If you have a blog or any type of site that you want people to see, you need SEO. I can already hear it now: “what’s SEO?”, “why do I need it?”, “what does search engine optimization mean?” If you’re new to SEO, that’s okay, we’ll go through it together.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for “search engine optimization”. It’s a way to have your website rank well in Google searches. Well, not just Google searches because there are other search engines like Yahoo and Bing, but according to WPBeginner’s video, 90% of internet searches are made through Google. So a large amount of the time, when you hear about SEO, they are mostly referring to Google. I like to think of SEO almost as a lighthouse in a storm; it’s the way for people to find you.
The purpose of search engine optimization is to improve your content so you show on the first page on Google (or other search engines) when users search a word or phrase. Why do you want to be on the first page of Google? If we look back at the video I just mentioned, it explains that 10% of people don’t bother loading the next page of search results-they just adjust their query in the search bar. That’s 90% of missed opportunity!
Okay, but how do I use it effectively?
Optimizing your website means more than just adjusting your text within the site. It’s optimizing the images, links, design…everything. For example, this post? Search engine optimized. Say you write a post about search engine optimization and you add pictures. If your website is with WordPress for instance, there will be an option to add a keyword behind your image when you click it. That will optimize your content more so you will be more likely to be found.
It’s also important to have a meta description for your post. A meta description is that small phrase below the post title link on the search result page of Google. The support page for Google advises that “a meta description tag should generally inform and interest users with a short, relevant summary of what a particular page is about. They are like a pitch that convince the user that the page is exactly what they’re looking for”.
Put yourself in the position of the searcher. If you are searching for something, you put your keyword or phrase into the search box and press “enter”. You are brought to the search results and to determine which link best fits what you are looking for, you read the titles and meta descriptions underneath. Google also uses the meta descriptions to be able to sort the most relevant articles for your search.
How do I know which keywords are in demand?
A handy tool that I’ve found is a site called Wordtracker that is exclusively a keyword site for SEO purposes. It will show you how different queries and keywords rank on Google. When I began to write professionally and started learning about SEO, I wasn’t immediately using any keyword tracker because I simply didn’t know about them. I was essentially trying to optimize my writing in the dark; it was a nightmare!
What next?
If you’re looking into learning more about search engine optimization, I’d recommend great teachers and entrepreneurs like Neil Patel. Most of his content revolves around SEO and he goes into great detail about it. This video is a good starting point.
If you are searching for more information on how to create a successful blog, check out my post here!
Interesting! Very informative!
Thank you, Jenna! I’m glad you found it helpful.