SEO Basics: How to Do SEO for Beginners

So you can create content that answers their queries and attracts them to your site. If your site is particularly video-focused, then continue reading about more things you can do to optimize your videos for search engines. Many people search visually, and images can be how people find your website for the first time. For example, if you have a recipe blog, people might find your content by searching for “fruit tart recipes” and browsing photos of various types of fruit tarts. The snippet is sourced from the actual content of the page the search result is linking to, thus you have complete control over the words that can be used to generate the snippet. Occasionally the snippet may be sourced from the contents of the meta description tag, which is typically a succinct, one- or two-sentence summary of the page.

Internal links

The more votes (or backlinks) a web page receives, the more trustworthy it appears to search engines, which can significantly impact its ranking in search results. Keywords are the words or phrases that people type into search engines when looking for information, products, or services. Understanding and utilizing keywords is an important piece to having an effective SEO strategy.

SEO Tutorial For Beginners: A Step-By-Step Guide

• There’s a high chance you can improve the CTR by writing a better title tag and meta description for the page that ranks for the query.
• Many keyword research tools like Semrush and Backlinko display search intent of keywords.
• In general, you likely want to wait a few weeks to assess whether your work had beneficial effects in Google Search results.

Local SEO strategies, such as Google Business Profile optimization and local backlinks, are crucial for small businesses. Every business is unique, and the level of SEO investment required depends on your industry, competition, and growth goals. Some businesses may only need local SEO enhancements, while others require a BHS Links full-scale content, link-building, and technical SEO strategy to stay ahead.

You can also see the exact keywords that people use to find your content… and where you tend to rank. And if your page is high-quality, you’ll naturally rank for that keyword… and lots of others. At IBM, we know how rapidly tech evolves and recognize the crucial need for businesses and professionals to build job-ready, hands-on skills quickly. As a market-leading tech innovator, we’re committed to helping you thrive in this dynamic landscape. I saw that most of the content ranking for “SEO Audit” listed out non-technical steps. Most of the content ranking for “increase website traffic” listed bite-sized traffic tips.

For example, if you’re trying to boost the rankings of /pets, it’s best to earn links specifically to that URL (/pets) rather than the main homepage (). Another option is to look at the other blog posts ranking for your target keyword and see what questions they answer. Keyword research involves finding the most relevant and effective search terms to target. It’s crucial because it helps you optimize your content and attract the right audience. Use synonyms and related terms along with your primary keyword.

However, by breaking it down into manageable steps, you can create a strong foundation for your website’s visibility and performance. If you’ve read anything about SEO before, you’ll know there’s lots of industry jargon. But to keep things simple for now, here are a few key terms and concepts you should know. While search engines and technology are always evolving, there are some underlying foundational elements that have remained unchanged from the earliest days of SEO.

But capturing 92% of the market share, the terms “Google” and “search engine” are synonymous for the intents and purposes of this post. SEO is about making improvements to your website’s structure and content so its pages can be discovered by people searching for what you have to offer, through search engines. Effective keyword research lets you find topics your audience cares about and understand the search intent (the goal behind the search), so you can create effective content. Link text (also known as anchor text) is the text part of a link that you can see.

Gain a foundational understanding of search engine algorithms and how they influence organic search results and website performance. Building on this knowledge, you’ll explore the key components of a successful SEO strategy—including keyword selection and research, consumer psychology, and search behavior. The course also covers on-page SEO analysis techniques to uncover optimization opportunities.