What is SEO? Your Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Want to learn everything about SEO? Before I teach you how it works and how to do it, let's go over the definition of SEO, and then we'll dive deep into how SEO works.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of taking measures to help a website or content rank higher on Google.

The key difference between SEO and paid advertising is that SEO involves "organic" rankings, meaning you don't have to pay to get in. Simply put, search engine optimization means taking a piece of online content and optimizing it so that when someone searches for something, search engines like Google display it at the top of the page.

How SEO Works

Most online searches start with search engines like Google. In fact, 75% of searches start with Google. To better understand how to rank higher in search engines, you need to first understand how search works.

The ultimate goal of this article is to help you understand the details of search so you can optimize your content to rank higher on Google and get more attention for your posts.

Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

When it comes to broader SEO, there are two equally important avenues: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO.

On-Page SEO is about building content to improve your rankings. This involves incorporating keywords into your pages and content, regularly creating high-quality content, ensuring your meta tags and titles are keyword-rich and well-written, etc.

Off-Page SEO refers to optimization outside your website, such as earning backlinks. This part involves building relationships and creating content that people want to share. Although it requires a lot of legwork, it's an essential part of SEO success.

SEO Strategies: Black Hat vs. White Hat

I'm in it for the long haul and believe it's the right path. However, not everyone feels the same. Some people prefer quick gains and turn to other approaches.

In SEO, pursuing quick gains is often called "Black Hat SEO." People who implement Black Hat SEO tend to use shady strategies like keyword stuffing and link scraping to rank quickly. It might work short-term, bringing some traffic to your site, but eventually, Google will penalize or blacklist your site.

On the other hand, White Hat SEO is the way to build a sustainable online business. If you do SEO this way, you focus on your human audience. You aim to give them the best content and make it accessible based on search engine rules.

SEO Marketing Basics: Fully Broken Down

It's time to learn how to do SEO marketing. Understanding it is one thing, but SEO requires a lot of action and time. It's not something where you make changes today and see results tomorrow. SEO is about taking daily actions aimed at long-term success.

Content

You've probably heard: "Content is king." Bill Gates made this prediction in 1996, and it still holds true today.

Why?

Because when Google users find results that best meet their needs, they're happy.

Your primary job to do SEO well is to create great content.

Elements of Content

There are numerous elements to creating high-quality content; here are the most important ones:

Quality

If you create high-quality content that truly solves others' problems, you'll stand out and gain ranking advantages.

Intent

Google emphasizes intent. It wants to know what searchers are looking for when they type something into the search bar.

As a content creator, you need to understand this too. You can't create content for "best ice fishing rod" and have "bass fishing" as your main keyword if it doesn't make sense.

Freshness

Posting new content shows Google your content is fresh. For already published content, you can update it to maintain its relevance.

4 Tips for Creating High-Quality Content

1. Understand User Intent: Know what readers want to accomplish when they land on your page.
2. Develop a Customer Avatar: Know who your readers are, their preferences, and why they're there.
3. Break Up Text: Use plenty of headings and images since people's attention spans are short.
4. Make It Actionable: Your content should be comprehensive and answer the question, "What now?"

Keyword Research and Selection

Keyword research determines how you name your site and describe your online brand. It also affects how you build links.

Elements of Keyword Selection

Choose the Right Keywords

Consider what audience you want to attract. A keyword might bring thousands of visitors monthly, but if they're the wrong users, ranking for it is meaningless.

Competitor Analysis

Your ability to rank for a keyword often depends on your competitors. Highly competitive keywords may require hundreds of backlinks and years of effort for a new site to rank on the first page.

Search Intent

Google stresses the importance of search intent. It's about identifying what searchers are looking for, not just what they type.

4 Tips for Selecting the Best Keywords

1. Use Tools: Tools like Ubersuggest and Ahrefs provide insights into competitors.
2. Understand Semantics: Google matches intent rather than exact keywords.
3. Know the Purpose: Understand if a keyword is for buyers or researchers.
4. Monitor Competitors: See what keywords your competitors rank for and follow their lead.

HTML

A website's HTML is a crucial part of SEO marketing. Without proper tags, titles, and descriptions, Google struggles to understand your content and why it should rank higher.

HTML Elements

Title Tags

The title tag displays in the browser tab and on Google. It's the most prominent title in search results, so include your main keyword and make it click-worthy.

Meta Descriptions

The meta description gives searchers an idea of what your content is about. Optimize it with keywords, keep it under 160 characters, and ensure it displays correctly on all devices.

Schema

Schema is a subset of HTML markup that improves how content displays in SERPs. It can create features like ratings in search results.

Headings

Headings like H1 tell Google what your article is about. Use your main keyword in the H1 but avoid keyword stuffing.

Alt Text

Alt text describes images and helps search engines understand them. Include relevant keywords while accurately describing the image.

URL Slugs

The URL slug tells Google what your content is about. Include your most important keywords here.

4 Tips for Improving HTML

1. Use Tools: SEO tools help identify HTML issues on your site.
2. Leverage Competitors: Look at top competitors for inspiration on titles and meta descriptions.
3. Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Don't overstuff keywords in meta descriptions.
4. Don't Forget Other Headings: H2, H3, and H4 headings are also important for SEO.

Website Architecture

Good website architecture enhances user experience, which is crucial for SEO. It focuses on fast loading times, secure connections, and mobile-friendly design.

Elements of Website Architecture

Crawlability

Google crawls your site to understand it. The easier it is for crawlers to access all links, the better Google understands your site.

Duplicate Content

Search engines don't penalize sites for duplicate content, but republishing content without proper canonicalization can cause issues.

Mobile-Friendliness

Google's mobile-first index means your site must perform well on mobile devices.

Page Speed

Slow-loading sites can be penalized by Google. Use tools like Google Search Console to identify speed issues.

HTTPS and SSL

Security factors like HTTPS and SSL are important ranking signals and trust indicators.

3 Tips for Improving Website Architecture

1. Understand Core Web Vitals: Learn how they affect rankings and make necessary improvements.
2. Get a Sitemap: Helps search engines crawl large sites more effectively.
3. Fix Canonicalization Issues: Use canonical tags to specify original content and avoid duplicate content penalties.

Trust

Trust is increasingly important for rankings. Google uses metrics like TrustRank to determine if a site is legitimate.

Elements of Trust on Your Website

Authority

Google assesses your site's authority through domain authority and page authority.

Bounce Rate

A high bounce rate indicates visitors aren't finding what they need. Improve content quality, loading times, and usability to reduce bounce rates.

Domain Age

Older domains with consistent, quality content tend to rank higher than newer sites.

3 Tips for Building More Trust

1. Be Patient: Trust takes time to build. Make subtle improvements and request indexing in Google Search Console.
2. Understand Intent: Focus on providing what users actually want, not what you think they should want.
3. Give Them What They Want: Deliver the answer quickly once visitors land on your site to prevent bouncing.

Links

While opinions on link importance vary, I believe links remain one of Google's most critical ranking factors.

Elements of Link Building

Link Quality

Quality matters more than quantity. High-quality backlinks come from relevant, authoritative sites.

Anchor Text

Anchor text should appear naturally within the content. Use descriptive text rather than generic phrases like "click here."

Number of Links

Focus on building high-quality backlinks over time rather than just accumulating links.

3 Tips for Improving Your Link Profile

1. No Shortcuts: Take time to build links properly through outreach and value provision.
2. Disavow Bad Links: Use Google's Disavow Tool cautiously to remove harmful links.
3. Don't Forget Internal Links: Internal linking helps Google crawl your site and understand your content better.

Personal

Personal SEO factors like demographics and geography affect how your content is received globally.

Personal SEO Elements

Country

Search results vary by country. Consider creating country-specific content and conducting keyword research for target countries.

City

Geolocation affects local search results. Use city names in keywords for local SEO benefits.

3 Tips for Improving Personal SEO Factors

1. Understand Your Customer Avatar: Know what your ideal customers want and expect from your site.
2. Create Multilingual Content: Break down language barriers to reach a wider audience.
3. Research Keywords in Other Countries: Use keyword tools to find relevant terms for target regions.

Social

Social factors in off-page SEO include social signals and the indirect benefits of social media presence.

Social Elements of SEO

Quality Shares

Quality shares indicate that people find your content valuable, which positively signals to Google.

Number of Shares

While viral content is desirable, focus on creating outstanding content that naturally encourages sharing.

3 Tips for Increasing Social Shares

1. Create Great Content: High-quality content is more likely to be shared.
2. Be Consistent: Regular posting keeps your audience engaged and algorithms favorable.
3. Simplify Sharing: Use social sharing plugins to make it easy for readers to share your content.

Google's EAT Guidelines

Google's Quality Rater Guidelines emphasize EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) for high-quality pages.

4 Tips for Improving EAT Scores

1. Do Your Research: Share accurate information and consider expert contributions.
2. Be Thorough: Ensure content is comprehensive and satisfies reader needs.
3. Stick to What You Know: Focus on your brand's expertise to build reputation.
4. Meet Audience Needs: Address topics your audience wants to read about and teach them in an accessible way.

SEO Marketing: Putting It All Together

We've covered a lot in this guide. To simplify:

Black Hat vs. White Hat SEO

Black Hat SEO uses shady tactics like buying links and keyword stuffing, which can lead to penalties. White Hat SEO is the right approach, requiring more time but offering long-term rewards.

Keyword Research and Selection

Use tools like Ubersuggest to find relevant keywords. Focus on quality content rather than forcing keywords.

HTML

Optimize title tags, meta descriptions, alt text, and headings to tell Google about your content.

Website Architecture

Design your site for easy navigation, fast loading, and mobile compatibility.

Trust

Build trust with SSL certificates, HTTPS, and professional signals on your site.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. If you'd like my team at Neil Patel Digital to help you get more traffic through link building and SEO marketing, just book a call.