Search Engine Optimization is a hot topic and extremely important when you are trying to build your blog and become a thought leader on a specific topic. Through a lot of research, I’ve started to build a good SEO standing for my own websites and I want to share this knowledge with you. Here are some of my Search Engine Optimization Tips for Beginners.
Related Article: How To Start A Profitable Blog
Have A Niche.
Having a niche for your website will allow search engines to more easily index your website. This will allow your posts to appear higher in search results and you will gain more website traffic (aka improving your SEO).
Narrowing down to a specific niche can be very beneficial in this instance. Search engines will then be able to develop a really go understanding of what your site is about and the overall theme of your posts. Consistently writing and publishing posts that are within your niche also, help to bump up your SEO.
Keyword Research.
The first step to increasing your search engine optimization (SEO) is to use keywords. This is a word or set of words that you would like people to search for in order to find your post. Keywords are what you type into the search bar when you’re looking for something.
You’ll want to create a Google Adwords account to take advantage of their Keyword Planner.
When creating an Adwords account, you will be asked for billing information. As long as you do not start a campaign you will not be charged anything.
Once you’ve created an account and are logged in, choose the ‘Tools’ option in the menu bar, then select ‘Keyword Planner’.
You’ll be taken to the following screen, here you’ll want to select ‘Search for new keywords using a phrase…”
In the first box, you’ll want to type a keyword of what you’re planning to write about. For example, I often write about various college tips. If I was planning on writing a blog post about college tips, I would type that into the search box. You can use any of the other search features if you’d like, but they are not necessary. Once you’ve entered your keyword, click the ‘get ideas’ button.
On the next screen, you’ll see a graph showing the average search rate of that term, the number of average monthly searches, and if the competition is low, medium, or high. Competition is a good comparison to how saturated the market is. Low to medium competition is preferred.
When you scroll down you’ll also see other related keywords, their average monthly searches, and competition rate. Use these relevant keywords throughout your post to boost SEO.
Yoast SEO.
When you go to create your blog post, you’ll want to have the Yoast SEO plugin installed on your WordPress site.
Plugins are only available on self-hosted WordPress sites. What is Self-Hosting?
Yoast SEO doesn’t necessarily improve your website’s SEO, but it helps you by giving you a ‘grade’.
By doing certain things like adding a meta description, creating an appropriate slug, having a certain word count, etc. you can improve your SEO. Yoast just gives you the platform to do these things and see how well you’re doing them.
Focus Keyword.
When editing/writing your post, if you scroll down you’ll see all of the Yoast SEO options. You’ll want to enter in one focus keyword or phrase. For this blog post you’re reading right now, I used the phrase ‘Search Engine Optimization Tips’.
Tip: Your keyword should always be included in the title of your post.
Meta Data.
Next, you’ll want to click the ‘Edit Snippet’ Button. This will open up a couple more options. Here you can edit how the Title will appear in search engines, what the URL will be, and the meta description (the text/description that appears under the title and URL when you search something). In all three of these places, you’ll want to include your Keyword.
The colored bars indicate the quality of the information you’ve entered and will appear either red, orange, or green.
Detailed Analysis.
Next, you’ll find a detailed analysis of the quality of your post, which areas are spectacular, and which areas are lacking. Use the colored dots to help you determine what needs to be changed or what is looking good.
If you’re looking to educate yourself about SEO even more, then make sure to check out the Yoast blog!
Image ALT text.
Another tip is to always use image Alt text. When adding a photo, I always change the title, alt text, and description of the photo. As I mentioned earlier, your keyword should always be included in the title of your post. This is handy when it comes to adding the image info. For the title, alt text, and description, I usually copy the title, add the topic, the name of my blog, and then my URL.
For this particular post, all the images have the following text as their Title, Alt Text, and Description,
“Search Engine Optimization Tips for Beginners | How To Start A Blog | Jolt Influence | www.joltinfluence.com”
Tip: Sharing your posts across various social media channels can also help – make sure to include keywords in the social post!
Following the tips I’ve outlined above and including many high search keywords throughout your blog will help you to boost your Search Engine Optimization. Even beginners can master SEO!
If you’re looking to find more information about starting a profitable blog, check out this post that guides you through each step of the process – How To Start A Profitable Blog.
