A beginners guide to SEO

Ross East -

SEO should be one of the first things you think about when you draft your online business strategy.

This is because approximately 75% of internet users find what they’re looking for on the first page of results, not needing to search any further.

Here we look at the main steps to take to begin mastering the world of SEO.

1. Keyword research

Firstly, you need to know what keyword(s) you will be targeting. For example, a web design company may want to rank for ‘web design’, which is a strong keyword but will be highly contested.

If the firm only operates in Reading, however, they could target ‘web design in reading’, or even better, ‘web design agency Reading’. The more targeted your keywords are, the better chance you have of ranking for it.

A good resource to use is Google AdWords’ Keyword Tool. This can help you identify what terms people search for the most. Try to do this a few times a year to keep on top of them.

2. Don’t neglect mobile users

Mobile friendly and responsive sites are now a focus for search engines, so make sure your website can cope with this demand. Minimising the download time of your website is key to improve the performance for your visitors. Remove any unnecessary code, cut out autoplaying videos and reduce the amount of redirects.

3. On-page optimisation

On-page optimisation is where you ensure that your web page fulfills all of the criteria that makes it relevant for the keyword you want to rank for.

This includes:

  • ensuring it is accessible to search engine crawlers
  • including the keyword in the page URL
  • including the keyword in the beginning of the H1
  • frequent use of the keyword throughout the text
  • avoiding undue repetition of the keyword.

4. Understand meta titles and descriptions

The meta information is the text that typically appears on the search results pages.

The meta title is the link that a potential customer will click on to go through to your site. So this should contain appropriate keywords. Just remember that Google has a character limit – anything over 65 characters will get cut off.

The meta description is displayed underneath the meta title. Although this isn’t a ranking factor, it is a perfect place for you to persuade people to click on your link, so fill it will enticing copy.

Read and comment on the original Real Business article.