Search engine optimization (SEO) promises many benefits, helping you increase traffic to your website, improve your brand’s visibility and set a course for long-term growth. But if you have no idea what you are doing and no real experience in the SEO world, is this strategy totally inaccessible to you?
The short answer is no! But even if you have no idea how search engines work and have no experience creating content for SEO, there is a way forward to using this strategy any way you want.
What is SEO?
In case you are not familiar, let’s discuss the basics of SEO. You probably already know that most people rely on search engines to answer their questions, research new topics, and gather information.
You can probably guess that most people click on the first or second result they generate with a particular search query rather than scrolling through multiple pages. Search engine optimization is about increasing the chances of your web pages being ranked in one of these top positions.
You will have to use many individual tactics to rank higher in search engines. We will discuss some of them in more detail later.
The Three Paths of SEO for Beginners
If you are a total novice, there are essentially three ways to harness the power of SEO.
Learn and do it yourself
It’s a little intimidating at first, but you can learn the basics of SEO yourself. Most of the basics are easy to understand and there is a plethora of online content you can use to learn new skills and get some initial practice.
Within a few hours you should master the basics and after a few months of practice you can probably call yourself an expert. Sure, SEO can be difficult, and it’s always very time consuming, but if you’re patient and persistent, you can hypothetically do everything yourself.
Utilize third-party SEO services
You don’t have to do it all yourself. You can also enlist the help of SEO services provided by agencies, freelancers, or employees you hire to build your own team.
This option is more expensive because you are likely to pay thousands of dollars per month for professional services. But you will save yourself a lot of time and get much more reliable results.
Establish a hybrid approach
The other option is to develop some sort of hybrid approach. You will still learn the basics of SEO and practice standard techniques independently. However, you also leverage the power of third-party services to increase your capabilities and compensate for any weaknesses.
This is perhaps the most balanced approach and the most chosen by newcomers to the field.
Learning the Basics of SEO
It’s impossible to summarize all SEO in a single article, let alone a single section, but we’ll walk you through some of the basics here. The two main considerations to keep in mind when optimizing for search engines are relevance and reliability.
Google and other search engines want to prioritize the visibility of content they consider relevant to a search and reliable enough to recommend.
The relevance side of the equation is mainly attributable to keyword optimization.
Keyword optimization has evolved significantly over the years and is much more advanced than ever. Still, the basic idea is that you should create content that is explicitly suitable for searches that you think your target audience will make.
For example, if you sell pogo sticks, you should write a lot of content on your site about pogo sticks so that you can show up for pogo stick related searches. As a result, companies often spend a lot of time and money on keyword research to make sure they choose the most appropriate targets.
The trustworthiness side of the equation is based on a number of factors.
Google prioritizes technically polished and easily accessible websites, so it pays to make sure your website is fully functional and easy to use for users. Furthermore, you should think about your “authority” score, which mainly depends on the quality and quantity of links pointing to your site.
Do Early Research and Strategizing — Then Break Actions into Three Components
Onsite technical optimization.
On-site technical optimization is all about making sure your website loads correctly and efficiently. You also want to make sure that you improve the overall user experience.
Mobile optimization, faster load times, and clean coding can all help you here. In addition, you need to ensure that your site appears in Google’s index, although if you use a regular website builder, many of these issues will be handled on your behalf.
Onsite content development.
Content is still the heart of SEO. Writing onsite content helps you define the context of your site and improve its relevance to user searches. It is also a useful quality indicator used to evaluate reliability to a certain extent.
As an added bonus, content is valuable in attracting new users and driving conversions, making it strategically useful even independent of SEO.
Offsite content and link building.
You should also think about offset content and link building. Building lots of links is great, but building high-quality links is better. You should also think about the appearance of your links, as unnatural links can get you a fine.
Finding the Right Partner for SEO Services
If you decide to partner with a third-party service provider, either exclusively or as part of a hybrid model, you should know that finding the right partner for your needs is essential. There are three main options to consider:
What to Look for When Shopping for SEO Providers
Timothy Carter
Chief Revenue Officer
Timothy Carter is the Chief Revenue Officer of the digital marketing agency SEO.co, DEV.co & PPC.co. He has spent more than 20 years in the world of SEO and digital marketing leading, building and scaling sales activities, helping companies increase revenue efficiencies and drive growth of websites and sales teams. When not at work, Tim enjoys playing a few rounds of disc golf, running and spending time with his wife and family on the beach – preferably in Hawaii with a cup of Kona coffee. Follow him on Twitter @TimothyCarter
How can I learn SEO without a website?
Different ways you can use SEO without a website
- Social media. There are two ways to look at the social media angle. †
- Job sites. If you’re looking for a job, you can create a profile on a job board website like Career Builder or Monster (or for many, a little more focused). †
- Local businesses.
Can I learn SEO myself? It is possible to learn SEO yourself, you do not need to be an SEO specialist or expert. The first thing to do is convince yourself that SEO is not difficult. If others can do it, so can you. All it takes is the willingness to learn and the time.
Can I learn SEO without coding?
The short answer is no, SEO typically doesn’t require much (or any) hands-on coding. You can do absolutely fine SEO without touching code.
Is SEO a programming?
SEO is different from normal software programming where you design, develop, debug, test and implement. SEO is a website refining activity that includes analysis and verification of web pages. SEO is a combination of adherence to search standards and techniques to make your website relevant to certain keywords.
Is SEO difficult to learn?
SEO just isn’t as hard as people pretend it is; you can get 95% of the effort with 5% of the work, and you definitely don’t need to hire a professional SEO to do it, nor will it be hard to start ranking for well-chosen key terms.
Should I learn coding or SEO?
Conclusion. In short, you can be a great SEO without SEO coding skills. If you can code tools in PHP or Python, you have an edge over any other SEO specialist. But this doesn’t make you a better SEO than the others.
Can I learn SEO in a day?
No, it’s not rocket science, but you also don’t learn it overnight, or even in a year. If you start doing your own SEO, you will most likely hurt your rankings and end up in a worse position than before.
Can I learn SEO in 2 months? Although it’s a career-long journey, you can indeed learn SEO in about a month – enough to have a huge impact on your website and therefore your business as a whole.
Can You learn SEO by yourself?
There’s no better resource I’ve found as a starting point for learning SEO than Moz’s The Beginner’s Guide to SEO. It’s free and it starts by answering the most basic questions like “What is SEO?” Read the entire guide once and you’ll know more than the people who send you those spam SEO emails every day.
How long will it take to learn SEO?
It takes 1-3 months to learn the basics of SEO. The basics of search engine optimization can be understood and learned in 3 months, but the more advanced concepts can take 6-18 months.
Is SEO course easy to learn?
Learning SEO is difficult because there is a lot of information to read about search engines and how the optimization process works, and it can be overwhelming at first.
Is SEO difficult?
In short, SEO is difficult because search engines are always changing and updating. It could be anything from Google changing the way it looks at a certain type of link, including another major update to their algorithm, or even recognizing something new as a ranking factor.
How long does SEO take to learn?
It takes 1-3 months to learn the basics of SEO. The basics of search engine optimization can be understood and learned in 3 months, but the more advanced concepts can take 6-18 months.
Is SEO good for beginners?
If you’re serious about improving search traffic and are unfamiliar with SEO, we recommend reading the Beginner’s Guide to SEO front-to-back. We’ve tried to make it as concise and easy to understand as possible, and learning the basics of SEO is an essential first step in achieving your online business goals.
How quickly can I learn SEO?
It takes 1-3 months to learn the basics of SEO. The basics of search engine optimization can be understood and learned in 3 months, but the more advanced concepts can take 6-18 months.
Is SEO a waste of money?
SEO is not dead. It is not a waste of money, if and when it is done correctly. The grass isn’t greener on the other side; it is greener where it is watered. If you take good care of your website, it will take care of you too!
Is SEO Worth It in 2022? Yes, SEO is worth it: in 2022, in the future, in the past and always. As long as websites and search engines exist, SEO is necessary. SEO will probably be very different in 10 years from SEO today, but you should always make sure that your website is sending search engines the right signals so that you can be found.
Does SEO Still Work 2020?
While some traditional marketing methods may be outdated, SEO is here to stay in 2020. Whether you invested in SEO early or are just starting out, it can still be a major driver of traffic and leads to your website.
Is SEO dead 2020?
Don’t be fooled: SEO is not dying out, but it is evolving much more than it was years ago. If you’ve been questioning whether or not you should invest in SEO for your business, read on to find out why SEO isn’t dying in 2021, but is thriving.
Is SEO worth it anymore?
Absolutely not. Businesses are still making money because Google puts them at the top of search results. What’s dead are old SEO techniques that were very effective and could promote your business on Google rankings quickly, easily and cheaply.
Is SEO still relevant in 2021?
So, is SEO still a good investment in 2021, and beyond?! Short answer: YES! SEO is more important than ever! It is still one of the most powerful digital marketing strategies that delivers long-term results.
Is SEO worth it 2020?
The short answer is that SEO is very effective – not only for generating traffic, but also for generating leads and sales. Do not worry. The long answer involves research and data, not just empty statements. Most SEOs get too caught up in search-specific metrics like SERPs (search engine results page), rankings, and organic traffic.
Is SEO worth the money?
The short answer is that SEO is very effective – not only for generating traffic, but also for generating leads and sales. Do not worry. The long answer involves research and data, not just empty statements. Most SEOs get too caught up in search-specific metrics like SERPs (search engine results page), rankings, and organic traffic.
Do I really need SEO?
It can help you increase your credibility, increase traffic and improve your online visibility. Plus, you get all those results by spending a dime on ad space. In addition, SEO is a great way to improve your target audience’s overall experience with your brand.
Is Investing in SEO worth it?
SEO is worth it if you have the right strategy and work with a partner who knows how to get results. About 93% of online experiences start with a search engine, and the close rate of SEO leads is much higher than traditional marketing. So SEO offers an impressive return on investment (ROI).
Is SEO a Waste of time?
Focusing on SEO to increase your traffic at the expense of building real relationships with your audience is a waste of time. Worse, you never know what SEO mistakes you’re making unless you pick up some basic SEO skills. You can be penalized for keyword stuffing or building bad backlinks.
Is there still money in SEO?
But increasing traffic to your website isn’t as easy as publishing a few blog posts. As a result, business owners rely on SEO professionals to drive more search engine traffic on their behalf. The SEO market just keeps growing. The SEO industry is valued at over $80 billion.
Can you still make money with SEO?
The simple answer is that SEO can be a great way to earn a decent income, and provided you have the skills to scale an SEO practice, the sky is the limit. Today, there are many ways to make money online, from building an e-commerce website to creating a blog to promote products and services.
Will SEO exist in 5 years?
SEO will not go away in the next five years as social media and search engines will most likely merge. Facebook has already started doing this: they average more than 1.5 billion searches per day. Twitter has done the same; they joined in partnership with Google.
Does SEO have a future? SEO is now considered a long-term investment for businesses, with results gradually showing. SEO is considered near death by many web administrators and business owners due to recent search engine algorithms. They believe that SEO is no longer effective and will never yield fruitful results.
Will SEO become obsolete?
As long as search engine results pages exist, SEO will never be obsolete. As long as the algorithm continues to crawl our websites, there will always be a need for SEO professionals. Organic search will always be a channel that can bring tremendous value to any business.
Does SEO Still Work 2020?
While some traditional marketing methods may be outdated, SEO is here to stay in 2020. Whether you invested in SEO early or are just starting out, it can still be a major driver of traffic and leads to your website.
Why is SEO dying?
SEO isn’t dead, it’s just changing. Sure, clickthrough rates drop and Google keeps tweaking its algorithm, but that’s to be expected. Google has made it so that you can easily target your ideal customer through SEO or paid advertising. It used to be much harder before they came.
Is SEO still relevant in 2021?
So, is SEO still a good investment in 2021, and beyond?! Short answer: YES! SEO is more important than ever! It is still one of the most powerful digital marketing strategies that delivers long-term results.
How SEO will change in 2022?
By 2022, expect SEO rankings to be more competitive in delivering quality content that is useful to internet users. Content that only tries to fish for their audience by linking unnecessary sourcing will not be effective as it is today.
Why is SEO important 2022?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the key to successful digital marketing strategies. SEO can help your website rank higher on search engine results pages (SERP), which increases visibility and organic search traffic.
Does SEO still work in 2022?
Is SEO still relevant in 2022? Yes of course. While some SEO tactics that were effective in the past stopped working, SEO continued to evolve. Constantly reinventing itself to try and fine-tune user intent, reducing the spammy, ineffective tactics to get better.
How long will SEO last?
SEO should deliver results within a period of 6 to 12 months. By results we mean a measurable increase in traffic and associated leads or conversions.
Is SEO dead in 2021?
Don’t be fooled: SEO is not dying out, but it is evolving much more than it was years ago. If you’ve been questioning whether or not you should invest in SEO for your business, read on to find out why SEO isn’t dying in 2021, but is thriving.
Is SEO still relevant in 2022?
Is SEO still relevant in 2022? Yes of course. While some SEO tactics that were effective in the past stopped working, SEO continued to evolve. Constantly reinventing itself to try and fine-tune user intent, reducing the spammy, ineffective tactics to get better.
Is SEO worth it 2021?
The short answer is that SEO is very effective – not only for generating traffic, but also for generating leads and sales. Do not worry. The long answer involves research and data, not just empty statements. Most SEOs get too caught up in search-specific metrics like SERPs (search engine results page), rankings, and organic traffic.