SEO: The Basic Guide

Understanding how to make your website appear on Google isn’t as tricky as it sounds. As an SEO agency, we keep exploring the ever-evolving SEO landscape. Using our experience as a San Diego SEO expert, we’ve put together an easy guide for beginners to help you out.

What’s SEO?

SEO is about making your website better so that more people can find it on Google. It’s like making your store more visible on a busy street so that more people can walk in.

Why is it Important?

SEO is essential because it can bring more people to your website, which can mean more sales and money for your business. People trust the websites they find on Google, and SEO helps your site show up there.

How Does SEO Work?

Imagine Google as a big library, and your website is one of the books. SEO is like organizing your book in a way that the librarian (Google) easily finds it when someone is looking for information.

Quick Facts

  • Google is the dominant search engine, with 91% market share of online search (as in December 2023).
  • If your website is the first thing people see on Google, about 27.6% will click on it. Unfortunately, Google bombards SERP pages with ads. So, your website is unlikely to be seen as the first result, including ads.
  • Using words that match what people are looking for can make 45% more people click on your website.
  • Most people don’t go past the first page on Google when searching, about 75% stay there.

Step-by-Step SEO Guide

Make Google Understand Your Website

  • Use tools like Google Search Console to check if Google can easily read your website.
  • Create a digital map of your website, called an XML sitemap, to help Google understand its structure.

Find the Right Words (Keywords)

  • Use online keyword finder tools to find words that people type into Google.
  • Choose words that are related to what your website is about.
  • Identify the best keywords that align with your business goals.
  • Identify location-specific keywords to target your business service areas.

Create Great Content

  • Plan a content strategy using the keywords picked for your SEO strategy.
  • Create a content plan to include content pyramids, with most important keyword at the top and other related keywords in the hierarchy.
  • Write content that people want to read and find helpful.
  • Make sure that your articles are properly structured.

Make Your Website Friendly for Google

  • Use the right words in your titles, descriptions, and headings.
  • Keep your website fast, secure (use HTTPS), and mobile-friendly.

Get Other Websites to Like Yours (Link Building)

  • Ask your friends (like suppliers or business partners) to add a link to your website on their sites.
  • Submit your business to quality directories in your industry.

Fix Technical Issues

  • Check a file on your website called robots.txt to make sure Google can access the important pages.
  • Improve your website’s speed and performance, and make sure it’s secure (use HTTPS).

Make It Work on Phones

  • Most people use their phones to browse the internet, so make sure your website is respinsive and mobile-optimized. It should look good and be functional on phones and tablets.

Measure Your Success

  • Keep an eye on how many people visit your website (organic search traffic).
  • Track your website’s keyword rankings for various keywords. Check if your website shows up when people search for certain words (keyword rankings).
  • Check how long people stay on your website and if they do what you want them to do (engagement rate, conversions).

Start Your SEO Journey

Ready to begin? Start by checking your website using tools like Semrush for a free website audit. Fix any issues it finds, and then follow the steps in this guide. Soon, more people will be finding and visiting your website!