SEO helps Google find websites. Simple.SEO, setup, and indexing are covered.

Contents

1. SEO fundamentals

2. Setting up for SEO success

3. Getting on Google

4. How to track SEO success

Part 1

SEO fundamentals 

What is SEO?

SEO increases organic search traffic to a website. SEO helps you rank higher in the organic results of search engines.

Why is SEO important?

Ranking for your keywords can attract customers. You won’t rank without trying. SEO’s important. It boosts Google rankings.

What are the benefits of SEO?

Most people click the first few search results, so higher rankings increase traffic. Passive and consistent search traffic is typical. Consistent monthly searches.

Higher rankings increase traffic because most people click the top results. Search traffic is passive and consistent. Monthly checks.

How do you do SEO?

Five steps SEO.

Keywords. Find searches.

Authorship. SEO-optimize content.

SEO-on-page. Clarify.

Links. Other sites lend credibility.

SEO-specific. Enhance crawling and indexing.

This is emphasized in our SEO beginner’s guide.

Part 2

Setting up for SEO success 

When your website is SEO-ready, SEO is easier. Let’s see how.

Get a good domain

Having an SEO domain is fine. Remember these domain elements while shopping.

URL

What’s memorable? Don’t overuse keywords. Your business name is safe without hyphens or special characters.

ccTLD (TLD)

After.com. TLD doesn’t affect SEO[1], but.com is the most trusted and.org is for charities. If you only do business abroad,.co.uk is fine.

Avoid.info and.biz. Having one isn’t awful. You can create a reputable website.

Use a website platform

Website platforms simplify the creation and administration of websites. Two kinds:

Hosted platform hosting. You’re set. They host the website, offer pre-made designs, and allow you to edit content without using code.

Platforms that are self-hosted. These allow content to be edited without coding. They must be hosted and installed.

Because WordPress is modifiable, the majority of SEOs recommend it. Open-source code is editable. There is a large developer community for this platform.

Expandable. Its functionality is extended by millions of plugins, such as SEO plugins.

If you prioritize usability and support, you should consider a hosted solution. All of the major sites have sufficient SEO for the majority of users.

Use a good web host

Hosted applications necessitate a web host. This store your website on a hard drive that can be accessed by anyone with internet access. Select utilizing the three S’s:

Security. There are free SSL/TLS certificates available. Or support for the free certificate provider LetsEncrypt.

Located on the server. Data transfer from server to visitor takes time. Choose a host with servers in the country of your traffic.

Support. 24/7 service is superior. Ask the above questions prior to registering.

Create a positive user experience

Google favors visitor-friendly pages. [2] Let’s consider options.

HTTP

Visitors hate personal data hacking. Use TLS/SSL.

Design something appealing

’90s-style websites are out. Your website should look good and reflect your brand without being redesigned every few months.

Mobile-friendly

Mobile searches outnumber desktops. [3] Your website should be mobile and desktop-friendly.

Font size matters

Web browsing uses different devices. Ensure readability.

Avoid pop-up ads

Sometimes ads are necessary. Avoid interstitials. These are lower. [4]

Load quickly

Speed affects desktop and mobile rankings. Your site doesn’t have to load quickly. Affects only the slowest pages. [5] [6]

Create a logical site structure

The site’s content should be easy to find. Organize content logically. Maps help. Each map branch links website pages. UX and SEO need internal links.

New pages are found. Google doesn’t index missing pages.

PageRank spreads. Google’s search uses PageRank. It evaluates a page’s incoming links. Google uses it. [7]

Search engines understand them. Google considers the link’s anchor text. [8]

Use a logical URL structure

URLs provide context for searchers. Platforms organize URLs. Optional WordPress URL:.com/?p=123

Website.com/2021/03/04/seo-basics/ \s03/04/seo-basics.website.com

www.865/ \sWebsite.com/SEO-Basics

Choose a site’s structure carefully. Post. Changing a website’s URL may cause problems.

Install an SEO plugin

Most website platforms include SEO features by default. Install a WordPress SEO plugin. Without one, it’s difficult to implement SEO fundamentals. Yoast and Rank Math are helpful tools. 

Part 3

Getting on Google

Google will crawl and index your pages if your site is optimized for search engines. Google submission can hasten this procedure. Google can find your website even if there are no backlinks. 

Finding or creating a sitemap

Sitemaps indicate to search engines which pages should be indexed. Typically, a sitemap can be found at:

site.com/sitemap.xml

site.com/sitemap index.xml

Check site.com/robots.txt if not.

If you cannot locate it, you likely do not possess it.

Submitting your sitemap

This is achieved through Google Search Console (GSC). It requires roughly two seconds.

Part 4

How to track SEO success

Prior to discussing SEO, let’s discuss tracking and measuring its performance. This is never simple, so here is an overview.

Organic traffic

Initially, the obvious. Growing organic traffic is indicative of success. The GSC offers free tracking. If you lack GSC, register for AWT. Site Explorer will estimate your domain.

Keyword rankings

If the rankings of your keywords are rising, you are doing something right. GSC provides free keyword rank monitoring. The Rank Tracker from Ahrefs is required for accurate tracking.

Organic Share of Voice (OSV)

This compares the search visibility of your brand to that of the competition. SoV has an effect on market share.

The Rank Tracker from Ahrefs monitors organic SoV. Tag your company’s keyword phrases. Examine the “Visibility” section of “Competitors Overview.” This indicates the proportion of tracked keyword clicks on your website compared to that of competitors.

Key takeaways

Ranking in organic search results is advantageous.

Without SEO, you will not rank well.

High rankings generate monthly, passive traffic.

Included in SEO are keyword research, content creation, on-page optimization, and link building.

When a website is optimized for SEO, SEO is easier.

Google will automatically discover and index your website, but submitting a sitemap can speed up the process.

References

“nTLD SEO Benefits?” 2020-12-5 24 May 2016 Assisting users in accessing mobile content. 2016-08-23 Google’s “Search Across Time” Google. “The Importance of Link Architecture.” 2008-10-07 Google. 2022-08-17