Many people hear the letters SEO and immediately think it’s way over their heads. But SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. Anyone can learn about SEO; more people should know about it, especially online business owners and podcasters.
As an online business owner and podcaster, I found that SEO is still relevant to both. Although I learned about SEO years ago when I was only blogging, I still use those skills today in my current roles. Thanks to the courses available on Yoast, I am now SEO-certified! And I look forward to continuing to share my knowledge and experience with new bloggers, online business owners, and podcasters.
Today, I want to discuss the basics of SEO. We will review what SEO is, why it’s important, keywords, user experience, and original content. Let’s jump right in!
What is SEO
What is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization, which is how search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo find relevant content for the user who is searching. They find relevant content that includes the keywords the user is searching for. Keywords are something I’ll discuss further. But I’d like you to understand what those letters stand for, which I’m sure you’ve heard mentioned before.
The basics of SEO are that it’s used to increase the visibility of content online, such as a website, blog posts, videos, landing pages, and even social media posts. Organic reach is the most effective method of finding content online, which is why optimizing for SEO is important.
Why is SEO Important
Knowing about SEO is important because, as stated above, organic reach is the top method of finding content online. Yes, you can utilize ads to reach your target audience, but think about your online habits: How often do you click on an ad? So, knowing how to make your content searchable and visible online is vital.
And again, this applies to all content, podcast episodes, blog posts, YouTube videos, and even social media content. SEO is how anything is found online.
There is an SEO guide in my Stan Store that goes into more detail about SEO, but here are a few things to know for the basics of SEO.
Keywords
First, you need to do keyword research. This involves visiting sites like Keyword Generator, Answer the Public, and Google Keyword Planner to determine if the keyword you want to use is being searched, how often, and for other relevant words.
You need to know how and where to put the keywords in your podcast, videos, or blog posts. Keywords should be placed in the title and throughout the content. But be careful not to overdo it with the keyword because this is keyword stuffing and search engines do not like this.
User Experience
Another important aspect of SEO basics is ensuring that your guests have a good user experience on your website. How do you ensure that? Answer these three questions:
- Is your website easy to navigate?
- Is your website slow to load?
- Do you have a clear call to action?
Make sure your website is easy to navigate by having someone else look at it and tell you if anything looks confusing or unclear. When someone lands on your website, they should be able to tell who you are, what you do, and who you serve. They should also easily find the next steps, which fall into having a clear call to action.
Are you trying to collect email addresses for your email list? Then, have a freebie that people can download and sign up for your email list right at the top. Are you trying to have people book a call with you? Then, have an area for people to easily click and book a call with you. Whatever your goal is with your website, you must ensure your call to action is easy to find for your visitors.
Lastly, with user experience, ensure your website isn’t slow to load. You can check the speed and performance of your website on PageSpeed Insights. They also provide suggestions on improving your website’s performance if the rating isn’t good.
Original Content
The point of SEO is to rank on search engines, and to do that, you must write original content, so blog posts that haven’t been published before. Do not plagiarize or steal someone else’s content; write and create your own content. You can write about similar topics or similar blog posts, but don’t publish identical posts more than once. You’ll need a different focus keyword for each post, or you’ll be competing against yourself on the search engine, and neither post will rank.
Concluding The Basics of SEO
As mentioned above, I have a guide on SEO that explores more details of SEO and how to format your blog posts so they rank on search engines. There are a lot more details to SEO, like holistic SEO, technical SEO, and content SEO. I am getting further educated on these with Yoast to help provide my clients and readers with knowledge and expertise.
I am officially certified in SEO and look forward to further serving you with more knowledge as time passes. Thank you so much for reading; I hope you gained further insights on SEO.
Feel free to share this post if you find it helpful.
With Love, Heidy
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Hi Heidy,
I wanted to extend my sincere gratitude for the insightful information on SEO basics shared on your blog. Your clear and comprehensive breakdown was incredibly helpful. I would love to connect further and dive deeper into the specifics, as I’m eager to enhance my understanding and application of SEO strategies.
Thank you again for sharing your expertise.
Evelin Andrade
Ir al Sol