A guide on how Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can improve your organic search rankings.
The SEO Consultant
If you are new to SEO then my advice to you is ask yourself these questions:
Are you patient?
Have you got an analytical mind?
Have you got a basic understanding of HTML and how websites are created?
Are you good at problem solving?
Have you got good communication skills?
What is your attention to deal like?
Are you able to adapt to new trends and technologies?
How good are you at organising and prioritising tasks?
If you still think you can do SEO then continue on!!!
What is SEO?
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the process of improving your websites visibility on search engines such as Google.
Essentially, SEO is all about:
- Understanding how search engines work: This involves understanding algorithms and how they rank websites.
- Optimising your website: Making changes to your website’s content, structure, and technical aspects to make it easier for search engines to understand and rank in their search results.
- Providing value to users: Creating high-quality content that meets the needs of your target audience.
By following these steps, you’re aiming to increase the amount of organic (free) traffic to your website from search engines.
If that all sounds easy then lets continue!
If you follow all these steps you should see an improvement in your search engine rankings:
SEO Audit
We always recommend starting with an audit of your website.
An SEO audit is a comprehensive look at your website’s health and performance in search engine results. A thorough audit covers a wide range of factors, but here are some key areas to focus on. We will cover most of these topics in more detail later in the article:
Technical SEO
- Website Structure: Clear hierarchy, proper use of headings, and internal linking.
- Site Speed: Optimisation for fast loading times.
- Mobile Friendliness: Responsive design and mobile-specific issues.
- Indexing and Crawlability: Ensuring search engines can access and understand your content.
- XML Sitemap: This helps with getting your content indexed.
- Robots.txt: Proper configuration to allow or disallow crawling. Great for stopping duplicate content issues.
- HTTPS: Install an SSL certificate for implementation of security protocols.
On-Page SEO
- Keyword Research: Relevance and optimisation of target keywords.
- Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Accuracy, relevance, and compelling content.
- Header Tags: Proper use of H1, H2, and other headings.
- Content Quality: Relevance, uniqueness, and engagement.
- Image Optimisation: Alt text, file size, and descriptive file names.
Off-Page SEO
- Backlink Profile: Quality, quantity, and diversity of backlinks.
- Link Building: Natural and authoritative link acquisition strategies.
- Local SEO (if applicable): Google My Business optimisation, citations, and reviews.
User Experience (UX)
- Website Navigation: Clarity and ease of use.
- Site Architecture: Logical and intuitive structure.
- Mobile Experience: User-friendly design and functionality.
- Page Load Speed: Impact on user satisfaction. A slow website is a big turn off.
Content Marketing
- Content Strategy: Alignment with target audience and business goals.
- Content Quality: Engaging, informative, and valuable content.
- Content Promotion: Effective distribution channels.
Competitor Analysis and Keyword Research
For me these 2 topics kind of go together but you could cover them separately.
I like to look at competitors to get a list of keywords that they are targeting. You do this by using software such as Semrush, Ahrefs or SE Ranking to name just a few!
You shouldn’t just rely on competitors data though for your list of keywords to target. I would suggest using Google Search Console and if you have the budget run a Google ads campaign. Due to how quickly you can get on page 1 of Google with Google ads you can quickly build up a list of keywords and you can track whether those keywords drive enquiries or sales.
Choosing the right keywords to target is the next step. If you are just starting out then it will probably be wise to start with a list of long tail keywords or localised keywords depending on your business. Once your website is more established you can then look at targeting more competitive keywords.
With the SEO audit done and a list of keywords to target we can move on..
Crawling and Indexing
Crawling is where search engines send out bots (spiders) to explore the web, following links from page to page. This is how they discover new content and websites.
Indexing is where after the pages have been crawled they are indexed by the search engines. This is the point where your content can be found on Google for example.
So basically crawling is the discovery stage and indexing is the display or searchable stage.
Both are crucial for a website to appear in search engine results.
From an SEO point of view you can make your pages more crawlable by using a sitemap in Google Search Console and having a good website structure.
You can also use search console to check which pages are indexed.
Another way to see which pages are indexed on Google is to use this Google search: site:https://yoursite
Obviously replace yoursite with the URL of your website e.g. site:https://www.google.co.uk
If any of your pages are not getting indexed here are some common issues:
- Server Errors (5xx): These errors prevent search engines from accessing your pages.
- Redirect Errors: Incorrect or broken redirects can confuse search engines and lead to indexing problems.
- Hidden Pages: Pages marked “noindex” or blocked by robots.txt won’t be indexed.
- Conflicting Indexing Signals: Duplicate content, incorrect canonical tags, or mixed signals can hinder indexing.
- Poor Content Quality: Thin or low-quality content is less likely to be indexed or rank well.
Google Analytics
Installing Google analytics is really important.
Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It provides insights into how users interact with your website.
Essentially, it does the following:
- Collects data: It gathers information about website visitors, such as where they come from, what they do on your site, and how long they stay.
- Processes data: It organises and analyses this data to provide meaningful insights.
- Generates reports: It creates reports and visualisations that show you how your website is performing.
Using this information, you can:
- Understand your website visitors
- Measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns
- Improve website performance and user experience
- Make data-driven decisions for your business
Google Search Console
Search console is another free service offered by Google and I find this more useful than Analytics.
From an SEO point of view search console is the service to use. You can see what organic visits are coming to your site and how they are getting there.
You can check for errors and any security warnings.
Essentially search console show you information about:
- How Google sees your site: It shows you how Google crawls, indexes, and understands your website.
- Your site’s performance in search: You can see how often your site appears in search results, which search terms people use to find you, and how often they click on your results.
- Issues with your site: Google alerts you to any errors, warnings, or issues that might affect your site’s performance in search results.
By using Google Search Console, you can identify problems, improve your site’s visibility, and understand how people find your website.
Mobile Friendly Check
Currently around 60% of visits to a website is from a mobile device and that figure is constantly increasing so making sure your site looks good on mobile is extremely important. Have a look on your own mobile and also asks friends who have a different model to check it out.
The old Google mobile friendly check and now been removed but you can read more about how to check the mobile friendliness of your site here https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2016/05/a-new-mobile-friendly-testing-tool
Now that you have done your checks and research it is on to the actual SEO work itself.
Meta tags
Getting your main keywords for each page in to the meta tag title is important. You should also create a good description of your page in the meta tag description. Although this tag isn’t used directly in the search engine algorithms it can help improve your click through rate if you have a well written one.
Headings
Splitting your content using headings is great for user experience and gives search engines better information about what is important on your pages. Use one H1 heading and then multiple H2 and H3 headings. Also try to keep them structured.
Structured Data
Structured data is a standardised format for providing information about a page and classifying its content. It’s like adding labels to your webpage so search engines can easily understand what it’s about.
By using structured data, you help search engines display your content in a more informative and visually appealing way.
Content
Content is King is the old saying and we believe this still to be the case. Without content Google doesn’t exist. As there is lots of content on the web you need to make sure yours is excellent. As well as making sure you have great content on your main pages you should add regular blogs that cover topics around what you are offering in depth.
Site Architecture and Internal Links
Internal links are important because they tell search engines which pages are important. So make sure you have a good menu system and use internal links in your blog posts.
Backlinks
Backlinks are also one of the most important factors when it comes to getting high search engine rankings.
Backlinks are essentially votes of confidence from other websites. They’re links from one website to another.
- They’re important for SEO because search engines like Google see them as a sign of a website’s authority and credibility.
- The more high-quality backlinks a website has, the higher it tends to rank in search results.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is really beyond the beginners guide but we will cover it briefly.
It includes things such as:
Website Speed: Optimise your website’s loading speed for a better user experience.
Mobile Friendliness: Ensure your website is fully responsive and optimised for mobile devices.
Website Structure: Create a clear and logical website structure with proper internal linking.
XML Sitemap: Create an XML sitemap to help search engines understand your website’s structure.
Robots.txt: Use a robots.txt file to control how search engines crawl your website.
Monitoring Your SEO Progress
One of the most important parts of SEO is tracking how well it is going. Due to the fact that there are many factors in getting high ranking search results it isn’t always easy to see why your rankings have moved up but using software such as Semrush, Ahrefs or SE Ranking allows you to see how things are impacting your results.
That’s all folks!
If you need help with any of this please email us at info@lojix.co.uk