Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. It’s the process of making sure your website is visible to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. By mastering the basics of SEO, you can increase your website’s visibility and drive more traffic to your site.

SEO foundations that you should master and know

Keywords

Keywords are one of the most important foundations of SEO. They’re the words and phrases that people use to search for information online. By mastering the use of keywords, you can increase your website’s visibility and drive more traffic to your site.

Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to keywords:

• Research: Before you start using keywords, it’s important to research which ones are relevant to your website and what your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find the right keywords for your website.
• Use throughout your website: Once you’ve found the right keywords, make sure you use them throughout your website. This includes in your content, meta tags, and images.
• Use in the right places: It’s important to use your keywords in the right places. This includes in the title tag, meta description, and header tags.
• Don’t overdo it: Using too many keywords in your content is called “keyword stuffing” and it can actually hurt your search engine ranking. Make sure you use your keywords in a natural and relevant way.
• Be specific: Instead of using broad keywords, try to be more specific. For example, “shoes” is a broad keyword, but “red high heels” is more specific.
• Keep it updated: As time goes on, the keywords that are relevant to your website may change. Make sure to keep your keywords updated and relevant.
• Examples:
  • A website that sells shoes might use keywords like “shoes,” “footwear,” “sneakers,” “heels,” etc.
  • A website that provides gardening tips might use keywords like “gardening,” “plants,” “landscaping,” “garden design,” etc.

Content

Content is king when it comes to SEO. It’s one of the most important factors in determining your search engine ranking.

Here’s why you should master content as an SEO foundation:

1. Relevance: Search engines want to provide users with the most relevant information. By creating high-quality, relevant content, you increase the chances of your website showing up in search results.
2. Keywords: As mentioned earlier, keywords play a big role in SEO. By including relevant keywords in your content, you make it easier for search engines to understand what your website is about.
3. Freshness: Search engines favor websites that are regularly updated with fresh content. By regularly adding new content to your website, you’ll keep it looking fresh and relevant.
4. Engagement: High-quality content will engage your audience and keep them coming back for more. This increased engagement can also lead to more links and shares, which will help improve your search engine ranking.
5. User experience: By providing valuable content to your users, you will improve their experience on your website and increase the chances of them returning in the future.

Meta tags

Meta tags are one of the most important foundations of SEO that you should master. They’re small tags that provide information about your website to search engines. They include the title tag, meta description, and header tags. These tags are used by search engines to understand the content of your website and decide where to rank it in search results.

Here are some facts and examples about meta tags:

1. Title tag: This is the title of your webpage that appears in the search engine results. It should be a concise and descriptive title that includes relevant keywords. For example, “Best Coffee Shops in Sydney”
2. Meta description: This is a brief summary of your webpage’s content. It should be no longer than 155 characters and include relevant keywords. For example, “Discover the best coffee shops in Sydney. From cozy cafes to trendy spots, we’ve got you covered.”
3. Header tags: These tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) help search engines understand the structure of your content. They also make it easier for users to scan your webpage. For example, using H1 for the title of your article and H2 for the subtitles.

Link building

Link building is one of the most important foundations of SEO that you should master and know. It’s the process of getting other websites to link to your site. The more links you have pointing to your site, the higher your search engine ranking will be.

Here are some facts and examples of link building that you should know:

1. Backlinks: These are links from other websites to your site. The more backlinks you have, the more authoritative your site will appear to search engines.
2. Quality over Quantity: It’s not just about having a lot of backlinks, it’s also about having quality backlinks. A link from a reputable website will carry more weight than a link from a low-quality site.
3. Guest Blogging: One way to get backlinks is by guest blogging on other websites. This allows you to publish content on a related website while also getting a link back to your site.
4. Social Media: Social media is another way to get backlinks. Share your content on social media and encourage others to share it as well.
5. Internal Linking: Another way to build links is through internal linking. This means linking to other pages on your own website. This helps search engines understand the structure of your site and can also help visitors navigate it.

Mobile optimisation

Mobile optimisation is an essential aspect of SEO that you should master. With more and more people using their mobile devices to access the internet, it’s crucial to make sure your website is optimised for mobile devices.

Here are some things you should know about mobile optimisation:

1. Responsive design: This is a technique that allows your website to automatically adjust its layout to fit the screen size of the device it’s being viewed on. This means that your website will look great on any device, whether it’s a desktop computer or a mobile phone.
2. Mobile-friendly content: Make sure your website’s content is easy to read on a mobile device. This means using larger text and avoiding small images or videos that might be hard to see on a small screen.
3. Speed: People expect websites to load quickly, especially on mobile devices. Make sure your website is optimised for speed by compressing images and using a fast hosting service.
4. Navigation: Make sure your website’s navigation is easy to use on a mobile device. This means using large buttons and simple menus that are easy to tap on a small screen.
5. Google’s mobile-first indexing: Google has started to index the mobile version of your website before the desktop version. This means that if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s likely to be penalized in search engine rankings.

Summary

In conclusion, mastering the basics of SEO is crucial for increasing your website’s visibility and driving more traffic to your site. From using relevant keywords to creating high-quality content, there are a lot of different foundations to keep in mind. One of the most important is mobile optimisation, as more and more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet. By making sure your website is optimised for mobile devices, you can ensure that it’s easily accessible and user-friendly on any device. So, take the time to master the basics of SEO and you’ll be on your way to increased online visibility.