10 Basic SEO Tips for Beginners

So, shall we take a guess? You’re here because you don’t know where or how to start to increase your website’s traffic, aren’t you? You might have the most interesting content or most demanded products on your website, but that doesn’t matter if your website has zero visitors!

And yes, you do know that Search Engine Optimisation is the key and it could give you the volume of visitors you always wanted. But if you’ve read our other blogs, SEO is huge and there’s a lot to learn from it - failing to attract potential customers and clients is such a pain! Most website owners have been doing it themselves, but again, without the right kind of experience and knowledge about what you’re doing, everything will be useless - no one wants useless efforts!

Now let’s talk a little statistics as everyone loves a stat! According to HubSpot State of Inbound, 75% of marketers believe their SEO techniques are extremely effective. That’s enough proof that your competitors are way ahead of you if you’re not taking action yet.

Here at SMK, we love sharing basic tips about SEO - so easy that you can even do it by yourself! Though it’s true that there are tonnes of things to learn about it, we’ll make sure you won’t get overwhelmed. So, we’ve narrowed it down to 10 of the most basic SEO tips every beginner should know:

1. Target Relevant Keywords

You might have read this previously - target relevant keywords! There is no point in focusing on a phrase that no one is searching for. Information such as what services you offer, what products you sell, and basically everything about your website’s content is usually a good place to start.

If for some reason your keywords are irrelevant, this may result in a poor user experience - you won’t be able to provide what your users are exactly looking for.

2. Optimise Your Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

After targeting your relevant keywords, the next step is to infuse them with your page titles and meta descriptions. These appear within the search engine results when you’re searching. 

But don’t use complex words to make it sound fancy - use simple words.

Tip: Write your titles and descriptions as if you are the target user. Put yourself in your target audience’s shoes and think of what they will likely type in the search bar to find your content!

3. Optimize All Your Graphics

Not only is this useful for boosting your website’s SEO ranking, but also for increasing your site’s load speed! People tend to spend more time browsing and interacting with your products or services when they are given a good user experience. 

Furthermore, it ensures that your graphics are getting ranked in image searches in Google.

4. Add Breadcrumbs To Internal Pages

Hey silly! It’s not those breadcrumbs you use for cooking! Breadcrumbs on websites are types of navigation schemes that tell your user where they are. 

Here’s another example:

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Each of these paths is also clickable so it reduces users to keep on clicking the “Back” button.

We bet you’ve seen this before, and yes, they are called breadcrumbs. But why? Remember Hansel and Gretel? When they went into the woods, Hansel dropped small pieces of bread while going onto their track so they could find their way home if ever they got lost.

Wise move, Hansel!

5. Get Rid Of Anything That Slows Down Your Website

There might be a number of reasons why your website is going slow, and getting rid of them is the best option (if the ones causing it are not essential).

A slow website is a huge frustration to users. What will the frustrated users do then? They’ll be discouraged from buying your products or services - we don’t want that!

6. Produce Backlinks From High Authority Websites

Backlinks are links on other websites that redirect to a page on your website.

The more backlinks you have on high authority websites, the more help you will get on getting ranked. Thus, they drive referral traffic and mean that high-authority websites find your content valuable.

7. Have Google Analytics In Place

Google Analytics is a tool that tracks your website’s performance. It will provide you with all the information you need to know to mold the success of your business and meet your website’s goals and objectives. 

Detailed information about your visitors and how they interact with your website will be shown to you by this tool. With all the data, you’ll be able to craft more effective strategies to improve and increase your site’s traffic.

8. Publish Quality Content Persistently

Publishing high-quality content makes a good marketing strategy, but it doesn’t stop there. If you want to establish credibility, you must learn how to be consistent. One great piece of content can’t continuously drive traffic, but producing more and more quality content can.

Keep in mind that content engages the audience, and they can generate leads as well!

9. Carry Out Site Audits On A Regular Basis

Aside from Google Analytics which tracks your website’s performance, it is also essential to conduct a website audit to thoroughly measure your site’s health, performance, and speed. 

And you’re in the right place to have your website audited! We offer FREE Website Review! We’ll make it easier for you to understand what your website needs to improve and generate quality leads because that’s our expertise!

10. Keep On Learning!

We saved the best tip for last, keep on learning! Remember that nobody ever started as an expert, everyone started as a beginner so just keep on learning until you master the SEO techniques. 

There’s a lot to learn but we’re here to publish useful content for you to read and surely learn from!