How To Do SEO Yourself: A beginners guide to digital marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a fundamental aspect of digital marketing that focuses on enhancing a website's visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). For beginners, understanding and implementing SEO strategies can seem daunting, but with a structured approach, it's entirely achievable. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to perform SEO yourself, laying the foundation for improved online presence and traffic.​

1. Understand the Basics of SEO

At its core, SEO involves optimising your website to rank higher in search engine results, thereby increasing organic (non-paid) traffic. The primary components of SEO include:​

• On-Page SEO: Optimising individual pages on your website, focusing on content quality, keyword usage, meta tags, and internal linking.​

• Off-Page SEO: Enhancing your site's reputation and authority through external methods, such as backlink building and social media engagement.​

• Technical SEO: Ensuring that your website meets the technical requirements of search engines, including site speed, mobile-friendliness, and proper indexing.​

  
  

2. Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of identifying the terms and phrases your target audience uses to search for information related to your business or content. To perform effective keyword research:​

• Brainstorm Topics: Consider the subjects relevant to your niche or industry.​

• Use Keyword Research Tools: Utilise tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to discover keywords with a good balance of search volume and competition.​

• Analyse Competitors: Examine the keywords your competitors are targeting to identify opportunities.

Focus on long-tail keywords (phrases with three or more words) as they often have less competition and attract more targeted traffic.​

3. Optimise On-Page Elements

Once you've identified your target keywords, integrate them strategically into your website's on-page elements:​

• Title Tags: Craft compelling and concise titles that include your primary keyword.​

• Meta Descriptions: Write informative descriptions that incorporate keywords and encourage users to click.​

• Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.): Structure your content with headings that reflect the hierarchy of information and include relevant keywords.​

• Content: Develop high-quality, original content that provides value to your audience and naturally incorporates keywords.​

• URLs: Create clean, descriptive URLs that include your target keywords.​

  
  

4. Improve Technical SEO

Technical aspects of your website play a crucial role in SEO performance:​

• Site Speed: Ensure your website loads quickly by optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing code.​

• Mobile-Friendliness: Design a responsive website that offers a seamless experience across all devices.​

• XML Sitemap: Create and submit an XML sitemap to search engines to facilitate proper indexing.​

• Robots.txt File: Use the robots.txt file to guide search engine crawlers on which pages to index.​

  
  

5. Build Quality Backlinks

Backlinks, or inbound links from other websites, signal to search engines that your content is valuable and credible:​

• Guest Blogging: Contribute articles to reputable sites in your industry, including links back to your website.​

• Content Promotion: Share your content on social media platforms and engage with online communities to encourage sharing.​

• Broken Link Building: Identify broken links on other websites and suggest your content as a replacement.​

  
  

6. Monitor and Analyse Performance

Regularly assessing your SEO efforts helps identify what's working and where improvements are needed:​

• Google Analytics: Track metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rate, and user behavior.​

• Google Search Console: Monitor your site's presence in search results, identify indexing issues, and analyse keyword performance.​

• SEO Tools: Utilise tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to conduct site audits and track backlink profiles.​

  
  

7. Stay Updated with SEO Trends

SEO is an ever-evolving field. Staying informed about the latest trends and algorithm updates is crucial:​

• Follow Industry Blogs: Regularly read reputable SEO blogs and forums.​

• Attend Webinars and Workshops: Participate in online events to learn from experts.​

• Engage with SEO Communities: Join online communities to share knowledge and stay updated.

Embarking on the journey of SEO can be intricate, but with a structured, step-by-step approach, achieving heightened visibility becomes attainable. Remember, the heart of SEO is providing value and relevance to your users. By keeping their needs at the forefront and methodically following the steps outlined, you can navigate the complexities of SEO and enhance your digital marketing efforts.​

For a visual walkthrough of these concepts, consider watching the following beginner-friendly SEO tutorial:​