SEO, what is it? Well, I’m glad you asked. SEO is “search-engine-optimization.” This is what I want to call, SEO for dummies.
I’ve spent a year managing social media, running Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, Snapchat accounts, Twitter accounts, you name it – I ran it. I spent time researching how to grow your organic reach in the midst of the new Facebook News Feed Algorithm. I researched hashtags and how to use them effectively; I researched best practices when it came to getting followers and keeping followers. But – at the end of the day, my marketing tank wasn’t full.
I needed more.
I needed to understand the system. I wanted to know the root behind media marketing; I had to understand the system before I could attempt to control the outcomes!
This desire is what leads me to SEO.
While I’ve taken it upon myself to learn what I can, I realize that SEO is a much bigger pond than I thought. Although most things are when you decide to dive headfirst into the deep end.
For starters, SEO works within Google to categorize and simplify the experience for every single one of its users. This way, the information you actually want is front and center when you search for it. I mean, let’s be real, no one ever checks the second page of google.
Now that you know what SEO does; let me tell you what I’ve learned about it so far.
SEO is a process, like most things in life, but if done right, it can be extremely fruitful. The first step to SEO is identifying your target market. If you are selling vacuums; you want to target people shopping for vacuums. It wouldn’t make any sense to target people shopping for say, lawnmowers.
Once you identify who you want to reach, you have to identify the language they use. The language they use is the key to mastering your SEO. You have to speak their language.
If I’m searching for a new vacuum cleaner and my google search is “hand-held vacuum,” but your advertising says, “household vacuum” there is a high chance I won’t ever find your product. How is Google supposed to know that what you’re selling is what I want to be seeing?
Google won’t know, that is unless you tell it!
However, like a small child, if you tell it the wrong thing, the task won’t be accomplished. Google needs to know how to categorize your content. We can help Google out by doing some research and giving it some very pointed directions.
When you start researching keywords it’s important you hone in on a few that will make you stick out. You want keywords that fall on the long tail, not the spike. You want a keyword that is popular enough people will search it, but random enough that you end up on the second page. You want to find the happy medium of popular but unique.
You can find suggestions, synonyms, and related words through sites like, MOZ, Ubersuggest, and SEM Rush. These sites can also provide data and show trends to help you understand the popularity of that keyword. My favorite place to find related keywords is to use Google against itself.
Go to the Google search bar and type in your keyword, don’t click enter; just wait and see what Google suggests. Those are the related words you should at least consider putting into your content.
Once you have a list of words, decide on one keyword to focus on. You want that world to be strategically inserted into your content so Google can find it.
The prime places to insert said keyword are the URL, the title of the page, the Body of the HTML, and in the content as early as possible!
When you pull the page up ideally your URL should read blank.com/keyword. Put the keyword somewhere in the title of the page! Now, the keyword should go in your tag, and then again in the
tag. If you have other heading tags, it doesn’t hurt to include it in those as well. Lastly, put the keyword in your content as soon as possible. Open with a line that sets up why the keyword is important, what you love about it, or what you need to know.
Now that we are talking about content, the first page of Google is filled with articles that on average have around 1,980 words. Yep, you read that right. Google wants to promote content that is wholesome. Flesh it out, add details, become a knowledgeable source for your readers. Google doesn’t care how many blog posts you have if you don’t have something worth reading.
What’s important to consider is that Google rewards people who verify their content. If you have links on your page to pages that are filled with random content, Google knows. If you have links that point to reputable popular sources, Google knows.
The best way to be the best is to create the best.
Overall SEO is a big field, but understanding how something works is a big part of understanding how to make it work. As my SEO adventures continue, I’ll keep you updated!
Randalyn Hill 