Beginner’s Guide To SEO – Tips, Tricks & Tools

Have you heard of SEO before? You may have encountered it on blogs, journals, or social media. Then what begins to ponder on your mind is probably something related to Google right? Yes, you’re right! SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is another area of marketing that I can assure you, many didn’t get right at first including that expert reading this!

Search Engine Optimization is a very broad scope in marketing that involves various digital efforts to achieve specific marketing objectives but I would want to introduce you to the basics and everything you should know about it in the most comprehensive way possible. Let’s dive in!

What is SEO?​

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This involves implementing webmaster guidelines established by search engines to drive organic visitors to a web page. As a marketer, these guidelines have to be adhered to from content creation to link building.

How Does SEO Work?​

The major aim of this digital activity is to Rank! Lol take for instance there are only 10 slots available on the first row of an event, and this event would be attended by 10 million people, the event planners had given you those things you have to do to make it to the first row, that’s how the search engine works.

Over 10 million web pages are trying to rank for a keyword and everyone wants to get to the first page, the algorithm has been programmed to choose the best web page for that query which involves so many factors that I will be breaking down for you in our SEO category so I would advise you turn on our post notification and subscribe to our newsletter #winks.

Are you scared? You don’t have to, it’s not as difficult as it sounds, let’s go further.

Types Of SEO​

There are two major categories which include;

• On-Page
• Off Page

On-Page SEO​

On-page SEO is the optimization of a web page for search engines to crawl and understand the contents of that page to rank for various queries or keywords. It can also be referred to as technical SEO because of the use of HTML ALT tags, Paragraphs, keywords, and contextual links.

Off-Page SEO​

Off-page SEO involves digital activities carried out outside a web page to affect rankings and boost credibility or authority on a given web page. Examples are social media shares, external linking, and press mentions.

What are SEO Tools?​

SEO tools are digital software or applications used to analyze web pages or an entire website to detect crawl errors, technical issues, and fixes. e.g Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, etc. We have over 300 free and paid web tools available for webmasters on the internet.

The search Console is a web-based tool for webmasters to utilize in the tracking of search engine performance, errors, links, and manual actions. This tool was launched in 2010 originally as a webmaster tool before it was later revamped into Google Search Console in 2013.

Google also launched the insight feature to help webmasters better understand how their content is performing on the SERP, the total number of all-time views, and content suggestions. This will help publishers better understand what their readers are looking for.

You can also utilize SEO plugins for WordPress or Wix, Examples of such plugins are Rank Math, Yoast, or All In One SEO among several others available on the CMS store. These tools can only guide you but don’t guarantee you ranking on search engines.

In this guide, we will focus more on on-page SEO, which is the nitty gritty of optimizing and indexing a web page for the Google search engine (case study). Now that you know the basics let’s jump right in!

How To Optimize A Web Page For Search Engines?​

There are 11 factors you should consider while optimizing a web page for search engines:

1. Title and Title Tags

The page title should be as clearly descriptive and as short as possible, Google recommends at most 60 characters. On your HTML code, you should attribute necessary tags such as h1 or whatever level of heading you are attributing the page title with.

The title should also contain keywords related to the content of that page, this would help the search engine understand what the web page is all about. If you’re using a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress, your title tag is automatically attributed to you.

2. URL Structure

The URL structure of a particular web page plays a big role in optimizing it for search engines. The URL must contain the primary keywords you want to rank for. It must not be excessively long; Google recommends 50-55 characters at most.

The algorithm tends to further understand the content with keywords found in a particular web URL e.g. “How To Bath a Dog” Seed Keyword -“Bath a Dog” URL would be https://example.com/how-to-bath-a-dog.

3. HTML and ALT Text

HTML means Hypertext Markup Language, Google crawls web pages in HTML markups because it’s a robot doing the work. Having proper markup and tags on your web page goes a long way to optimizing for search engines.

Your images should include alt text so Google understands the content of your image and also those who use hearing aids to read web pages can understand the kind of image you used.

4. Meta Description

Meta Description can be defined as a brief narration of a given web page for search engines to understand the content of that page.

Your Meta description must contain your keywords and must be brief and catchy enough for potential visitors. Research has proven that 65% of web clicks are triggered by the meta information of a given web page.

5. Headings and Subheadings

Page headings and subheadings should be properly arranged in H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5, this would help Google better understand your content structure.

A proper table of contents is also important although not necessary, it allows users to jump straight to what they’re looking for without reading the whole page.

6. Keyword Placement

Keyword placement refers to using specific keywords on a given web page. As an article writer understanding where to place keywords matters in ranking.

This would help bots understand the kind of content on that page, you can check out our ebook on beginner’s guide to keyword placement.

7. Images and Multimedia

As ordinary as this may sound images and multimedia are very important for optimization, they boost the credibility of a page.

Audio, Visuals, GIFs, etc are part of the content structure of a page and help in ranking, as I mentioned previously the use of Alt tags is necessary with your multimedia files.

8. Internal and External Links

Internal linking is the use of contextual do-follow links within a web page leading to another page on that website, these pages are related together thereby signaling to Google that you linking visitors to another page with that keyword.

External links can be do-follow/no-follow links to a web page outside your website using contextual keywords. This helps Google Bots understand the kind of page you’re linking to. Links are very important for optimization, especially internal linking.

9. Robot.txt Rule

Robot Txt is rules assigned to a given web page for bots to adhere to although not all bots follow the rule. This instructs search engines to index and show the results of a given web page on the SERP.

It could affect a web page positively or negatively depending on the instruction assigned to that page, you can use several tools to check if your website is been crawled by search engine bots.

10. Web Page Speed/Core Web Vitals

In 2020 Google introduced the Core Web Vitals as one of the factors for ranking, this includes page speed, mobile usability, and page experience.

Pages that load faster have 3x more chances to make it to the first page although I can’t assure you of ranking more than your competitor with a much slower page speed, I can tell you it’s worth it!

Plugins like WP Supercache and Litespeed Cache can be used on websites using WordPress, removing unnecessary CSS files and optimizing images increases page speed.

11. Schema

Schemas are structured data of a web page that search engines use to display rich results on the SERP. Schemas were introduced as far back as 2014 basically for a blog post before over 20 schemas were introduced and adopted.

Schema helps search engines utilize structured data from a web page to display a summarized version in search results.

SEO involves a whole lot of factors we would look at from time to time, advanced and expert level to do it the right way. This is one of the most demanded digital skills thereby it requires a whole lot of effort.

What are SEO Tools?

SEO tools are software applications designed to assist in various aspects of search engine optimization. These tools help analyze, monitor, and improve the performance of your website by providing insights and data that would be difficult to gather manually.

By leveraging these tools effectively, you can make informed decisions to enhance your SEO strategy and climb the rankings.

Types of SEO Tools

SEO tools cater to different aspects of optimization. Here are some key categories:

Rank Tracking Tools: These tools monitor your website’s position in SERPs for target keywords. Popular options include Ahrefs Rank Tracker, SEMrush Position Tracking, and SERPWatcher.

Keyword Research Tools: These tools help you discover relevant keywords your target audience is using. Popular options include:

Backlink Analysis Tools: Backlinks (links from other websites to yours) are crucial for SEO. Tools like Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush help you analyze your backlink profile and identify opportunities for building high-quality links.

How to Choose the Right SEO Tools

With so many options, selecting the right SEO tools can be overwhelming. Here are some factors to consider:

Features: Compare the features of different tools to ensure they align with your requirements.

Your Budget: SEO tools range from free to expensive enterprise-level platforms. Determine your budget before you start exploring.

Your Needs: Identify the specific areas you need to focus on. Are you primarily interested in keyword research, on-page optimization, or technical SEO?

Ease of Use: Some tools are more user-friendly than others. Choose tools that you feel comfortable navigating.

Top 7 Best SEO Tools to Consider in 2024

Here is the list of the top 10 free SEO tools in 2024;

• Ahrefs: Comprehensive SEO platform with powerful features for keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking, and site audits.
• Semrush: Another all-in-one SEO toolset that rivals Ahrefs in functionality. It offers a wide range of features for keyword research, competitive analysis, and site audits.
• Moz: Moz offers a suite of tools for keyword research, link building, site audits, and rank tracking.
• Google Search Console: An essential free tool that provides valuable insights into your website’s performance in Google search results.
• Google Keyword Planner: A free tool that provides insights into keyword search volume, competition, and bid estimates for paid search campaigns. It’s an excellent starting point for beginners and a reliable resource for seasoned marketers.
• Screaming Frog SEO: Spiderfrog is a website crawler that analyzes your site’s structure, identifying issues such as broken links, duplicate content, and missing meta tags. It’s an essential tool for technical SEO audits.
• Majestic SEO: Majestic SEO specializes in backlink analysis and provides metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow to assess the quality of your backlinks. It also offers tools for competitor analysis and link-building opportunities.

These tools provide valuable insights and streamline the optimization process, from keyword research and on-page optimization to backlink analysis and rank tracking.

Conclusion

You can also learn how to set up and install WordPress from scratch. SEO is great but it takes time, consistency, and patience to do it the right way. You can also download our ebook on a more comprehensive guide to each and everything you should know on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)