For many companies, their website can be their biggest brand asset, which is why it needs to demonstrate authority, trust and expertise.
Optimizing your website to meet customer needs and display these features forms the core process of SEO.
However, before we dive into the core of SEO, I always recommend that my clients do a deep analysis of their client-consumer relationship.
My company does this in three ways:
Understanding and acting on this data will put you on the first step towards executing an appropriate SEO campaign.
So without further ado, let’s define the process of SEO, what strategies to take and how it can help your online presence.
SEO Fundamentals
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website to generate as much organic traffic to a website as possible through search engines and convert that traffic into measurable business results.
Simply put, SEO is the process of trying to direct people to your website whenever they type a search query into a search engine.
For example, if you type [what is content marketing] into Google, there are about a million websites that have deliberately optimized a piece of content for that keyword so that you click through to their website.
When you click on that website, you’ll browse it, learn about their brand, and sign up for their newsletter.
Simple enough, but SEO also involves a lot of jargon and nuanced strategies that can be difficult to understand at first. To make things easier, I decided to define a few terms that I might throw around in this guide.
Defining SEO Terms
Keywords: Keywords are words that users plug into a search engine whenever they search for information on the web.
Organic Traffic: Organic traffic is any traffic that comes to your website through a search engine, excluding those who click on PPC links.
SERP: Search Engine Results Page.
PPC: Pay-per-click advertising is an advertising strategy for ranking products or landing pages above normal Google SERP results. These links will have “ad” next to them.
User Intent: Keyword search intent (eg user asks a question or wants to buy a product).
Meta tags: Snippets of text designed to describe a web page to a search engine. For example, the page title is contained in the title attribute of the HTML tag.
Ranking Factors: Any algorithmic factor designed to affect a page’s search engine ranking for a particular keyword search.
Crawlability: The ability of search engines to find web pages on your site.
Indexing: The ability of search engines to include your web pages in their web index.
Technical SEO: The background details of a website, including website speed and mobile rendering, that affect its search ranking.
On-page SEO: A list of ranking factors, including meta tags and header tags, designed to help a page rank higher in search results.
Off-Page SEO: A list of ranking factors, including link building and acquisition, designed to improve your website’s visibility and authority.
Link Building: The manual process of building backlinks or hyperlinks to a website, which is a vital ranking factor for most search engines.
Algorithm Updates: Any update to Google’s core algorithm (eg Penguin, Panda) that affects a wide range of search rankings.
Web Basics: Technical SEO factors that Google considers important in determining a site’s potential user experience.
E-A-T: Expertise, authority, trust. A set of guidelines that Google suggests marketers use to assess whether their content meets these criteria.
The Importance Of SEO
The question is why is SEO so important?
I’ve come across many developers, advertisers, and even high-level executives who either didn’t understand SEO or didn’t think it was necessary. This is crazy.
Done right, SEO is the gift that keeps on giving. I tell clients to think of it as offsetting interest on investments.
With these benefits in mind, the key to SEO now becomes understanding all its little intricacies and learning how to do it the right way.
7 Steps To Master SEO Once And For All
1. Build A Solid Technical Foundation
Unfortunately, everything I’m going to talk about is completely useless if your website has a significant technical error that is preventing it from ranking highly.
I’ve seen countless companies create magnificent long-form content pieces only to be held back by page speed or indexing issues.
Google values technical SEO because technical SEO has a huge impact on user experience. For example, if your website loads slowly and users tend to bounce, Google will adjust based on this information.
To reinforce this, Google unveiled its Core Web Vitals 2020 project. Without getting too into the weeds, Core Web Vitals measures a website’s:
Core Web Vitals provides developers with the basics to create solid UX.
The Chrome UX Report (Chrome users only) allows you to test your website for these key vitals to see if changes are needed.
Additionally, I recommend focusing on the following factors to position your website as well as possible to rank in the SERPs.
Write down a list of issues you’re having with your site and work with the developer to resolve them before you start publishing content or doing keyword research.
For a more in-depth analysis of technical SEO factors, read Advanced Technical SEO: The Complete Guide.
2. Learn How To Properly Research Keywords
Once you have your technical basics down, it’s time to get into the more detailed aspects of SEO: keyword discovery.
In general, we segment keywords into two categories that we can use to build top-level navigation:
Your top-level navigation will include basic keywords related to broad topics, services, or product lines. For example, the top-level navigation of the Search Engine Journal website follows this format:
Screenshot from Search Engine Journal, November 2022
On the other hand, long-tail keywords will be used for informative evergreen blog posts or different forms of content that directly address user intent.
In general, many small businesses like to focus on long-tail keywords for more niche services because they have lower competition.
You might also consider building separate pillar pages around the initial keywords on your website to help them rank better in search engines. For example, having a broad topic page related to mobile SEO will not rank as high as an evergreen post about mobile SEO.
Again, Search Engine Journal provides another great example of a pillar page that uses a keyword to kick off and supporting pages that discuss subtopics taken from long-tail keywords.
Screenshot from Search Engine Journal, November 2022
Next, we need to filter our keyword search by user intent.
Generally, there are two broad categories of user intent that we can separate keywords into:
To develop commercial keywords for top service/product pages and individual product pages, I recommend using the free Google Ads Keyword Planner.
To get started, enter a keyword that relates to your business.
Screenshot from Google Keyword Planner, November 2022
Google’s Keyword Planner even provides additional ideas for long-term searches at the top, and you can separate keywords by competition and other factors.
I like filtering keywords by “Top of Page Bid (High Range)” to see which keywords advertisers have bid the highest for. This filter is also useful if you want to separate keywords by intent, with higher bids being commercial and lower bids being informational.
Choose a list of seed keywords – preferably with lower volumes – and export them to CSV.
Next, we’ll look for long-tail keywords with question phrases. Question phrases allow us to directly answer user questions, have lower search competition, and can be used to build support pages for our pillars.
You can filter keyword searches in the Keyword Planner by including “what”, “why”, “when” and “how” in your search, or use a tool like Semrush to do the work for you.
Screenshot from Semrush, November 2022
I highly recommend a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs, which allows you to create keyword lists and topic ideas using related long-tail keywords. You can even filter keywords by weight, volume, and intent.
Additionally, tools like AnswerthePublic are great for finding additional question phrasing.
Screenshot from Answer the Public, November 2022
Google Trends, Semrush, and Ahrefs also offer tools that allow you to see trending topics and keywords in your industry for new ideas.
Screenshot from Semrush, November 2022
Finally, take a peek at what your competitors are doing if you’re looking for a list of keywords or topics and don’t know where to start.
Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs show you who your biggest online competitors are and allow you to research which keywords and pages are driving the most traffic on a competitor’s domain.
Screenshot from Semrush, November 2022
Steal these keywords and content ideas to optimize your website based on what forms of content are ranking highest for your competitors.
Once you’ve compiled your keyword list in a spreadsheet, match your primary keywords with your top navigation URLs and use your long-tail keywords to create topics for your content calendar.
3. Create Content That Ranks And Converts
Building a content marketing strategy from your keyword research will allow you to develop authority around topics and meet customer intent throughout your sales funnel.
Creating high-level content also helps you or your business become thought leaders in your fields.
For example, Neil Patel, Brian Dean and several others have used content to promote their personal and professional brands at the top of our industry.
First, let’s look at the factors that affect content ranking, such as:
In general, I like to put together pillar posts using evergreen tutorials (like this one!) and then use long tail keywords to create subtopics.
So, for example, each step of this guide could be a subtopic, and my strategy could become more detailed from there.
Next, we need to talk about writing content for each stage of your sales funnel. While informative content and blog posts are great for driving traffic, you need to create strategies to convert web traffic into sales or subscriptions once they land on your website.
A typical sales funnel consists of at least three broad stages:
You’ll often find CRM sales funnels much more complex than this, but this should give you a basic overview of how you should approach your inbound marketing strategy using content marketing.
4. Optimize Your Web Pages For Search Engines
Once you start pumping out content and creating your service pages, you need to ensure that your content is properly optimized for search engines.
I know we’ve talked about a few ranking factors and technical SEO, but now it’s time to dive into the on-page and SERP optimization factors.
Perhaps one of Google’s most important off-page SEO strategies and ranking factors remains the ever-elusive link building, which is described below.
5. Build Links To Your Website
According to research, inbound links are still a strong ranking factor, although link quality trumps link quantity.
There are literally dozens of link building strategies you can use, from HARO to guest blogging.
To start building links, you need to create a great piece of content. Then, once your link magnet is built, you’ll need to put some eyeballs in front of it so people can start linking to it.
Fortunately, tools like Semrush have greatly simplified the process of manual outreach, allowing you to collect contact information for targeted websites and manage your manual email outreach.
You can even include specific keywords or competitors to discover sites for link building opportunities.
Screenshot by the author, November 2022
If you don’t have a backlink tool, you can still reach people using website operators manually.
For example, you can find competitor links using the following search: site:www.competitor.com -competitor.com
Screenshot from search for [site search: searchenginejournal.com], November 2022
If there is a website you want a specific link from, you can also do a search for “site:” and type in the topic to see if it has content written on that topic.
To find general trending topics that you can link to, do a “title” search.
Screenshot from a search for [title: “link building”], November 2022
Site operators may also be used to find resource pages or guest posting opportunities to contact.
To summarize, I’ve written a list of basic link building practices below:
Editor’s Note: As a free alternative to tools like Semrush, you can mine Google Search Console data. For more information on how to do this, we recommend this resource.
6. Share And Promote Your Content
While I’ve discussed some strategies that can help your content rank high and get some backlinks manually, sometimes those strategies aren’t enough.
Unfortunately, SEO is notoriously competitive.
Instead, we also need to focus on different outreach strategies aimed at attracting eyeballs to our website.
Below are a few strategies I’ve outlined to help you drive immediate traffic to your content and help it rank higher.
There are a dozen other strategies to help you promote your content, especially if you’re trying to rank on specific media like TikTok, Substack, Twitter, or elsewhere.
7. Consult The Analytics
Finally, SEO is not complete without consulting our analytics.
The most important analytics tools I recommend for any business are Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and competitive research tools like Semrush.
Screenshot from Semrush, November 2022
First, I like to use a tool like Semrush to see what content is ranking in that striking distance (position 11-20) on Google in order to repurpose existing content or create new content around that keyword and link between the two pages.
Your analytics will also tell you which pages are getting the most traffic and which need more promotion.
However, to be more detailed, we need to look at Google Analytics to examine how people are engaging with our content.
I recommend setting up goals or conversion paths to track how many people are taking desired actions on your web pages.
I also like to use Google Analytics Behavior Flow to show me which path users take when they get to my website.
Screenshot from Google Analytics, November 2022
Use the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that GA provides to make changes to your website where needed.
For me, the most important KPIs to keep in mind are:
In addition, Google Search Console is also a useful tool that allows us to see how many impressions our pages generate and how many people click on our links.
Setting KPIs and consulting your analytics monthly to find improvements can help you understand which strategies are working for your website and which should be scrapped.
Put Your Skills Into Action
Now that you understand the basics of SEO, you’ll learn more as you troubleshoot during your campaign.
Fortunately, many of the mistakes you make along the way won’t cost you as much money as advertising, and any unsuccessful campaigns can always be repurposed for greater success later.
Featured image: Vadym Pastukh/Shutterstock
What is SEO checklist?
On-page SEO checklist. On-page SEO is the process of optimizing the actual content on your page. Includes optimizations for visible content and content in the source code.
What is an SEO Checklist? On-page SEO checklist. On-page SEO is the process of optimizing the actual content on your page. Includes optimizations for visible content and content in the source code. Let’s see how to do it.
What are the 4 types of SEO?
Having clarified the approaches to search engine optimization, we can now go through what the different types of SEO are.
- On-page SEO (on-site SEO) …
- Off-page SEO (off-site SEO) …
- Technical SEO. …
- Local SEO.
What is the main type of SEO?
The three types of SEO are: On-page SEO – Everything on your web pages – Blogs, product copy, web copy. Off Page SEO – Anything that happens outside of your website that helps your SEO strategy – backlinks. Technical SEO – Anything technical done to improve search rankings – Site indexing to help crawl robots.
Why SEO checklist is important?
It serves 3 important purposes. Search engines cannot interpret images, so alt tags help them identify and rank these pieces of content, improving your SEO. They also help website visitors when an image doesn’t display properly on their screen or loads quickly by giving them a hint as to which image they should see.
Why is keyword research Checklist important in SEO?
The Importance of Keyword Research in SEO By researching and choosing the most appropriate target keywords, you create an opportunity to rank well in search engines for that specific topic. A high search engine ranking drives traffic to your website and in turn allows you to promote your products/services online.
What is an SEO analysis and why is it important?
Search engine optimization (SEO) analysis is the practice of auditing a website to identify opportunities to improve its position in search engine results. A related goal is not only to improve search engine results (SERP) rankings, but also to increase actual organic referral traffic from those search results.
Why SEO tools are important?
With SEO tools, you can see what new and existing keywords your competitors are ranking for. You can then add these terms to your list, use tools to identify related keywords, and even consider expanding into new markets. SEO tools like SEMrush are capable of generating thousands of keyword ideas at once.
What is SEO & How it works?
Well, SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimization’, which is the process of getting traffic from free, organic, editorial or natural search engine results. Its goal is to improve your website’s position on search results pages. Remember, the higher a website is listed, the more people will see it.
What is SEO in simple words?
Search engine optimization is the science of improving a website to increase its visibility when people search for products or services. The more visibility a website has on search engines, the more likely the brand will capture business.
What is SEO and how it works for beginners?
Essentially, the point of search engine optimization (SEO) is to increase the visibility of your website in the organic search results of the major search engines. To get that visibility, you need to understand three basic components: What type of content search engine users and your customers want or need.
Is SEO good for beginners?
SEO is not easy. But it’s not rocket science either. There are things you can implement right away, and there are concepts that will take much more time and effort. So yes, you can do SEO yourself.
What is SEO and examples?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of getting targeted traffic to a website from organic search engine rankings. Common tasks associated with SEO include creating high-quality content, optimizing content around specific keywords, and building backlinks.
What are the different types of SEO?
12 Types of SEO
- White-Hat SEO. When you hear someone say white-hat SEO, it means that SEO practices comply with the terms and conditions of the major search engines, including Google. …
- Black-Hat SEO. …
- Gray Hat SEO. …
- On-page SEO. …
- Off-page SEO. …
- Technical SEO. …
- International SEO. …
- Local SEO.
How many SEO techniques are there? 12 SEO Techniques You Should Be Using in 2022 By working on some of these SEO best practices, you’ll be able to work on improving your visibility and traffic. Let’s get started.
What are the 3 parts of SEO?
The three main components of SEO are: Technical SEO. On-page SEO (or SEO SEO) Off-page SEO (or links)
What are the three stages of SEO ranking?
The three stages of ranking are: discovery, relevance and authority.
What are the 3 C’s of SEO?
Simply put, the basics of SEO can be boiled down to the 3 C’s: Content, Code and Credibility.
What are the parts of SEO?
Knowing and understanding each of the 4 main components of SEO is key to improving your brand’s search results. Each component builds on and complements the others. The stronger the links between each of the 4 SEO components – technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO and content – the better the results.
What are the main parts of SEO?
The three main components of SEO are: Technical SEO. On-page SEO (or SEO SEO) Off-page SEO (or links)
What are the parts of SEO? Knowing and understanding each of the 4 main components of SEO is key to improving your brand’s search results. Each component builds on and complements the others. The stronger the links between each of the 4 SEO components – technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO and content – the better the results.
What are the two main parts of SEO?
SEO is divided into two parts: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to all the techniques that can be implemented on your website to improve your ranking in SERPs (search engine results pages), while off-page SEO refers to anything that can be done outside of your website such as would improve its visibility on the web.
What are the two main parts of SEO quizlet?
1. Technical optimization: website tools to improve SEO that are not related to content. 2. On-page optimization: the inclusion of keywords in the content of your website.
What is SEO and its parts?
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.†Simply put, SEO helps increase your online visibility through search engines like Google or Bing when potential customers search for keywords related to your business. The better your SEO, the more visible you become, which increases your potential for client visits.
Is SEO cost per click?
There are two key differences when considering SEO or PPC. The first is that paid ads appear at the top of the page, above organic ads that are affected by SEO. The second is that traffic from organic via SEO is free, while traffic from PPC has a cost per click.
Which is cheaper SEO or PPC? SEO is cheaper in the long run. And when these customers decide to click on your link, it comes at zero cost, unlike a pay-per-click PPC campaign. Organic traffic is also highly scalable and profitable.
How much does it cost to use SEO?
Average SEO costs are $100-$250 per hour for US SEO agencies. SEO costs often range from $2,500 to $10,000 per month for US agencies. The average SEO plan costs $2,819 per month (according to Ahrefs). Overseas SEO companies can charge $10-$50 per hour.
How much should I spend on Google SEO?
Many companies spend somewhere around $1,000 a month and find that to be a good amount to start with, as it allows them to easily scale up or down depending on their needs. The ROI on this investment is also usually very high. WebFX has affordable SEO plans starting at around $800 per month.
Is paying for SEO worth it?
SEO is worth the effort 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 SEO lead rate is much higher than traditional marketing. Thus, SEO provides an impressive return on investment (ROI).
How much does SEO set up cost?
SEO prices vary and depend on factors such as SEO plan, service provider, and more. Most SEO projects in 2022 cost between $1,500 and $5,000 per month based on the scope of the project. A one-time project will run between $5,000 and $30,000, with hourly rates for consultants falling between $100 and $300 per hour.
Is SEO pay per click?
The difference between search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is that SEO focuses on getting traffic from organic search, while PPC focuses on getting traffic from paid search, social, and display.
Is SEO paid or unpaid?
Most people search online before they buy anything, so having a strong search presence is key, and using a strategic combination of both can increase your visibility in the long run. SEO is for organic traffic – so it’s unpaid or free ads, and SEM is for targeted ads that you pay for.
Is Pay Per Click the same as SEO?
The Difference Between SEO and PPC Advertising SEO and PPC advertising are two different strategies at either end of the same digital marketing spectrum. SEO services focus on driving organic traffic to your website, while PPC advertising is all about displaying paid ads on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Does Google pay for clicks?
With Smart Campaigns, you only pay for the actual clicks and calls your ad receives. Your costs may vary from day to day, but you will not be charged more than your maximum monthly budget. Your payment settings show when you pay, and payment methods show what you pay with.
Is SEO better than PPC?
SEO is also more effective for local searches and can increase your online presence for longer. Pay-per-click (PPC), on the other hand, is an acquisition strategy that requires you to spend advertising money to show your content to your audience when they search for specific keywords online.
Does SEO affect PPC?
SEO and PPC work together for search marketing There have been multiple studies that have shown that SEO affects the number of clicks on PPC ads. Google has found that when a website has strong organic search results, they will increase their click-through rate for their PPC ads on the same SERP.
Does SEO influence Google Ads?
Your organic search ranking does not affect your Google Ads analytics, nor do your ad results have a direct link to your SEO.
Does SEO improve PPC?
Although PPC does not directly affect SEO, it indirectly helps you improve your SEO campaigns. By investing in PPC and SEO, you’ll help create a cohesive marketing campaign that grows your business.
Should SEO and PPC ever be used at the same time?
Both SEO and PPC can be effective in driving traffic to a website. However, the best results will often be achieved by using SEO and PPC together as part of an overall digital marketing strategy.
How does SEO and PPC work?
The main difference between these two inbound marketing channels is that SEO delivers organic traffic, while PPC is a paid strategy. Advertisers pay for each person who clicks on your PPC ad, while clicks generated from SEO are free, driving organic traffic to your site. Unlike SEO, PPC gives quick results.