SEO Tips for Beginners
Welcome to your intentional SEO beginners journey…
This in-depth guide will walk you through all you need to know about starting to rank in Google.
There are many different moving parts when it comes to your SEO strategy. But I promise you..it doesn’t have to be overwhelming!
I created this guide to show you exactly what you should be focusing on t0 get your site ranked from scratch.
Here is what I cover in this beginner’s SEO guide:
(feel free to skip ahead to any part of this guide that is most relevant to you)
Absolute Basics
Ready to dive into some beginners tips?
Absolute Basics
3 Pillars of SEO
One of the reasons SEO can feel so overwhelming is that there are many moving parts that have to happen at once.
In this video training, I talk about the 3 pillars of SEO that are important for you to consider. FYI: this is a high level overview and I’ll be covering each of these on a deeper level throughout this guide.
Video Training
Audio Training
1) Technical SEO
This is all about having a website that is easy to navigate and that is functioning correctly. Here we are looking at things like 404 errors, redirects, or slow site speed.
2) Content + Keywords
When it comes to keywords, you don’t want to stuff or sound awkward. Instead, focus on writing meaningful and valuable content that your audience can’t help but share and reference. Also make sure that your content connects in some way to your product and/or services.
3) Backlinking
This part of SEO might sound a bit weird but I promise you it doesn’t have to be. Backlinking and outreach is all about building meaningful connections with other businesses who would be more likely to reference or link back to your blog. Not spammy tactics involved and this can actually be integrated into your marketing strategy.
Like I mentioned, continue reading this guide to review each of these pillars in more detail.
Can SEO be a one time thing?
Such a good question and one that you may already guess the answer to. The reason I wanted to address this is because I want you to feel excited about the long term game of SEO.
If you are here to build a meaningful business that stands the test of time, definitely listen to this mini training.
Video Training:
Audio Training:
Access full training shownotes here: http://digitalbloomiq.com/seo/one-time-seo
My favourite analogy is like going to the gym; in order to reach certain goals around your body, it is unrealistic to expect that one gym visit will be enough to get you that body. Instead, you know that your fitness instructor will give you some sort of routine to work on over the next weeks and months.
Same thing goes with SEO; the more consistent action you can take over long periods of time, the more likely you will get faster results.
And I believe there are actually benefits to this. Here are some reasons why:
Gaining more clarity around your keywords can actually help you plan your content better and not be as reactive with your marketing.
You can target keywords and topics that your ideal audience is already searching for (instead of wasting time wondering what you should be writing about).
You can build in a rhythm and structure with your content calendar that aligns with your launches and sales.
I also get into what to do if your Web Developer provides a one time SEO setup.
Again, check out the full training here: http://digitalbloomiq.com/seo/one-time-seo
3 Beginners Tips to get started
In this comprehensive training, I review some key elements to consider when starting up your SEO strategy.
Video Training:
Audio Training:
Here are details of the tips I share in this training:
1) Ask yourself how SEO fits into the rest of your marketing.
I already sort of talked about this but consider what you are launching or selling in the next months and how does your SEO marketing contribute to that.
Thinking about this will start to give you ideas around potential keywords, content, and how you can integrate your blog into the rest of your marketing efforts.
This is such a game changer!
2) Create an SEO routine you can really commit to.
So many of us are good at creating massive to-do lists of things we need to be doing. Then we get so overwhelmed by the list that we don’t do anything.
That’s why I say keep it super super simple. Start with 1 thing on that list: open your Search Console and take a look at your data. That on it’s own is huge!
Create an SEO routine that you can actually accomplish (and that takes you less than 15 minutes to complete). Over time you can add to it and make it more complex if you want.
3) Picking the right keywords for your type of site
Lastly, picking the right keywords can make a big difference in how your website traffic grows.
My favourite analogy for this is boxing: there are different categories, two of them being the light weights and heavy weights. (Note: I am not a boxing expert so please excuse any ignorance I have when using this analogy).
Each of the types of boxers fight within their category. They would never fight in a different category because it wouldn’t be fair.
Same thing goes with keywords: make sure to choose keywords that have other sites that are within your “category”. Many times, the most popular keywords are also the most competitive.
Something to consider when picking keywords.
How to feel motivated with your SEO
“Whatever you do, do it with all your heart and soul.”
— Bernard M. Baruch
Motivation is a big part of SEO. I don’t want Search Marketing to feel like a “should” for you, instead, I want it to feel like a “get to do” activity.
One of the biggest reasons I see my clients and students don’t feel motivated around their SEO, is they don’t really see the connection between their SEO and their goals. Especially since SEO is a long term game, it is important to keep an eye on the big picture.
Video Training:
Audio Training:
One of the best ways to feel motivated by your SEO is to look at the progress you’ve already made with your keywords.
Note: your website needs to be online at least 1 - 3 months in order to get meaningful data in you Search Console and Google Analytics.
Step 1) Open your Search Console
Step 2) Look at the keywords that you are already ranking in under the Search Performance report
Doing SEO intentionally is such a different thing than just randomly ranking in some keywords. Even though you are probably intuitively targeting the right keywords, it is so much more powerful when we choose keywords and design content that is designed to rank.
I’ll be adding more to this guide over time! Want to keep learning about SEO? Sign up for my weekly inspiration around keywords, writing, and all things SEO: