Top tips for SEO n00bs

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Aug 13, 2021 / by
Top tips for SEO n00bs

When it comes to SEO, we were all beginners at one time or another so there’s no need to feel even an ounce of shame. The SEO landscape has changed so substantially in the last decade that beginners are barely at a disadvantage anymore. The old days of keyword stuffing and unreliable blogs are long behind us and there’s never been more data to contend with. Indeed, there are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created every day.

So, whether you’re a small business that wants to have a crack at doing it yourself before bringing in an SEO expert or a young online marketer looking to gain a few notches on your skill sheet, here are a few tips to consider before setting out on your SEO journey.

Use the resources available

There are dozens of deep and incredible guides available online covering every conceivable aspect of SEO. Indeed, this very site is packed full of helpful SEO blogs. But if you’re a complete beginner then the best place to start is probably the Moz Beginner’s Guide. It covers all the basics in an approachable way and is very readable.

Google Analytics is your best friend

When it comes to tracking things like keyword performance and making better decisions going forward as a result, there is still no tool better at the job than Google Analytics. The best thing about it is that it lets you track every web page individually and optimise them accordingly. It’s also a tool that is constantly being updated and perfected. Simply put, if you’re trying to do SEO without Google Analytics then you might as well be playing tennis without a racket.

Link building is still important

While some might want you to believe that link building is dead, it’s not. It’s just evolved. What’s important now is not how many links you build but the quality and the depth of the relationships you cultivate with other sites within your niche. Choose websites with lots of authority and a sizable audience and work with them to build better links. As far as how to find those sites, the best way is still to search Google for unlinked mentions of your brand.

Be original 

Gone are the days where you could create any old content and still rank. Today, your content needs to be engaging and needs to hold your audience. This means mixing up your media with images and video, only featuring copy that’s well-written and engaging and steer clear of duplicate content. As that can do more harm than good.

Final thoughts

  • Avoid Flash at all costs as it’s an outdated standard that takes ages to load. Google also can’t pull information from it so it serves no SEO purpose whatsoever.
  • Remember to create a sitemap, as it not only makes it easier for Google’s spiders to crawl your site; without a sitemap, it might not even be able to find it in the first place.
  • Internal links should never be ignored. Remember, you want to keep your visitor on your site as long as possible so balance your external links and internal links.
  • Keep keyword placement natural. If you put them in a place that feels forced or makes the page feel a bit stuffy then you will suffer the consequences.
  • SEO tactics change constantly so keep reading, keep researching and (sorry to mention it again) but keep checking Google Analytics daily.

Of course, there’s no way to cover everything in such a small space. But if you take the tips above as a starting point for your ongoing SEO journey then you might just find yourself evolving from an SEO n00b to an SEO legend in no time.