SEO (Search Engine Optimization):  Beginners’ guide

When we talk about search engines, what comes to mind is Google. Although google  is not the only search engine, it is commonly used by a large number of people to search for information. Besides Google, there are other search engines such as Bing, Yahoo etc. While the former is not the only search engine, SEO revolves around it today. 

Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving your overall website so that a search engine such as Google will  recommend your website to its users thereby pulling more traffic to your website.

For every search made  on google, the search engine presents many websites to you as the result of your search. For instance, if you search for “shirts”, google would run through all the websites containing the word ‘shirt’ and present to you based on its ranking factors.

This simply means that if you would want more organic traffic to your website, then you would need to improve the quality and quantity of  your website for both the users and the search engine. 

There are many online sources where you can get information on how you could make your website rank on the first page of the search engine result  pages. The higher your website ranks, the more visible your business is, and  the  more traffic and sales your business generates. This is just one out of the many benefits SEO offers.

So you see, would you rather pay for search engine marketing or just improve the quality  and quantity of your website  for Google to recommend your site to its users?

But …..wait 

Here is  the shocker

SEO frustrates many people !

This is partly because many of the  online materials on SEO conflict with each other.

Also, there is the problem of constant google algorithm updates. What works now may not work by next year. And while many marketers are trying to get used to an update, another shows up.

Furthermore, it takes a long  period of time to see the result. It could take months or even years depending on the industry.

Trust me it’s really tiring.

But the truth is,  the benefits outweigh the challenges. And with patience and consistency, you will reap the reward.

SEO is a never-ending battle as long as you want many eyes on your website. 

Google wants to always give its users the best experience. So, you should continue to convince Google that your site is worth sending its users to.

How SEO works

What matters when it comes to SEO?

Keywords targeting

Technical SEO

Content

Links

Here is a step by step guide on how to make your website rank on Google first page 

• Choose the right domain name and domain extension; your domain name is the name of your website. It should be short, easy to remember and simple to spell. Also, attach a keyword (relevant to your industry) to your domain name. For example Wisdom Bookshop. Then choose a domain extension that you prefer. For example .ng, .com, .io  etc
•  Host locally within target country: It is advisable to host your website within your target  country eg. if your target audience is in Nigeria, then host your website in Nigeria
• Submit Your Website to Search Engines eg. Google
• Setup Google Analytics for your website
• Setup Alexa account for your website
• Research and Generate good keywords relevant to your industry – Choice of Keywords should be based on Locations, Types of service, What keywords competition is using, Names of Competitors, Synonyms/thesaurus, Google keywords suggestions
• Use keyword or key phrase as a domain name or domain extension URL
• Place keywords in page title, meta description, image alt text
• Use keywords generously in composing page text
• Place keywords in Meta description
• Add your company to google maps with addresses in target areas. Location matters in address – how close to the client, use google map with real address locations within each target market
• Add title tags and alt to images using keywords
• Add keywords on external websites and hyperlink the keywords/key phrases
• Create daily/weekly update blogs on each product
• Submit company/website to 150 online directories & yellow pages
• Submit your articles to forums and blogs (Naira land) as New topic, Use  keyword and title of the post, Hyperlink the keywords to your website, Make the keywords not hyperlinked bold, include your signature

How long does SEO take?

It depends on the industry. It may take weeks or months. 

In fact,  only Google knows exactly  how its algorithm works.

What is  the difference between on-page SEO and off-page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to all the activities done on your  website that affect its SEO. While off-page SEO refers to activities  done outside your website that affects your website.

What is  the most important SEO factor?

There are many factors that contribute to google ranking. One can’t really say with certainty that one is the most important. You only work with the information google gives.

Are links important? Absolutely yes.

Does Long post matter? Well, it does  but a short, valuable and relevant post would out rank a long crappy one.