Published by Simon Brooks on 15th May 2024 | Outsourced Marketing, SEO, SEO Management

New to SEO? Here are 20 Things You Should Understand

The Basics of SEO

If you’re dipping your toes into the vast ocean of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation, to give its full and formal name), or if you’re new to digital marketing and need to get the low down on what SEO actually involves, this article is for you.

Here are the top 5 takeaways to kickstart your SEO journey:

  • Keywords are Key: Understand the power of keywords. They drive search engine results and help potential customers find you. Don’t just stuff them into your content; use them wisely and strategically.
  • Mobile-First Websites Win: In today’s mobile-first world, ensuring your website is optimised for mobile is non-negotiable. A smooth mobile experience can improve both your rankings and user satisfaction.
  • Speed is Crucial: A slow-loading site turns visitors away. Improve your website’s loading times to keep both users and search engines happy.
  • Content Quality Over Quantity: Quality content is king. Write engaging, informative and authoritative pieces that provide real value to your readers. This not only attracts more traffic but also builds trust.
  • Meta Matters: These short titles and descriptions aren’t just filler. They’re crucial for telling search engines and users what your page is about. Make each meta title and description clear, compelling and relevant.

Whether you’re setting up your own site or working your business marketing plan, knowing about the essentials of SEO can go a long way.

Here’s the lowdown on 20 things you need to get your head around right now!

1. Keywords are Key

Yep, keywords still hold the throne in SEO. They are the words or phrases that people use to search for stuff online. Think about what potential visitors might be typing into Google to find businesses, services or products like yours, and make sure those words are sprinkled throughout your site. But don’t stuff too many keywords in; getting the balance right is very important and you should always write for humans, not bots.

2. Make it Mobile-Friendly

With more people browsing on their phones than ever, Google loves a site that looks good and works optimally on all screen sizes and devices. If your site isn’t easy to navigate on a smartphone, you’re not only losing visitors but also rankings.

Mobile friendly web design

3. Page Speed Matters

Nobody likes waiting, especially online. If your website pages take ages to load, visitors will bounce off faster than a kangaroo, and Google will notice. Keep your page load times quick with lean code, optimised images, caching, lazy loading and deferring large resources.

4. Quality Content Wins

Gone are the days when stuffing articles with keywords was enough. Now, it’s all about quality content. Write information that’s useful, engaging, authoritative and – above all – good for humans to read, and you’ll attract more traffic.

5. Meta Matters

Meta titles and descriptions might seem small fry, but they’re significant in the SEO world. They help search engines understand what your page is about, so make them count. If you are building a WordPress website, use a suitable plug-in such as Yoast to help with this.

6. Love your Links

Links from other websites (backlinks) are like votes of confidence in the eyes of search engines. The more high quality and relevant links you have pointing to your site, the better. But don’t be tempted to use the hundreds of generic directories out there, Google will ignore them at best and penalise you at worst. Don’t forget about internal links either, especially between your product/service pages and your blog articles.

7. Local SEO is Lush

For local businesses, local SEO is crucial. Make sure you claim and verify your business’ listing in Google and add as much information in the settings as possible. You should also include local keywords in your website content and get listed in local directories such as Yell.

8. Secure Your Site

If your URL starts with HTTP instead of HTTPS, you’re in trouble. HTTPS is secure, and Google prefers secure websites. You’ll need an SSL certificate to serve your site over https, which can be obtained as part of your hosting package.

https for website security

9. User Experience is Everything

SEO isn’t just about pleasing search engines, it’s about delivering a great user experience. A well-designed, intuitive and easy-to-navigate website will keep visitors happy and engaged so they stay on your site for longer.

10. Social Signals

While social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, there’s no denying its power to boost your content’s reach and generate traffic. Prominence is one of the three main factors for local search, and the more active you are on social, the more prominence your brand has online.

11. Images Need Attention Too

Optimise all your images and graphics by compressing them and converting them to a web-friendly format (such as WebP). Use descriptive file names and alt tags, as this helps search engines understand your images and can improve accessibility.

12. XML Sitemap Essentials

An XML sitemap helps search engines find and index all your pages. Ensure you have one and that it’s updated regularly.

13. Freshness Factor

Google loves fresh content. Regularly updating your site with new and relevant content can boost your SEO efforts.

14. Avoid Duplicate Content

Duplicate content is noticed by search engines and only the original version will be ranked well. Make sure all your content is unique and original and that it provides value to the visitor.

15. Structure Your Posts

Break your content into digestible chunks using headers in a sequential order (H1, H2, H3 etc). Not only does it make your content easier to read, but it also helps search engines understand what your pages are about.

16. Voice Search Optimisation

With the rise of voice-activated devices, optimising for voice search is becoming increasingly important. Focus on natural language and open question-based queries.

Voice search optimisation

17. Analytics Are Your Friend

Google Analytics is a goldmine. It helps you understand your site’s traffic, where it comes from, and how users behave while they’re on your site. So by understanding these insights, you can refine your strategy.

18. SEO is Long-Term

Don’t expect overnight success with SEO. It’s a long game, requiring patience and persistence, but the rewards are worth the wait. It’s not a ‘one-off’ job either. It takes regular work each month to ensure your website is update proof for the regular Google algorithm changes.

19. Keep Learning

SEO is always evolving. Keep yourself updated by following industry blogs, attending webinars, and experimenting with new techniques. Bear in mind that there are well over 100 factors involved in SEO, from keywords to deep technical work, and you need to be across everything.

20. SEO is a Team Sport

Whether you’re a one-person show or part of a larger team, getting everyone on board with SEO practices can amplify your efforts. It’s particularly important that your blog writers, web designers and marketers are up to speed.

Final word

And there you have it! 20 SEO essentials that are critical for anyone starting out in this digital era. Roll up your sleeves, and let’s get your site up to scratch!

Of course, if you find it all a bit daunting, you can always request a bit of help from the SEO experts here at C4B Media. Just drop us a line at hello@c4bmedia.com and we’ll be pleased to help!

About the Author: Simon Brooks

Simon has over 30 years’ experience in all aspects of strategic and digital marketing. He is a director and joint founder of C4B Media and has led numerous successful marketing projects for clients across diverse industries.

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