Did you know that Google performs about 67 thousand searches every second?
If your site is missing out on all the action it might be due to ineffective SEO. Mastering SEO without spending thousands might seem impossible, but it’s not as hard as you might think.
However, there are a few simple things you can do to uncomplicate the process. Keep reading for six SEO tips for beginners.
1. Build Your Credibility
Do you want to increase your website’s SEO but you don’t know where to start? Sure, it helps to have strong keywords and links, but in the end, customers will go to you if they consider you a leader in your field.
Increase your company’s credibility by establishing your presence as a reliable resource.
There are many ways to build your credibility. If you own a company, you can get in touch with other people in the same level of expertise and bounce ideas off each other.
You can organize speaking engagements with others. For example, if your niche is fashion blogging and influencer in Chicago, get in touch with other bloggers in your area.
Bring them along to organize a panel to teach others about how to start a fashion blog. If all the people involved decide to share it with their followers, it will give you credibility as an authority in fashion blogging.
If you’re not quite there yet, you can build your credibility by co-authoring articles, becoming a guest writer, or starting a podcast.
2. Keywords Made Simple
Talk to any SEO expert and they will tell you how important keywords are. If you feel overwhelmed by keywords, you have to think of why they’re important in the first place.
Keywords are there to help people find you.
Think about the service you offer.
Let’s say you’re a freelance personal shopper in New York City. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and type “New York City personal shopper” into Google. See what search results you get.
Does your site pop up during the search? If it doesn’t, chances are there are others using the same phrase to market their services.
This is not a bad thing. It only means that you need to get more creative with your keywords.
Find what your company’s niche is and see if you can take advantage of that. For example, if you’re based in lower Manhattan, make sure you target those customers.
People who live in lower Manhattan might want a personal shopper nearby, so they’ll search for personal shoppers in Manhattan. If you want to test this theory out, type in the keywords and see which results you get.
3. Pay Attention to the Competition
It’s important to pay attention to what the competition is doing, but not to copy them. You want to see what your competition is up to and figure out how you can improve it and make it fresh.
Make sure you focus on people in your niche.
Let’s say your niche is travel blogging and you’ve haven’t had as much success getting people on your blog. Lucky for you, the travel blog industry is booming and there’s lots of information out there. Unlucky for you, it means readers have lots to choose from.
If you noticed some travel bloggers are creating more videos, try to explore that idea for your blog. However, if you run with this idea, you will have to bring a fresh approach.
Don’t only create a video about packing a carry-on if many bloggers have already done it. Instead, do a Q&A on your best travel advice for a specific destination.
New and fresh content will increase your SEO.
4. Don’t Overlook Title Tags
Have you ever paid attention to the title tags on the top of the page of your web browser? If you always thought they’re not important, you might be making a big SEO mistake.
While you might think that no one is paying attention to these title tags, search engines are.
Every individual page on a website has an individual title tag. While you might now see it, people who search for your site on a search engine will see it on the search results.
The title tag will also show up on the top of the web browser or when you open another tab. Also, if someone shares it on Facebook, it will also show up.
Think about a real estate site — the title tag of a listing should read something like this: 1234 street, city, and state: two bedroom, two bath house with a garage. With a title tag like that, people who are looking for this type of listing will have a small summary.
This will give you an idea of the importance of title tags.
5. Target the Right Audience
Your SEO will not improve unless you target the right audience. Focus all your resources on those who are looking for your services.
Narrow down who your target audience is. If you have an interior design business, your audience will be homeowners of a certain age and income.
Figure out how to make it possible for that audience to find you without having them jump through hoops.
6. Optimize Your Files
If you upload images on your site or have files for your customers to download, make sure to optimize them.
Let’s say you have pdf files for your customers to download. While it might be tempting to name the file 123.pdf, you should make it specific for your site. For example, you can name it “travelexpertpackinglist.”
You can do the same for images. If you’re going to upload an image on your site, make sure it’s optimized.
SEO Tips for Beginners: The Bottom Line
Now that you had a chance to read about SEO tips for beginners, it’s time to put your skills to the test.
Make sure you target the right audience, make keywords simple, and establish yourself as an authority.
Need more tips on SEO? Let North Lake Digital help, check out our pricing.
