Can you do SEO yourself? The short answer is YES!

It is possible for you to do SEO yourself, as long as you are willing to invest the time and effort to learn about best practices and techniques.

Do-it-yourself (DIY) SEO refers to the practice of implementing search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies on your own, without the help of a professional or agency.

With the right knowledge and tools, it is possible to effectively implement SEO for your own website or web pages.

Here’s a beginners guide in order to effectively do SEO yourself:

1. A clear understanding of your target audience
2. Keyword research tools
3. A content management system (CMS)
4. On-page optimisation tools
5. Backlink analysis tools
6. Web analytics tools

A clear understanding of your target audience

Having a clear understanding of your target audience is an important aspect of search engine optimisation (SEO) because it helps you to create content and design your website in a way that resonates with your target audience. By knowing your audience, you can better understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors, and create a website that meets their expectations and addresses their needs.

Here are some steps you can take to gain a clear understanding of your target audience:

1. Identify the characteristics of the people you are trying to reach. This includes their age, gender, location, interests, and goals.
2. Conduct market research. Use tools like surveys, focus groups, and analytics data to gather insights about your target audience and their behaviors.
3. Analyse your website traffic. Use tools like Google Analytics to understand who is visiting your website and how they are interacting with your content.
4. Engage with your audience. Use social media, email marketing, and other channels to interact with your audience and gather feedback about their needs and preferences.

Search for free keyword research tool

Keyword research tools are tools that help you identify relevant keywords to target in your website’s content and meta tags. These tools can be used to identify the keywords that your target audience is searching for, as well as the level of competition for those keywords.

There are many keyword research tools available, some of which are free and some of which are paid. Here are a few popular free keyword research tools:

1. Google’s Keyword Planner. This tool is a part of Google Ads. It allows you to search for keywords and see the estimated search volume and cost-per-click data for those keywords.
2. Keywordtool.io. This tool generates a list of long-tail keywords based on a seed keyword that you enter.
3. Ubersuggest. This tool generates a list of keyword ideas based on a seed keyword that you enter, as well as data on search volume and competition.

Do SEO yourself with content management system (CMS)

A content management system (CMS) is a software platform that allows you to create, edit, and manage digital content, such as text, images, and videos. CMSs are commonly used to create and manage websites, as they provide an easy-to-use interface for creating and updating website content without the need for technical expertise.

There are many different CMSs available, ranging from simple platforms that are suitable for small websites to complex systems that are used by large organizations. Some popular CMSs include:

1. WordPress. A widely used free, open-source CMS for creating blogs and websites. Best known for its user-friendly interface and wide range of customisation options.
2. Joomla. A free, open-source CMS suitable for creating wide range websites. Including e-commerce sites, forums, and social networking sites.
3. Drupal. Known for its flexibility and scalability. This free, open-source CMS is used for large, complex websites and web applications.
4. Squarespace. A paid CMS suitable for creating small-medium sized-websites. It an easy-to-use interface and has professional-looking templates.
5. Wix. A paid CMS known for its drag-and-drop website builder. It has a wide-range of templates suitable for creating small-to-medium-sized websites.

Use on-page optimisation tools

On-page optimisation tools are tools that help you optimise the content and structure of your website’s individual pages for search engines. These tools can help you to identify and fix issues with your website’s content and meta tags, such as missing or duplicate tags, and can provide recommendations for improving your website’s on-page SEO.

Here are a few popular on-page optimisation tools:

1. Yoast SEO: Yoast SEO is a plugin for WordPress that analyzes your website’s content and provides recommendations for improving your on-page SEO. It also allows you to preview your website’s appearance in search results and customize your page titles and meta tags.
2. SEMrush: SEMrush is a paid on-page optimisation tool that provides a detailed analysis of your website’s content and meta tags, as well as recommendations for improving your on-page SEO. It also includes features like a keyword research tool and a backlink analysis tool.
3. OnPage.org: OnPage.org is a paid on-page optimisation tool that provides a detailed analysis of your website’s content and meta tags, as well as recommendations for improving your on-page SEO. It also includes features like a keyword research tool and a backlink analysis tool.
4. Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog is a paid on-page optimisation tool that allows you to crawl and analyze your website’s content and meta tags, and provides recommendations for improving your on-page SEO.

Search for backlink analysis tool

A backlink analysis tool is a tool that helps you identify and analyze the backlinks pointing to your website. Backlinks, also known as inbound links or external links, are links from other websites to your website. They are important for SEO because they can help to improve your website’s authority and ranking in search engine results.

There are many backlink analysis tools available, some of which are free and some of which are paid. Here are a few popular backlink analysis tools:

1. Ahrefs: Ahrefs is a paid backlink analysis tool that provides data on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to your website, as well as information on the referring domains and pages.
2. Majestic: Majestic is a paid backlink analysis tool that provides data on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to your website, as well as information on the referring domains and pages.
3. Open Site Explorer: Open Site Explorer is a paid backlink analysis tool that is part of the Moz suite of SEO tools. It provides data on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to your website, as well as information on the referring domains and pages.
4. Link Explorer: Link Explorer is a paid backlink analysis tool that is part of the Ahrefs suite of SEO tools. It provides data on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to your website, as well as information on the referring domains and pages.

Using a backlink analysis tool can help you to understand the backlinks pointing to your website. This provide you insights into your website’s authority and ranking in search engine results. It can also help you identify and address any issues with your backlink profile, such as low-quality or spammy links.

Lastly, you can do SEO yourself with the help of  a web analytics tool

A web analytics tool is a tool that helps you track and analyze the traffic and performance of your website. Web analytics tools can provide insights into a wide range of metrics, including the number of visitors to your website, the pages they visit, the length of their visit, and the sources of their traffic.

There are many web analytics tools available, some of which are free and some of which are paid. Here are a few popular web analytics tools:

1. Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that is widely used by website owners and marketers. It provides a wide range of metrics and reporting features, including data on traffic, conversions, and user behavior.
2. Adobe Analytics: Adobe Analytics is a paid web analytics tool that is part of the Adobe Marketing Cloud suite of tools. It provides advanced reporting and analytics features, including data on customer journeys and cross-channel performance.
3. Mixpanel: Mixpanel is a paid web analytics tool that provides real-time data on user behavior and engagement. It also includes features like A/B testing and user segmentation.
4. Crazy Egg: Crazy Egg is a paid web analytics tool that provides data on user behavior and engagement, including heatmaps and scrollmaps that show how users interact with your website. More web analytics tools here.