Want to know more about SEO but not sure where to begin? Here’s our beginners guide to SEO to get you started.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is the practise of improving your website’s rankings in search results organically – that is, without paid adverts or sponsorship.
Why is it important?
Over a third of users will click on the search result at the top of the rankings. 60% of them will click on the top three. And after the first page? Well, when was the last time you clicked “Next”?
So, being at the top of the search engine rankings is very important for generating organic traffic to your site, and therefore increasing the likelihood of sales or conversions.
I'm an SEO Beginner, Where Do I Start?
There is no one way to go about SEO. Search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo are constantly tweaking things to make their search results better for their users. But there are key things that they all look for.
- User Experience: is your site easy to navigate? Does it load quickly? Does it feel good to use?
- Quality Content: Does your site provide content that is useful and meaningful to the user? Will it help them answer their questions?
- Mobile Optimisation: most web searches are now being done via mobile devices. So if your site doesn’t work well on mobile, it isn’t going to rank well.
- Security: is your site safe? Will it keep the user safe? Check for the padlock or the https:// in the url.
- Accessibility: make sure your site it open to all. Find out how to check your site’s accessibility here.
Want to find out more?
If you’re looking to take a DIY approach to your SEO, I would highly recommend the Yoast SEO Academy. They have lots of courses around SEO, both free and paid-for as well as a really great plugin that will help take you step-by-step though the improvements you can make.
In fact I’ve just taken their SEO for Beginners course to make sure that I can recommend them!
Not In To DIY?
If the DIY approach is not for you and you’d prefer to focus your time and energy on other things, there are lots of SEO professionals that can help optimise your site for you – including us!
Get in touch to see how we can help you.