SEO Basics
As a business owner, you want to make sure your website is visible to potential customers when they search for keywords related to your products or services. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of your site in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Set up GSC and Bing Webmaster tools
SEO is short for "search engine optimization." It's a long-term marketing strategy to improve a website's visibility and organic search results in Google and other global search engines.
When most people think of optimizing their website for better search engine ranking, they tend to focus on on-page SEO factors such as adding relevant keywords to titles and tags, optimizing images, and producing quality content. However, those are just a tiny part of the overall SEO puzzle.
There are two main types of SEO: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. In this article, we're going to focus on the former. So what exactly is on-page SEO?
On-page SEO (also known as "technical SEO") is the process of optimizing different elements of your website to improve your search engine ranking. This includes optimizing your website's title tags and meta descriptions and your site's content, structure, and design.
One of the best ways to improve your on-page SEO is by setting up Google Search Console (formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools) and Bing Webmaster Tools. These free tools provided by Google and Bing give you insights into how your website performs in its respective search engines.
Search Console and Webmaster Tools will inform you about any errors or warnings their crawlers have picked up when indexing your website. They will also show you which keywords your website is ranking for, what posits positions, and how many impressions and clicks its receipt is receivable to; tracking this data is crucial for understanding how well your on-page SEO efforts are paying off. If you notice that your website is not ranking for specific keywords or is losing rankings for existing keywords, you can make changes to your website accordingly to try and improve its position.
Setting up Search Console and Webmaster Tools only takes a few minutes, but it's definitely time well spent if you want to optimize your website for better search engine ranking.
Set up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a must for any website owner who wants to collect data about their visitors. It's a free tool that gives you insights into your website traffic, including where your visitors come from, what they do on your site, and how long they stay.
To get started with Google Analytics, sign up for a free account and add the Analytics code to your website. Once you've done that, you can begin tracking your website traffic data right away.
If you're not sure ensured the Google Analytics code for your website, there are plenty of tutorials online tutorials and articles to help you out. Once the code is added, check back in on your Analytics account regularly to see how your website is performing.
Install and configure an SEO plugin (WordPress)
Generally, you should always install and configure an SEO plugin on your WordPress website. Doing so can ensure that your website is set up for success from the get-go, and you can avoid any potential issues further down the line.
Some different SEO plugins are available for WordPress, but we recommend Yoast SEO. Yoast SEO is a popular plugin regularly updated and features free and premium versions.
Once you have installed and activated the plugin, you will need to configure it. The Yoast SEO configuration wizard will walk you through the process step-by-step, and it's really straightforward. However, if you need help, we have a complete guide on configuring Yoast SEO for WordPress.
Once you have configured the plugin, you can move on to optimizing your website for search engines. This includes tasks like creating keyword-optimized titles and descriptions for your pages and posts and setting up your website's social media profiles.
Keyword Research
Freelancers use keyword research to find and use the best keywords for your project. This process is used to help them determine what keywords to target that will bring the most traffic to your site.
Identify your competitors
The first step in any keyword research should be identifying your main competitors. These websites rank above you in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for the keywords you want to rank for.
To find your competitors, search for your target keywords in Google and look at the websites on the first results page. In most cases, these will be your main competitors.
Once you've identified your competitors, it's time to start doiresearchyword strategies. This will give you a good idea of the keywords they are targeting and how well those keywords are performing for them.
There are a few different ways you can do this research:
- Use a keyword research tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs to find out which keywords your competitors are ranking for
- Use Google Search Console to see which keywords are driving traffic to their website
- Check out their website and see which keywords they are targeting in their content
Conduct a keyword gap analysis
Before optimizing your website for specific keywords, you must know which ones to target. This can be done by conducting a keyword gap analysis. This is a process of comparing the keywords your competitors are targeting with those you are targeting. If there are any gaps, then you need to fill them to be competitive.
There are a few different ways to conduct a keyword gap analysis. The first is to use a tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner. This tool will allow you to input your competitor's URL and see which keywords they are targeting. You can then compare this with your target keywords and see where the gaps are.
Another way to conduct a keyword gap analysis is to manually review your competitor's website and look at its titles, meta descriptions, and header tags. This can be time-consuming, but it will give you a good idea of their target keywords. You can then compare this with your keyword list and see where the gaps are.
Once you have identified the gaps in your keyword list, you need to start targeting those keywords. This can be done through on-page optimization, such as including those keywords in your titles, meta descriptions, and header tags. You should also start building links to your website with those keywords as anchor text. If you do this, you will start ranking for those keywords and eventually get traffic from them.
Find your main 'money' keywords.
Proper keyword research is essential for anybody serious about driving targeted traffic to their website or blog. The whole process can be boiled down to finding the right 'money' keywords - i.e., those that will generate the most targeted traffic that will most likely convert into sales or leads.
Some different methods and tools can be used to find these money keywords, but perhaps the simplest and most effective way is to simply think like your target customer. If you were in their position, what would you type into Google (or another search engine) to find the products or services you offer?
Once you have a good list of potential keywords, the next step is to use a tool like Google's Keyword Planner to estimate how much traffic each keyword is likely to generate. From there, it's simply a case of prioritizing your list of keywords in order of estimated traffic and selecting the most likely to create conversions.
Technical SEO
When hiring a freelancer to build a website, the average cost is about $50 per hour. However, the price can vary depending on the project's complexity and the freelancer's skills. For example, a simple website with just a few pages might only cost a few hundred dollars, while a more complex website with dozens of pages and features could cost a few thousand dollars.
Leverage the "Inspect URL" feature in GSC
Google Search Console's "Inspect URL" feature is a handy tool for SEOs. It allows you to check if a specific URL is indexed by Google, and if it is, it will also provide information on any issues detected with the URL.
This can be incredibly useful when troubleshooting indexation issues or determining why a particular URL is not ranking as well as it should be.
To use the "Inspect URL" feature, simply enter the URL you want to check in the box provided and click the "Inspect" button.
If the URL is indexed by Google, you will see a message saying, "Google has indexed this URL," along with some information on any issues that have been detected.
If the URL is not indexed by Google, you will see a message saying, "This URL is not on Google," along with some potential reasons.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
A recent study by Google shows that over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your website is not optimized for mobile, you could miss out on a sizeable chunk of your potential audience. In addition, mobile-friendliness is now a ranking factor in Google's search algorithm, so it's essential for both SEO and user experience.
There are a few different ways to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. One is to use a responsive design, which means that your website will automatically adjust to fit the screen size of the device it's being viewed on. Another option is to create a separate mobile version of your website that users will be redirected to when they visit your site from a mobile device.
Whichever route you choose, it's essential to test your site on multiple devices to ensure it looks and functions as you want it to. You should also consider using Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool to understand how well your site stacks up.
Check your site's loading speed.
Site speed is one of the most critical yet often overlooked aspects of technical SEO. In today's fast-paced world, people have little patience for slow-loading websites. In fact, a study by Kissmetrics showed that even a one-second delay in page loading time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.
That's why ensuring your website is as fast as possible is essential. There are some ways to improve your site's loading speed, but one of the easiest is to use a tool like Pingdom to check your site's speed and get suggestions on how to improve it.
Fix duplicate, missing, and truncated title tags
Regarding title tags, there are three main problems you can run into duplicate title tags, missing title tags, and truncated title tags.
Duplicate title tags are when you have the same title tag on more than one page of your website. This problem confuses search engines and can hurt your search ranking.
Missing title tags are when you have a page on your website that doesn't have a title tag. This is also a problem because it confuses search engines and can hurt your search ranking.
Truncated title tags are when your title tag is cut off in the search results because it's too long. This looks bad and can also hurt your click-through rate from the search results.
Find and fix duplicate or missing meta descriptions.
One of the most common on-page SEO issues we encounter is duplicate or missing meta descriptions.
A meta description is a short paragraph of text that appears below your page title in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Its purpose is to give the searcher a brief summary of what they can expect to find on your page.
Ideally, every page on your website should have a unique meta description. However, we often find that many websites have either duplicate meta descriptions or no meta descriptions.
This can be a big problem, as it can result in your pages not being properly indexed by the search engines and could also lead to a decline in your organic traffic levels.
Fortunately, there are some tools and techniques you can use to find and fix duplicate or missing meta descriptions on your website. Here are some of the most effective:
- Use Screaming Frog to crawl your website and identify pages with missing or duplicate meta descriptions.
- Check your Google Search Console account to see if you have any warnings or errors related to missing or duplicate meta descriptions.
- Use a tool like Missing Meta Data to scan your website for pages with missing metadata (including meta descriptions).
- Manually check each page on your website to ensure that it has a unique and relevant meta description.
- If you find any pages with missing or duplicate meta descriptions, update them as soon as possible.
Taking the time to fix these issues can make a big difference to your SEO efforts and could help you see an improvement in your organic traffic levels.
Find and fix multiple H1 tags.
One common issue impeding a website's search engine optimization (SEO) is multiple H1 tags on a page. In HTML, the H1 label indicates the most crucial heading on a page and should be used sparingly. If a page has more than one H1 tag, it can be confusing for search engines to determine which text is the most important, and as a result, the page may not rank as highly as it could in search results.
If you're a freelancer who specializes in website optimization, part of your job may be to find and fix instances of multiple H1 tags on client websites. Here are some tips on how to do this:
First, use a web browser inspector tool to look at the HTML code for the page in question. This will allow you to simultaneously see all of the H1 tags on the page.
Next, go through each H1 tag and determine if it is vital. Ask yourself if there is another tag that could be used instead, such as an H2 or H3. In some cases, combining multiple H1 tags into one may make sense.
Finally, make changes to the HTML code as needed to fix the problem. This may involve removing unnecessary H1 tags or combining multiple tags into one. Once you're finished, save your changes and test the page to ensure everything looks and works as intended.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is optimizing a website for higher search engine rankings. It involves link building, social media engagement, and other activities based on the website. This can significantly increase traffic and get your website to rank higher in search engines. However, it can be a bit of a challenge to get started with off-page SEO.
Analyze your competitor's link profile
As you build your link profile, keeping an eye on your competitor's link profile is essential. This will give you an idea of what links they have, how they got them, and what kind of strategy they employed. You can find this information using various tools, but our favorite is Ahrefs.
Ahrefs is a tool that allows you to see detailed information about any website's backlinks. This includes the number of links, the quality of those links, and where they're coming from. You can also see the anchor text used for those links.
This information is valuable because it allows you to see what's working for your competition and adapt their strategies for your benefit. It also allows you to identify any potential link opportunities that you may be able to take advantage of.
Conduct a link intersect analysis
Link intersect is a process where you take a list of competitor domains and analyze what websites are linking to all of them. This can give you unique insights into where your competitors are getting their links and help you find new link-building opportunities.
There are a few different ways to conduct a link intersect analysis. The most common are tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Majestic, which all have built-in connection cross tools.
Or, you can use a custom Google Sheets script like this one from SEO expert Matthew Woodward.
Once you have your list of competitor domains, just enter them into the tool of your choice and hit "go." In most cases, you'll want to export the results into a spreadsheet so you can further analyze the data.
Target your competitors' broken backlinks
One of the most effective ways to improve your off-page SEO is to target your competitor's broken backlinks. You can do this using a tool like Ahrefs.
First, head to Ahrefs and enter your competitor's URL into the site explorer. Then, click on the "Backlinks" tab and scroll down to the "Broken" section.
Here, you'll see a list of all the broken backlinks pointing to your competitor's site. These links are no longer working because the content has been removed or the URL has changed.
Now, all you need to do is reach out to the webmasters who are linking to these broken pages and let them know that their link is no longer working. Then, ask them if they'd be willing to link to your website instead.
This is a great way to get high-quality backlinks from authority websites in your industry. Not only that, but you'll also be helping out the webmaster by letting them know their link is broken.
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