With over 1.1 billion websites already existing on the World Wide Web, it can get pretty difficult to get your website ranked on the first page of Google.
However, it is NOT impossible because not everyone knows the ways of the SEO.
You can spend as much time as you want on your website but without the knowledge of SEO, your chances of getting your website ranked is next to zero.
SEO can be done by anyone and it is not as difficult as you may think but before we get to the details, let’s make sure we’re on the same page by looking back at…
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which are practices that we do to get our website on the first page of Google.
So yes, there are various ways on how to do SEO and what I will be sharing with you today, are the legitimate methods which Google loves.
This is because there are 2 types of SEO which are Black hat and White hat.
Black hat SEO methods are those that Google really frowns upon but they are loved by scammers who want to get rich quick or want to rank their website fast.
1 word of advice – NEVER do black hat!
Not only is it unethical, your efforts will also backfire if Google notices your actions which is why is we will only be doing white hat SEO methods today because if you get on Google’s good sides, you website will rank faster.
Should I hire an SEO consultant?
Why would you, if you can very much do SEO yourself?
This is one of the most common questions which I often get so I’ll tell you beforehand for the extra knowledge.
Though the steps for SEO is simple, you need to do it regularly and after some time, a lot of people get lazy to do it (Even me sometimes).
Hiring SEO firms is everyone’s dreams because they can handle everything for you.
However, they come with expensive cost which is why it is definitely something you need to think about.
Take a look at this…
According to a study made by SEOMoz, average hourly rates for SEO firms are around $76-$200.
And if you put your hopes up on that $76, you will still have a hard time finding because those costs are usually provided by new firms which will crank up their prices as well as soon as they gain some recognition.
How Important is SEO?
Maybe you’ve never thought of it but SEO actually has more benefits than just getting your page on top of Google.
Here are some of those cool benefits to help you get a clearer view on things…
- Beat your competitors – One of the best way to ‘steal’ traffic from your competitors is by getting your page on the first page of Google. This is because 60% of all organic clicks only go to the top 3 websites that appear on Google.
- Traffic growth – Getting your site on the first page of Google already brings you a ton of traffic. However did you know that the longer your website stays there, the more people will come? That’s something like a passive traffic!
- Increases site-usability – As you constantly look for ways to boost your SEO, you will regularly tweak some things on your site to make it more clickable or more user-friendly and this will indirectly enhance the user experience.
- Save cost! – Some people pay SEO firms up to thousands just to get their site running and ranked on the first page. You on the other hand, can do that for free!
- Online domination! – When you understand how a website can rank on Google, you will have more confidence in building up other websites as well. You can start a gardening website or even a pet-grooming site and still beat the rest of your competitors no matter how established they are because online, you are king! (Or queen).
How to do SEO Yourself –Simple Steps to Glory.
Shall we get started?
The steps for SEO are pretty simple but there is a catch: You need to do this regularly for each and every post that you will be doing for your website.
Without further ado, let’s start with…
Step #1 – Keyword research
A keyword is a highly searched term or word that people type in the Google search bar.
For example, “How to grow taller” or even “Losing weight” are keywords because these are searched by people.
Keywords are the gems of SEO and the idea you need to bear in mind when researching them, are how many competitors will you be facing and how many searches does this keyword get not to mention whether or not are there are searches in the first place.
Sounds cool? Good.
To research a keyword, you need a keyword tool and the best one to date is Jaaxy as I find it more accurate and efficient.
Here’s an example of a random keyword on “Does anyone use Google Plus”…
From the results above, we can know now that this keyword gets 96 searches and 25 competitors (Known as QSR) which is actually a pretty good keyword!
Of course having less competitor keywords are good but if they are all very competitive, a good number to bear in mind for us to not exceed is 300.
If there are below 300 competitors, that keyword is still rank-able.
Have a keyword you’re dying to look for? Try it out here…
Step #2 – Writing awesome content
Keywords alone won’t give you great success so next, you will need to write your content for that keyword.
Sure you can use keywords for anything – Researching the market demand or even for a school project.
But for a website, writing content around that keyword is your best choice, especially after Google’s recent updates.
Here are some tips on writing good content…
- Length is good – You need to write at least 500 words for Google to notice you since there are way too many websites on the web today. However do take note that longer articles are always better.
- Solve a problem – The reason people type something in Google search is because they are looking for answers. Since you have access to whatever it is that they are typing, help them out by writing a solution to their problems as this will gain you their trust and attention.
- Casual approach – At the end of the day, we like something we can relate to. Don’t try to write something too corporate-like. Instead, just be yourself and write casually as people tend to read articles like those more.
Step #3 – Finish it off with a good title
Titles are your opportunity to make a good first impression.
When you Google something out, what kind of link would you rather click on?
A thing to bear in mind when writing titles is to be as catchy as possible so for that, you need to write with intent.
For example, instead of writing “How to fly”, you could write something like “How to fly so high, you could touch Zeus’s balls”.
The latter definitely sounds more interesting, wouldn’t you agree?
Sharpen Your SEO Skills! –Join an Online Business Community.
One thing about SEO is that it constantly changes according to Google’s updates and whenever that happens, we need to be prepared as it will affect our websites.
The best place to get top information on SEO, is to join an Online Business community and the best one to date, is Wealthy Affiliate as that is where many website owners share valuable tips for everyone for free.
Besides the community, Wealthy Affiliate also provides lessons on SEO which they update regularly so that we may boost our website rankings using updated methods.
Take a look at this…
I managed to get that post on that simple keyword we researched earlier on using the knowledge I learned from Wealthy Affiliate and you can do it too by joining our family 🙂 .
My Final Word
The steps for SEO may be simple but it is not a one-time thing.
As long as you keep yourself updated to Google’s news (Or join a community), do your proper keyword research and keep writing awesome content, you’ll be sure to get your website and any of its posts on the first page of Google in no time at all!
Do drop your comments below as I’ll be more than happy to reply.
I’m actually attracted to your picture, it’s beautiful. Wow being an SEO consultant could pay for me, I could start my own firm 🙂
If you’ve been in the SEO industry for some time now, why not? Its always good to chase your dreams, all the best!