Learn the Basics: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

In Learn the Basics: Digital Marketing, I’m quickly introducing SEO as a digital marketing tool that will help your blog. 

Here I am giving you more details about what Search Engine Optimization is.

My goal is that you understand simply the basics of this web tool. You might already know some information but others might not. 

Which is why I made it very easy. So, everyone can understand and use SEO correctly on their blogs.

To facilitate the learning, this article is organized like a course. See below what you are going to read about:

• I – What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
  • Why does SEO matter?
  • Why should you only focus on Google?
  • Is SEO free?
  • What is the difference between SEO and SEA?
• II – How to Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Content Optimization
  • Website Optimization
  • Netlinking Optimization
• Conclusion

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. Here we go.

I – What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Definition: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are the methods and strategies used to make your website attractive to search engines.

Basically, it is a science of being friendly with search engines. A search engine is a service that allows its users to search on the internet: Google, Yahoo or Bing are search engines.

By using those strategies, you’ll befriend them and they will promote your content by ranking your articles higher in the search results. This should be your goal with SEO.

If your content is in top results of a search, you understand how the quantity and the quality of your website visitors will increase.

But if your blog post can only be found on page 4 or 6 of a search result. Who goes until there? Very few people.

To make it simple: SEO is to look good for Google so that your website appears first on search results.

Why does SEO matter?

When we search something on the internet, we are a bit lazy. We click on the top results to get the answer we are looking for.

Like we rarely go more than the second page of results.

Consequently, the websites that appear first in the search results, are the ones getting the most traffic. 

Your goal is that your website does the same.

If you are writing about “a complete guide to travel in the Philippines”. 

Your goal is that if someone is writing on Google: “travel philippines”, your blog post will appear in the first results.

But, because there are thousands of other blogs talking about the same topic. Why would your website be on first results?

Because you will be using SEO techniques.

We will see later what techniques are those and how to use them.

Why should you only focus on Google for your SEO?

Today, when people need info, they look on search engines. 

The most known search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Although, in my examples, I’m only talking about Google. Why?

“Just google it”.

Understand this: 

• About 93% of all web traffic comes through search engines.
• Google is the most used search engine in the world: 93% in the US, 96.2% in Brazil, 95.9% in India and 96.27% in the Philippines (source: search engines statistics).

Which is why don’t bother with other search engines and focus on being likeable by Google.

Is SEO free?

One of the first questions you might have is does it cost money to use SEO?

It is free: Obviously, no more if you are paying an expert to do SEO for your blog.

But, the basics of SEO are free. 

The goal is to respect a list of different rules so that Google likes your website to promote it: such as write a great answer for this particular search, be known as an expert in your topic by different blogs linking to your website, etc. 

And respecting those rules is free.

“I thought appearing on search results was not free and that you have to pay google to be first?”

On search results, there is a difference between Ads and high ranking posts. See below.

What is the difference between SEO and SEA?

Here is what a typical search result looks like:

You should discern 2 things:

Search Engine Advertising (SEA): it is not free. I will not spend too much time on SEA as it is not the topic of this article.

But basically, when you search something on Google and you see in first results the little “Ad” next to the link (as above): Those are people who paid Google to appear first when someone searched for a particular keyword. 

And the more people are looking for a keyword, the more expensive it is to buy it. In this example, “blog” was the keyword. 

SEA is for paid searches. .

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):  it is free. You do not have to pay to be on Google’s search results.

You can improve your ranking there without spending money and just using SEO techniques. 

SEO is for organic searches.

Now, you have a better understanding of what SEO is, you will see next how to use this tool.

II – How to Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

You know your goal: appearing first in search results.

To do so, you have to work on 3 main areas:

1 – Optimize your Content

If there is no content, there is no organic search possible.

So, you have to create a page or a blog post that will answer a specific search of someone looking for information on the internet.

People looking for photography tips, will read blog posts about it.

But there are many blogs about photography. 

So, Google will only show the best articles in the first results. To do so, they will check your content quality.

To do so, they use a set of rules called algorithms that will define if your content is great or not. The main calculation is a secret kept by Google and is constantly updated. 

But the main rules are known, here are some examples:

Some content rules

Your content must be:

• Unique: Google hates duplication. It sees easily if you have copied from another blog or website. Your website will be penalized so forget copy/pasting. 

• Relevant: it needs to answer the search. The better it is done, the more Google will promote your article in the first results.

• Structured: an easy-to-read post is always preferable. Use headlines and pay attention to your blog post structure.

• Length: this rule is a bit controversial. The # of words you should have for an article varies a lot between SEO experts. What you need to keep in mind is that short articles rarely bring depth to the question’s answer. But sometimes, you don’t need to write a lot to deliver the answer someone needs. 

I usually write around 700 to 3000 words per article. I prefer longer articles as I can dig more into a problem to explain the solution exhaustively. 

Just don’t add words because you think you absolutely need the 1500 word count to have your article optimized and you only have 1200. Focus on the relevancy of your content more than the number of words you are going to write. 

• Other rules: grammar, spelling, meta-description, alt text for images, etc. 

There are many other rules that you will know by learning more about SEO. Here I want to focus on the basics if you get more serious you can learn more by reading this section: Start Here.

Google’s algorithm is changing, around 500 mini changes are operated every year. Just make sure to keep yourself updated on the topic.

2 – Optimize your Website

SEO doesn’t only happen at the content level.

Your website must be optimized. 

For example, the navigation menu on your website must be clear. There should be no button menu leading to a blank page.

If you facilitate the work of Google robots, by making an easy-to-understand website.

It will be easier for them to analyze it and reference it well.

They will then return the favor by promoting your website if you are friendly with them.

If you have a WordPress blog and that you are using a web hosting like me (I am using Bluehost and use WordPress to create posts).

There are plugins that you can use to boost your SEO: WP Engine, Autoptimize, etc.

They will clean some of your assets and make your website more performant. 

Your website’s performance matters: be mobile responsive, improve the loading speed of your website, etc. 

If your website is very slow, Google will qualify it as a bad website on its rankings. Thus you have less chance to appear in the first results. 

You need to understand Google.

They want to have people searching and finding the solution they are looking for on Google. So, that everyone only searches through them.

And with paid ads – SEA we talked about it; they are earning lots of revenues because some people are paying to be on first results. 

The more people are researching on Google, the more they are earning money.

They want to show only the best results so that netizens are still using Google to perform their search.

So, you need to play their game. 

Such as having a fast enough website: you can use this free tool to see the speed performance of your website: GTmetrix. Make sure you have good scores.

And by optimizing your website, your SEO ranking will improve.

3 – Optimize the Links

This is a virtuous circle. 

The more you are getting popular the more you are getting visibility (like in real life).

For Google to know that you are popular, they are looking at how many websites are mentioning yours.

How many links from other websites direct to your own website. 

Google also verifies the quality of the links. 

If a highly visited website is posting something about you and linking one of your articles for example, it means that they are recommending your website. 

It is like on Instagram if someone famous tags you or speaks of you because you did something great. Your profile will get visited more.

More links to your website = More visits = More trust from Google = Better SEO ranking

But as you’ve probably understood already. Not all links and websites are equal for Google.

If a website about architecture is linking your food blog. Google might see poor value on it. Again, the relevancy is very important.

If a website talking about how to vlog is pointing to mine. This link is more valuable as our topics are much more similar.

This science of links is called NetLinking or Link Building. 

Which is why many people try to put their links everywhere. On guest posts, on forums, on social media, etc. 

If you want to know more about it: search articles about backlinks, do-follow and no-follow links, or link building strategies. 

I will write something more advanced about it soon.

Conclusion

SEO is a long-term strategy but with huge potential rewards. 

The great thing about search engines is that your content is not short-term. 

It is something that people can still find years after it was posted, (if the content is still relevant). 

The logic isn’t like social media and that’s why I focus more on SEO for my website than social media. 

We’re not on Facebook, where after posting something, it disappears 1 hour later in the feed.

Now that you know the theoretical part and the basics of SEO. 

You need to apply them in your blog or website. 

Content, Website and Netlinking optimization are the three main areas you want to research if you want to grow the traffic of your online activity. 

Good luck!

Let me know in the comments if this article was useful for you or if you have any questions about it 🙂