Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important tools businesses should utilize in our modern world. SEO-friendly webpages are more likely to be clicked on in a Google search because they contain keywords. Keywords are what search engines use to produce results. If you want your business to pop up on the first page of results, you'll need to educate yourself on SEO.
The first step to educating yourself on SEO is learning about search engines and how they work.
Search engines use crawling, indexing, and ranking to produce search results. The system will scour the internet for code and content in URLs that match the keywords. Then it stores the information and ranks the pages from most relevant to least relevant. The first results you see will be considered the most relevant web pages.
There are two types of SEO: on-page and off-page.
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing elements of your website itself. Key components of on-page SEO include keyword research, title tag, meta description, header tag, keyword usage, internal links, and site maps. If your website includes each of these components, users will see your website before your competitors’ pages.
Off-page SEO is the method of promoting a website via link building. Link building is using hyperlinks in other websites to drive traffic to your website. Users click on your hyperlink located on another website. Doing so takes them to your website. This will also drive referral traffic, leading to better authority and credibility.
If you use both types of SEO, your website will receive a better ranking, thereby gaining more visibility.
There are many books on the market to teach readers how to use SEO. When choosing which ones will suit your purposes the best, it’s a good idea to decide if you would get more use out of general information or niche market selections.
For information regarding general SEO tactics that are applicable to every field, one good example is The Beginner’s Guide to SEO by Jessica Ainsworth. These “bottom line”-type books can walk you through the basics of SEO and how to take the first real steps toward applying them in your business venture.
Most of these general publications aren’t overly bogged down with technical word salad and are fairly easy to absorb. Some even have corresponding workbooks to help organize your process and record the results of your efforts. Even if you eventually decide to hire a marketing partner to handle your SEO, you can use general SEO knowledge to better communicate with them and judge if their efforts are proving to be successful.
Once you have a decent grasp of how SEO processes work, you may want to move on to other resources that go further in-depth and relate more closely to your specific field.
Let’s say you are a fledgling attorney looking to drive clients to your practice. An example of a niche SEO book that would be especially applicable to attaining your desired clientele would be Law Firm SEO: Exposing the Google Algorithm to Help You Get More Cases. Far beyond mere SEO basics, this book goes in-depth, teaching readers such things as how to optimize their websites to make them SEO-friendly.
Even if you don’t necessarily run a law firm, you can use niche SEO resources like Law Firm SEO since Hennessey Digital gives you the information to really dive into ways of navigating data analytics and Google algorithms and applying them to your specific trade or business.
Books are one of the greatest resources for educating yourself on SEO. And with online ease of access, highly specialized subjects such as SEO and derivative niche varieties can be purchased with the click of a button rather than a trip to the local bookstore or library.
There are many programs available to learn about SEO and how to use it.
These programs are broken down into easy-to-digest chapters so you won’t be overwhelmed by all the new knowledge. Some of these programs can be taken online or in person. Since the subject is becoming increasingly vital to marketing, many schools and organizations offer these specialized classes.
Some programs are available for free online, while others cost hundreds of dollars. As the saying goes, you tend to get what you pay for. If you want to get a job that requires SEO knowledge or attain general expertise, getting a certificate or degree may be a valuable investment.
It’s all well and good to research until your head bursts, but eventually, you will have to take the first steps of implementing what you’ve learned. Here are a few simple things you can do.
The first thing you should do is consider updating your most important website content. Updating your existing content will save you time and energy, as you won’t need to create new content. This can give you more efficient results for the amount of time invested.
The second thing you should do is consider incorporating long-form content into your website.
Sure, smaller blogs are easier to write, but they don’t include as much content as long-form blogs. Readers consider long-form content to be more engaging. A long-form article is anything over 2,000 words.
One final thing you can do is decrease page load time.
If a webpage loads too slowly, many users will not return to your website. Mobile phone use has gone up, which means more people are using their phones to search the internet. Optimize your website for mobile use, and the pages should load quickly.
Search engine optimization is a handy tool to drive more customers to your business.
One of the best things you can do for your company is to educate yourself on SEO. By following the suggestions above, you can begin improving your SEO rankings in no time.
