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Heard of SEO before? You may have encountered it on blogs, journals, or even social media. Then what begins to occupy your mind is probably something related to Google. 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 (SEO) is a broad field in marketing that encompasses various digital efforts aimed at achieving specific marketing objectives. However, I would like 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, which involves implementing webmaster guidelines established by search engines to drive organic traffic to a web page. As a marketer, these guidelines must be adhered to, from content creation to link building.
How Does SEO Work?
The primary aim of this digital activity is to rank! For instance, let’s say there are only 10 slots available on the first row of an event, and 10 million people attend it. The event planners have provided you with specific instructions on how to secure a spot in the front 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 webpage to influence rankings and enhance credibility or authority on a specific website. 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 offer over 300 free and paid web tools for web administrators on the internet.
The Search Console is a web-based tool that enables web administrators to track search engine performance, errors, links, and manual actions. This tool was initially launched in 2010 as a webmaster tool and was later revamped into Google Search Console in 2013.
Google also launched the Insight feature for web admins to gain a better understanding of how their content performs on the SERP, the total number of all-time views, and content suggestions to 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, and All in One SEO, among several others available on the CMS store. These tools can only guide you, but don’t guarantee you a ranking on search engines.
In this guide, we will focus more on On-Page SEO, the nitty-gritty of optimizing and indexing a web page for 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 concise as possible; Google recommends a maximum of 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 to.
The title should also include keywords related to the page’s content; this helps the search engine understand what the web page is 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 significant role in optimizing a web page for search engines; the URL must contain the primary keywords you want to rank for. It should not be excessively long; Google recommends a maximum of 50-55 characters.
The algorithm tends to understand further the content by identifying keywords found in a particular web URL, e.g., “How to Bathe a Dog.” The seed keyword for this URL would be “Bath a Dog,” and the 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 markup 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 that Google understands the content of your image, and also those who use hearing aids can understand the type of image you used.
4. Meta Description
A meta description can be defined as a summary of a web page’s content, enabling search engines to understand the page’s content.
Your meta description must contain your keywords and be brief and catchy enough to capture the attention of potential visitors. Research has shown that triggers account for 65% of web clicks.
5. Headings and Subheadings
Page headings and subheadings should be arranged appropriately in H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5; this would help Google better understand your content structure.
A proper table of contents is also essential, although not necessary, as it allows users to jump directly to what they’re looking for without having to read the entire page.
6. Keyword Placement
Keyword placement refers to the usage of specific keywords on a given web page. As an article writer, understanding where to place keywords is crucial for ranking.
This would help bots understand the kind of content on that page. You can check out our ebook on a beginner’s guide to keyword placement.
7. Images and Multimedia
As ordinary as this may sound, images and multimedia are crucial for optimization; they enhance 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, using Alt tags is necessary for your multimedia files.
8. Internal and External Links
Internal linking is the use of contextual do-follow links within a web page that lead to another page on the same website. These pages are related to each other, thereby signaling to Google that you are 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 essential for optimization, especially internal linking.
9. Robot.txt Rule
Robots.txt is a set of rules assigned to a given web page for bots to follow, although not all bots adhere to these rules. 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 instructions assigned to that page. You can use several tools to check if search engine bots have crawled your website.
10. Web Page Speed/Core Web Vitals
In 2020, Google introduced Core Web Vitals as one of the ranking factors, which include 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 guarantee that you’ll rank higher than your competitor with a significantly slower page speed, I can tell you it’s worth it!
Plugins such as WP Supercache and LiteSpeed Cache can be used on websites built with WordPress. Removing unnecessary CSS files and optimizing images can significantly increase 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 early as 2014, primarily for a blog post, before more than 20 schemas were introduced and adopted.
A schema helps search engines utilize structured data provided by a web page to display a summarized version in search results.
SEO involves a multitude of factors that we examine at advanced and expert levels to ensure it is done correctly. This is one of the most in-demand digital skills, thereby requiring a significant amount of effort.
Conclusion
You can also learn how to set up and install WordPress from scratch. SEO is great, but it requires time, consistency, and patience to do it effectively. You can also download our ebook on a more comprehensive guide to everything you should know about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
