Table of Contents:
- Research keyword phrases and utilise free research tools.
- Add keywords naturally.
- Use clear descriptive page titles.
- Write keyword rich meta descriptions.
- Incorporate internal linking of website pages.
- Utilise Blog Writing to engage and educate your audience.
- Include Call to Actions Strategically.
- Fix broken links.
- Use page headings correctly and sequentially.
- How to optimise images for speed and SEO.
Whether you are launching a brand new website or refreshing existing content with the hopes of increasing traffic and click throughs understanding Search Engine Optimisation can be the strategic advantage needed to get more eyes on your website and the enquiries rolling in.
In this beginner friendly guide we will share 10 basic SEO tips for beginners along with some free SEO tools that will help you to gain an understanding of Search Engine Optimisation and to feel confident to have a go yourself. All you need is a willingness to learn and an understanding of the information your customers are wanting.
1. RESEARCH KEYWORD PHRASES AND UTILISE FREE research TOOLS
Before you even commence writing copy for your website you should perform keyword research, as copy should be written with keyword phrases in mind and these phrases should also have search volume, there is no point spending your valuable time targeting a keyword phrase no one is searching for.
Although helpful, it is not necessary to utilise expensive SEO tools to perform keyword research. There are some free tools that will get you started. These tools will help you to find related keyword phrases relevant to your business that you can incorporate into your website pages, meta titles and descriptions. They also inform you on search volume metrics and cost per click prices.
Google keyword planner
Google keyword planner is a free tool within Google Ads, with a free account you can discover keyword ideas and analyse search trends, view average monthly search volumes and organise keywords into plans for future use.
Google Search
Search for a phrase such as plumber Melbourne in Google search and then scroll to the bottom of the search engine results page and browse the people also search for section for more ideas. Then cross reference the phrases that you find with a tool that gives you search volume too so that you can be sure you are pursuing a term that a large number of people are actually searching for.
Keyword Surfer Chrome Extension
Punch a keyword phrase or product into Google search and the keyword surfer chrome extension will provide you with a list of keyword ideas and their search volume.
2. ADD KEYWORDS NATURALLY
Incorporating keyword phrases organically into your website content is crucial to being found in Google search. Google has stated that websites should be written for people first and Google second so when choosing topics to write about make sure that they are being searched and of interest to your audience. Each page should focus on one specific topic or term with keyword phrases included in strategic places such as the page title (h1), meta description, first paragraph, subheadings (H2 and H3), image alt text and internal links. Also be conscious not to over-stuff your writing with keywords as this can seem unnatural to Google and your site may be penalised.
Identifying and targeting long tail keywords is a crucial step for success.
Example: Dog grooming Melbourne is a very broad search term while affordable dog grooming Melbourne CBD is more defined.
Another area where it makes sense to use keywords is the FAQ section. FAQ'S can be utilised to answer common queries that you receive which can help to provide clarity for your customer which may contribute to a higher conversion rate. The use of related phrases and variations can help to flesh out the copy too. For example. If you have a dog grooming salon, related terms may include doggy salon, dog hair cutting, pet grooming, doggy day spa.
Additionally, telling a story about a customer experience can be an effective way to naturally incorporate your keywords while also providing important social proof detailing an excellent customer experience.
3. USE CLEAR Descriptive PAGE TITLES
Page titles are seen in search engine results pages even before someone arrives on your website and for this reason titles need to be well structured, clear, keyword rich and an accurate description of the pages content designed to entice a user to click through.
When writing a page title adhere to these best practices:
- Page titles should be clear and concise avoiding the use of jargon.
- Use action words like Get, Learn or Discover to entice a click through.
- Front load your title with your most important high volume keyword phrase, one phrase is enough.
- Don't reuse page titles across multiple pages of your website.
- Reflect page content accurately, if you attempt to mislead a user with your title this will result in a higher bounce rate.
- Use numbers or questions to grab attention such as we did in this article, Discover 10 SEO basics for beginners.
- Add your brand when relevant, eg Affordable Web Design Sydney | Havealook Websites.
- Get familiar with what keyword phrases customers search for and align your title with their intent.
- Keep it short, shorter titles provide more clarity and are easily scanned.
4. WRITE KEYWORD RICH META DESCRIPTIONS
When one of your website pages is returned in search a potential new customer will see your page URL, meta title and meta description. The meta description is the two lines of text displayed below your meta title. Meta descriptions are measured in pixels, and should be between 150-160 characters. Staying within this range ensures that your whole description will be displayed in search results, if you exceed this limit Google may truncate your descriptions which can reduce its effectiveness. Your meta description should be front loaded with the keyword you want to target and should include a clear call to action to encourage click through. Most importantly the meta description has to be an accurate description of the page content attempting to use this area as click bate is a no no.
5. Incorporate INTERNAL LINKING of website pages
Internal linking of website pages improves site navigation by helping users to explore related content, a by product of this is that internal linking also keeps a user engaged for longer and boosts the total page views by guiding them through your site. But there are other seo benefits too which include the passing of SEO juice from strong pages to others which ultimately helps search engine bots to understand your site layout and to discover new pages more efficiently. The practice of internal linking can boost overall rankings, encourage conversions and reduce bounce rates by offering helpful links to related info.
6. Utilise BLOG WRITING to engage and educate your audience
Blog writing is an important tool to use when developing a website. Blogs provide you with an opportunity to drive traffic, improve seo performance, engage and educate your audience, build authority and trust with search engines, target new keywords and more. With every new blog written a newly indexed page is created giving search engines more content to crawl and rank which helps them to understand what your site is about and of course more pages means more chances for people to find your website. With blogs you can target specific keyword phrases and answer common questions, building links as you go to related content which helps to boost your rankings and improve website navigation. When you take the time to write and share useful, well written content you position yourself as an expert in your field which in turn shows a potential customer (and Google) that you know your stuff and that you care about their needs. Blogs can also invite conversation through comments and shares exposing your brand to a new audience. Regular blog writing keeps your website content fresh and satisfies search engines.
7. Include CALL TO ACTIONS Strategically
Call to action prompts should be placed strategically throughout your website, the goal with a call to action is to entice a customer to take action, which can take many forms such as making an enquiry via an online form, sending an email, phoning you directly, making a purchase or subscribing to a mailing list to name a few.
Call to Actions may read:
- Call Now.
- Book your free consultation.
- Get a free quote.
- Request a callback.
- Got questions? Call Now.
- Let's Chat.
- Call your local electrician.
8. FIX BROKEN LINKS
Broken links are hyperlinks that exist either within your own site or can be external links that point elsewhere. Links become broken when a page is deleted or renamed. The task of identifying broken website links can be done regularly with free tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs Site Audit or Screaming Frog Spider. Once broken links are identified they should be updated to the new url or replaced with a relevant alternative where possible. If no alternative exists then the link should be removed. If you have deleted or moved a page you should setup a 301 redirect to the relevant page also to pass authority.
9. USE page HEADINGS CORRECTLy and sequentially
Using headings correctly is essential for good SEO, correct use also helps to break up the content in to easy to digest segments.
Here's how:
H1 - Use only one H1 per page and for your main title. The main title should clearly define what the page is about, example Affordable Local Plumbers for Residential and commercial premises.
H2 - Utilise H2 headings as secondary section headings.
H3 - H6 - Use these when subsections are needed under each H2 heading.
Best practices for writing page titles
- Front load your title with your target keyword phrases
- Use secondary and related keyword phrases in your H2 headings without stuffing.
- Avoid skipping heading levels, don't jump from h2 to h4.
- Keep it short, headings should grab attention fast and should clearly define what the paragraph is about.
- Make sure that headings stand out with a larger font and bold text so that it is clear they are headings, this also helps with skimability.
Create headings in a logical structure such as:
H1 - Melbourne Dog Grooming Services In the West
H2 - Our Dog Grooming Packages
H3 - Standard Dog Groom Price
H3 - Deluxe Dog Groom Price
H2 - Why choose us Doggypaws Dog Grooming Salon
H2 - FAQ
10. hOW TO OPTIMISE IMAGES FOR SPEED AND SEO
Optimising images is another simple SEO task that can make a big difference to site speed as well as helping Google and screen readers to understand the content of an image.
hOW TO:
- Upload images to your website that are of an optimal size as large files will slow down your site speed.
- Scale photos to the exact dimensions needed eg 1200 x 800px for a hero image.
- Choose the right file format, jpeg for photos, png for graphics and webp for modern compression and fast loading.
- If your image is too big, use tinyPNG to shrink the file while not losing quality.
- Name your image file correctly, don't upload it as IMG_454892, call it dog-grooming-salon-melbourne.jpg
- Add descriptive alt text, this helps Google to understand what your image is about and also helps the visually impaired too. Instead of Photo1.jpg name it Maltese terrior at the day spa. As images can be returned in Google image search this is particularly important step for ecommerce products.
As you can see the above SEO tips are easily achievable on page SEO practices that you can master with a little practice. Following proper SEO structures and writing content for people first and search engines second will help your website to become an authority, and prove to your customer that you are an expert in your industry which leads to greater engagement and increased enquiries.
If you would like to engage our professional SEO services please reach out to seo@havealook.com.au or phone 03 9971 8900.
You may also be interested in this blog article Is it ok to use AI for writing website copy