If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you want to become an SEO expert. That’s okay—you’re not alone! Search engine optimization is one of the best fields to work in if you want to get into Internet marketing, but it can also be one of the most difficult to break into since there are so many facets to becoming an expert in the field, and some of them take years to master. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t start trying to learn how to become an SEO expert right now!
Becoming an SEO expert can be difficult and overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out. With so many different factors to consider, like keywords, backlinks, on-page optimization, and more, it’s important to have a step-by-step plan of attack to ensure that you are successfully navigating the marketing world. To help you start off on the right foot, this article will explain how to become an SEO expert and give you some actionable strategies that will get you started on your new career path today!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Basics
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a tricky field. Google is constantly tweaking its algorithm, which means that what works today might not work tomorrow. Knowing how to navigate these ever-changing rules is crucial for your company’s success. Fortunately, there are a few basics you can rely on as you get started in SEO: Keyword research, on-page optimization and technical metrics—to name just a few—are all important parts of becoming a successful search engine optimizer. If you want to learn more about these fundamentals, check out our guide below.
For more detailed information, take a look at these resources. These sites have been around for years and have lots of great tips that you can use as you get started in search engine optimization.
Googling SEO basics will also give you tons of information about these fundamentals and how they fit into a wider strategy. Additionally, as you get started in SEO, it’s important to pay attention to what works for other companies.
Once you’ve done your research, here are some great ways to get started in search engine optimization. When it comes time to put your strategy into action, remember that solid planning is key.
Keyword Research for Beginners
Before you start practicing SEO, it’s vital that you get your keyword research right. Keywords are words and phrases related to what your business or website is selling or offering. They should also be terms people are actually searching for—and they may not necessarily be long-tail keywords (although they can be). In fact, a short keyword phrase may actually rank higher than a longer phrase because it’s easier for users to search for. It all depends on how competitive your niche is!
Conducting keyword research is easy with a bit of basic information about your business and its product or service. A good place to start would be looking at your business’s website and asking yourself two questions: First, what does my company do/make/sell? Second, why are people interested in buying from me (or why should they be)? That will help you brainstorm keywords related to your business—and it’s okay if those keywords don’t immediately relate directly to what you do.
Once you have a list of keywords, you need to plug them into a keyword research tool. There are several out there and most are free to use—so choose whichever one works best for your needs. If you’re not sure which one will be best, type some of your top keywords into Google and see which ones come up as suggestions in Google Search or AdWords.
Crafting Your On-Page Search Engine Optimization Strategy
In order to optimize a website for search engines, you need to understand their capabilities and limitations. A search engine uses a crawler that traverses through hypertext to read every word on your page, including titles, meta descriptions, body text and alt text. This makes up what is called on-page optimization. Crafting a strategy based on keywords will help you rank higher in SERPs.
The best way to get started with on-page optimization is by ensuring that your title and meta description are compelling. If you’re using any titles or images which need to be hyperlinked, ensure that those links are linked properly. Poorly formatted URLs might indicate improper usage of keywords or unnatural search engine manipulation.
Creating a Targeted Search Engine Optimization Strategy: The next step in crafting your on-page SEO strategy is creating a targeted campaign based on keyword research and competitor analysis.
Begin by identifying a group of keywords and search queries which will help you achieve your goals. Now, find out what your competitors are doing well that you aren’t.
Quick and Easy WordPress Plugins
If you’re not a developer, and you’re not interested in learning how to code HTML and CSS, there are many WordPress plugins that can provide incredible SEO features for your website. We recommend installing as many free ones as possible. These plugins will help give your content better exposure and traction on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
If you’re using WordPress, and you haven’t installed all of these plugins yet, do so right now! Free doesn’t always mean terrible. These are very well-established, trusted plugins with hundreds of thousands of users and high levels of customer satisfaction. Some aren’t even officially supported on other platforms (like All in One SEO Pack). By installing them, you can make your content far more visible in Google search results.
If you’re not interested in installing plugins and you still want better exposure, it’s important that you focus on creating content that deserves more traffic. When starting out, it’s a good idea to use Yoast as your primary plugin because of its on-page and off-page information.
If you have a budget, or if you want a complete SEO solution, there are premium plugins that are far more powerful than those available for free. For example, Yoast’s All in One SEO Pack is certainly worth investing in if you’re serious about becoming an SEO expert and earning more revenue from your websites. It goes well beyond what most free plugins can do when it comes to analyzing your content and helping you ensure it’s optimized for search engines.
Advanced On-Page Tactics That Can Double Your Clickthrough Rate
Search engines are only getting smarter. This means that if you want your content to be found, you need to step up your game. Here are some advanced on-page SEO tactics that can help double your clickthrough rate and help get more traffic from search engines. (Keep in mind that many of these tips are black hat or spammy SEO techniques.)
There’s a difference between linkbait and solid content: The term linkbait has become synonymous with attention-grabbing headlines that drive people to articles with little real substance—the idea being that if you write something provocative enough, it will spread like wildfire across social media platforms.
The objective of linkbait is often to draw in readers for a specific purpose—like trying to get them to subscribe or fill out a form. Solid content, on the other hand, uses valuable information and strong calls-to-action (CTAs) like download now that entice people who may be interested in what you have to offer. Think of it as smart marketing—not spammy tactics.
Linkbait is often easy to spot—and, in many cases, you don’t need advanced SEO knowledge or tools. Just read an article and ask yourself whether there was a real reason for you to come across it. If not, move on!
Link Building Made Simple – Guest Posting
If you want your website to rank high on search engines, you’ll need to drive lots of traffic from other websites. There are a lot of different strategies you can employ, but one of my favorites is guest posting. This strategy allows you to expand your reach and get more content marketing exposure for your business. It’s also a great way for new businesses looking for SEO opportunities to make valuable connections with potential partners, which may result in some long-term benefit. In short, it’s a win-win situation! However, there are definitely some things you should know before diving into guest posting. In today’s post I will explain how to do it right!
First, you need to choose a topic that matches your business goals. If you want more inbound links and traffic, then you’ll need to focus on content around your chosen keyword. Look at your website analytics and see which pages are performing well—those are a good place to start.
Second, you’ll need to search for blogs that have recently published similar content. You can use Google search operators such as inurl:guest post and intitle:guest post or tools like BuzzSumo, SEMrush and Majestic. This will help you find relevant publications that haven’t published too many similar articles recently.
Third, once you’ve found a few publications, create a list of similar articles. This will help you craft your pitch and offer relevant content that will make your guest post stand out. One way to do it is by writing down 10 questions related to your topic in a spreadsheet and then answering them for each publication on your list.
An Introduction to Off-Page Search Engine Optimization Tactics – Media Outreach & Social Bookmarking
Just like you want to be active on social media and build a community of followers, your target audience should be interested in following and engaging with you. If there’s already strong demand for your content—more specifically, if there are already existing communities and online groups who are looking for what you have to offer—then all you need is to reach out and let them know that your company or website has a solution for them.
If you’re not as popular yet, try submitting your site or material to off-page websites like Reddit and Scoop It. This tactic is commonly known as media outreach, and it’s a process of identifying members of communities who will be interested in seeing your content or hearing what you have to say. By becoming active in these communities, you can drive potential traffic back to your own site.
Then there’s social bookmarking, which allows you to post your content on other websites—usually related sites or those with a similar audience—and have it appear in search results alongside your own site. It’s one of many off-page tactics used for link building and attracting more traffic from search engines. These are just a few of off-page search engine optimization tactics that exist.
These tactics can help boost your ranking within search engines, so it’s important that you learn about them and consider how you can use them for your business. A truly successful SEO campaign relies on a comprehensive, multifaceted approach, so pick a few that seem right for your business and start implementing them today.
An Introduction to Off-Page Search Engine Optimization Tactics – Writing & Commenting on Other Websites
One of the oldest and most important off-page search engine optimization tactics is writing for other sites and having them link back to yours. This may seem basic, but it is not as easy as you might think. Only high quality content will attract relevant websites willing to do a link exchange with you. Not only does high quality content bring people into your site, but it also helps you gain more links for future growth of your site.
Another important aspect of writing for others is having your comments left on other websites. It shows that you are a relevant player in your niche, and that you actively engage with others in your industry. Furthermore, just as with creating quality content, leaving relevant comments takes time and effort—thus making it both valuable and genuine when you leave these kinds of comments.
In fact, since these kinds of links are off-site, they carry less weight when it comes to how Google ranks websites. This is called link juice and links on your own site pass more link juice than a link from another site. That said, having lots of relevant off-site links will create a positive association with your website when it comes time for search engines to evaluate its relevance.
Tracking Results & Reporting Back To Clients
Tracking your results means communicating with clients and keeping them updated on how they’re performing in terms of traffic, leads, calls-to-action, etc. in relation to their overall marketing strategy. You can’t improve if you don’t know what works and what doesn’t.
If you don’t keep clients informed of what’s working and what isn’t, they can’t make informed decisions about their marketing strategy. Furthermore, if you find that something isn’t working, you can work with your client to determine whether it needs more time or effort before giving up on it. Then, once you have all of your data and feedback, start a weekly report template for each client. After all—you want to be able to track trends over time!
It’s also important to note that you don’t have to track everything. It can be overwhelming if you set up a spreadsheet for every metric possible. Instead, start by tracking one or two KPIs.