility and drive more traffic to your site.
Social Media Campains
Social media platforms are essential tools for a freelancer to reach a larger audience and connect with potential clients. However, it’s not just about posting regularly. To effectively leverage social media for off-page SEO, you need to implement a strategic approach.
Hashtags: Use relevant, trending hashtags (#DigitalMarketing, #SEOExpert, #WebDesign) to make your posts more discoverable.
Portfolio Sharing: Share your past projects on platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn, showcasing your expertise.
Engagement Campaigns: Run engagement campaigns such as contests or polls to drive traffic to your site.
Why is it this important?
Search engines monitor social media engagement as an indicator of the popularity and relevance of your content. Consistently posting quality content and interacting with your audience will increase your visibility and credibility, leading to higher search engine rankings.
Example:
You post a detailed case study on LinkedIn about a recent SEO project you completed. You use hashtags such as #SEOResults and #DigitalMarketing and include a call-to-action inviting followers to visit your website for more information. As more people engage with your post, Google recognises this activity and improves your ranking.
PR Campaigns
If you are launching a new service or product, issuing a press release can help you get noticed by the media and influencers in your industry. Getting coverage on reputable websites or news outlets can result in valuable backlinks and increased exposure.
Why is it this important?
PR campaigns offer a unique opportunity to get media coverage from credible sources. When trusted news sites link back to your site, Google considers these links as endorsements, which improves your site’s authority and rankings.
Example:
You’re launching a new online marketing consultancy. By submitting a press release, you can be featured in a leading digital marketing magazine with a backlink to your website. This will help raise your brand awareness and drive more targeted traffic to your website.
The Bottom Line :
For a digital freelancer, off-page SEO is just as important as optimising the content on your website. Strategies such as guest blogging, social media campaigns, PR outreach and online reviews can greatly enhance your online presence, drive targeted traffic and improve your search engine rankings. By using these tactics, you will not only increase your visibility, but also build your credibility and attract more potential customers.
In today’s digital world, successful freelancing isn’t just about having a great website – it’s about making sure your expertise is visible and recognised across the web. So start implementing off-page SEO today and watch your online reputation grow!
How Can I Measure My SEO Performance for Free?
There are many different types of data you can pull from Google Analytics to find out how your site is performing organically. When measuring the performance of your efforts, the following metrics can help you understand if you are moving in the right direction
Channel grouping – How does your organic traffic compare to other channels such as paid search, referral traffic, social media or email marketing?
Average position – What is your site’s average position in the SERP for a given query?
Clickthrough rate (CTR) – What is the number of impressions your site received in the SERP for a given query, and what is the CTR (number of clicks divided by the total number of impressions) for that query?
Conversions – How many conversions are there compared to other channels? What is the conversion rate?
Behaviour – What is the bounce rate of organic visitors? What is the page navigation rate and average time spent per visit?
Basic Steps for a Successful SEO Strategy
- Focus on user-centred content
- Optimise your pages primarily for users, not search engines.
- Prioritise E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) in your content to increase quality and credibility.
- Provide real, valuable answers to users’ questions and address their needs.
- Avoid manipulation
- Avoid misleading or manipulative tactics.
- Be cautious when using AI-generated content; ensure it provides value and relevance to users.
- Avoid SEO cheats
- Avoid black hat SEO techniques (e.g. automated content creation, hidden text, link farms).
- Focus on building natural backlinks and encouraging organic growth for long-term success.
- Produce original, valuable content
- Eliminate duplicate content; provide original and unique material that stands out.
- Invest in well-researched, comprehensive content to improve rankings and user satisfaction.
- Key SEO Principles
- Mobile Compatibility & Speed: With mobile-first indexing, optimizing for mobile experience and speed is crucial for ranking.
- Core Web Vitals: Core Web Vitals (page load speed, interactivity, visual stability) remain critical for SEO; ensure optimal performance for these metrics.
- E-A-T: Focus on expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, especially for content in critical industries like health and finance.
Keep Your SEO Strategy User-Centric
The key to SEO success is more than just ranking higher – it’s about creating content that truly resonates with your audience. When you prioritise user-centric content, bring originality to your work, maintain transparency and perfect your technical optimisation, you’re not just following SEO guidelines – you’re building lasting relationships with your users. Now more than ever, Google is rewarding those who put user experience and content quality at the heart of their strategy.
In a world where the digital landscape is rapidly evolving, these principles will help your site stand out, grow and thrive. Stay true to these core values and watch your SEO strategy flourish – ensuring not just short-term gains, but sustainable, long-term success.
It’s finally done. It was a bit long, but there is actually a lot more to tell. See you in Digital Marketing Tips.
Thanks to
Nomadic Bekir.