Search Engine Optimization Strategies

Keyword research, content creation, on-page SEO, backlink building, and technical SEO.

1. On-Page SEO, Off-Page SEO, Technical SEO, and Local SEO.

Conduct keyword research, optimize website content, ensure technical soundness, build quality backlinks, and publish valuable content regularly.

Focus on high-quality content, keyword optimization, mobile-friendliness, speed, and quality backlinks.

All right, get ready because we’re taking a deep dive into SEO today. So you wanna really understand SEO, huh? Well, luckily you send over some articles and notes, it’s perfect because we’re gonna use those to break it all down. Going through it all myself, I actually found something kind of surprising. Yeah. Yeah, it seems like getting backlinks from super famous sites might not be as valuable as everyone thinks. Interesting. At least not for everyone. Okay. We’ll hack that later on. That’s a good point to bring up. And it kind of connects to a mistake I see people making all the time with SEO. It just jumped right into like tactics. Okay. Without any real strategy. So you’re saying it’s not just about throwing a bunch of keywords on the page and hoping for the best? No, definitely not. Think of it this way. Think of SEO like building a house. You wouldn’t just start laying bricks without a blueprint, right? True. You need that plan. In your SEO strategy, that’s your blueprint. Got it. It’s all about knowing your goals. Yeah. Figuring out who you’re trying to reach. Yeah. And then making a plan to actually get to them. All right, so whether you’re a business trying to, attract customers or a blogger trying to grow their audience or just someone who wants to share their like awesome cookie recipes. Exactly. Having that clear goal, that’s like super important. That’s what I’m getting from the articles you sent. Yeah. But how do keywords fit into all of this? Because it seems like keywords are pretty important. Oh, keywords are absolutely essential. They’re really the foundation of SEO. Okay. They’re those words and phrases that people actually type in, you know, using a search engine. Right. And it’s how search engines connect, you know, the user with the content that they’re looking for. Makes sense. So if you want your website to show up in those search results, you gotta be using the right keywords. Okay, so that makes sense. But how do you even know what the right keywords are? Like how do you figure that out? Well, that’s where keyword research comes in. So you start by like brainstorming a list of terms, you know, words you think people might actually use to find your content. And then you use tools, you know, there’s tools out there like Google’s Keyword Planner or RFs. Oh yeah. And these tools can show you how many people are actually searching for those terms. They can show you how tough the competition is. Okay. And they can even give you some other related keywords that people might be using that you didn’t even think of. So it sounds like there’s more to it than just throwing some words on the page and just crossing your fingers. Definitely. It can get pretty complex. Yeah. There’s more advanced techniques like keyword gap analysis. Oh yeah. Where you’re comparing like your keyword rankings to like your competitors just to find those opportunities. Or like competitor estimated ranking reports. And this gives you like insight into your competitors organic traffic, you know. Their keyword strategies. We can goodie burn to that stuff later if you want. But for now, let’s stick to the basics. Okay. So we’ve got our, you know, our blueprint. We’re using the right keywords. What’s next? What’s next on the SEO checklist? It seems like backlinks. Those are a pretty big deal, right? Yeah. Backlinks are essential. Okay. Think of them like, you know, votes of confidence. So it’s of confidence. From other websites. Okay. So when another website like a reputable website links to your content. Right. It tells search engines that, hey, this is valuable trustworthy stuff. Okay. So it boosts your ranking. Exactly. It helps boost your ranking. That makes sense. But, you know, earlier I was talking about how backlinks from like super famous websites might not be all they’re cracked up to be. Is there more to it? There is. There is. While it might seem like getting a backlink from, you know, like a huge site is a gold mine. It’s not always as effective as you think. Okay. So, especially for, you know, smaller websites, this is where the concept of like diminishing returns comes in. Okay. You know, if a site already has thousands of backlinks, one more, even from like a super high authority site, might not make that much of a difference. So for a site like, I don’t know, like the New York Times, for example, getting another backlink, it’s not that big of a deal to them. Exactly. They already have a ton of authority. Okay. But for someone just starting out, you know? Yeah. If you’re going to single high quality backlink, that could be huge. It’s all relative. So it’s not just about getting any backlink, it’s about getting the right backlinks from sites that are, you know, relevant to your content and your audience. Absolutely. And beyond just relevance, there’s, you know, couple more factors that determine how good a backlink actually is. And one of those is authority. Authority. Like we were saying, you know, a link from a site that’s trusted high quality, that’s going to carry more weight than, you know, a link from some spammy, irrelevant site. So like a link from, I don’t know, like a university’s website or a government website would be way more valuable than just a link from some random blog, right? Generally, yes. The second big factor is diversity. Okay. Having backlinks from a variety of different sources show search engines, hey, this content, it’s valuable to like a wider audience. Okay. You know, like having a diverse group of people recommending you for something, it’s much more convincing than just your, you know, close friends, vouching for you. That makes sense. So I’m guessing getting a hundred backlinks from the same website isn’t as good as getting 10 backlinks from 10 different websites. You got it. And then the final piece of the puzzle is context. Context. It’s not just about, you know, what website that backlink is coming from, but also like the content around the link. So a backlink that’s just like buried in a wall of text on some random page, that’s not gonna be as valuable. Exactly. As a link that’s like embedded in a relevant article with, you know, like specific anchor text. Exactly. The content around that link, it should be relevant to your content. Right. And ideally that anchor text, you know, the actual words of the link, should actually describe, you know, what your content is about. Okay. This sends a stronger signal to those search engines. Got it. And it helps them understand what your content is all about. That makes a lot of sense. Now, kind of shifting gears a little bit. Let’s talk about making sure your website is in like, tip top shape, Okay. You know, for search engines. So like giving it a, I don’t know, like a digital makeover. Yeah. In a way, yeah. I’ll tell you about SEO audits. It’s like taking your website in for like a checkup. So like going to the doctor. Exactly. But for your website. Exactly. And SEO audit helps you find, you know, any technical issues, broken links, slow loading times, really anything that could be hurting your ranking. I’m guessing those are all things search engines don’t like to see. No, they don’t. Search engines want to give, you know, the best experience possible. Right. To their users. And that means sending them to websites that are, you know, well structured. Yeah. Fast. And easy to use. It’s kind of like, you know, how I avoid going to restaurants with bad reviews. So if a website has like a bad user experience, search engines are going to give it like a bad rating. Yeah. That’s a great analogy. And just like you wouldn’t want to skip, you know, your annual checkup, you shouldn’t skip your SEO audits either. Okay. They can show you things, problems that you might not even know about. And fixing those can really make a big difference. So how often should you be doing like an SEO audit? Is it a yearly thing or more frequent than that? Well, it really depends on, you know, your website. How often you’re updating it. A good rule of thumb though, is at least once a year. Okay. Do like a comprehensive audit. But if you’re, you know, making changes all the time or putting out new content, often you might want to do it more often. Speaking of content, one thing I keep seeing in these articles is how important it is to update older content. Is that really necessary? Yeah. It’s a good question. Like if it’s already out there, isn’t it, you know, good to go. Well, not always. Think of your content like a garden. If you just plant some flowers and never touch them again, they’re gonna wilt. Right. You gotta tend to your garden. You gotta prune the dead leaves and give it fresh soil. So you’re saying like my blog posts from two years ago might need some sprucing up. Yeah. It’s worth looking at. Okay. Updating your content helps keep it like fresh and relevant. Okay. You know, in the eyes of the search engines, it also lets you use new keywords, add more useful info, just, you know, improve the overall experience. Yeah. That makes sense. I guess nobody really wants to read a blog post about the latest tech trends from 2022. Exactly. Plus, when you’re updating that content, search engines see that you’re, you know, keeping things fresh. Mm-hmm. And that can give you a little ranking boost. So content updates, it’s a win-win. Yeah, yeah. You get to make your content better and it could, you know, potentially boost your SEO. Exactly. Okay, cool. Now, switching gears again, one thing I find so frustrating is like landing on a website that’s just awful to use. Yeah. You know, slow loading times, you know, confusing navigation, that sort of thing. Oh, for sure. User experience or UX, that is super crucial for SEO. Okay. Search engines really care about that. They want to make sure that, you know, people are going to websites they’re going to enjoy. It’s like going to a store where everything’s like messy and disorganized. Yeah, yeah. If the staff’s not helpful, you’re probably just going to leave and go somewhere else. Exactly. And online, you know, leaving is just one click away. Right. Search engines, they track things like bounce rate. You know what that is? Fill me in. That’s the percentage of people who just leave a website. Okay. After only looking at one page. So if a lot of people are bouncing from my website, that’s a bad sign. It could be. It tells those search engines that your site isn’t giving people what they’re looking for. Okay. Which can hurt your ranking. So how do we make sure our websites are user friendly? Right. Is it just about making it look pretty? It’s more than just aesthetics. Okay. You know, key things are like how fast the page loads. Is it mobile friendly? Right. Is the navigation clear? Is the design intuitive? You know, your website should be easy to read, easy to use. No matter what device someone’s using. I’m starting to realize SEO is about way more than just keywords and backlinks. It’s about the whole experience. It is. It’s about making a website that search engines and users both, you know, love. Love. And speaking of search engines. Okay. There’s this awesome tool that can really help you understand how Google especially views your website. Okay. It’s called Google Search Console. Oh yeah, Google Search Console. I have to admit, I’ve always thought of it as like really complicated and technical. Like only, you know, real web developers use it. Yeah, I get it. The name sounds, you know, intimidating. Yeah. But it’s not that scary. I promise. Think of it as like a direct line. Okay. Between you and Google. It gives you a ton of data about how your website is doing in those search results. So it’s kind of like having a backstage pass. Kind of, yeah. To Google. Yeah, you can see what keywords people are using. Wow. To find you. You can find like crawl errors, indexing issues. See how your website’s doing on mobile. Even get alerts if there’s security problems. That sounds super useful. It is. So what kind of like specific insights can you get? Well, for example, you can see which pages. Okay. On your website are getting the most views. Yeah. And you can see which ones are getting the most clicks. So it shows you like what’s working. Exactly. And what’s not. Exactly. You can also use it to find, you know, those technical problems. Right. That might be hurting your ranking, like broken links. Or if your pages are loading slow. It sounds like Google search console’s like having your own like personal SEO consultant. It really is. And the best part. Well, that’s totally free. Amazing. Just need a Google account to get started. Okay. I’m definitely checking it out. So we’ve covered a ton of stuff. We have. But I feel like there’s always more to learn about SEO. Oh yeah. Right. Definitely. So how do you keep up with all of the like changes? Is it like a full time job in itself? It can feel like it sometimes. Yeah. But a few key things will really help. Okay. Following, you know, SEO blogs and websites. That’ll keep you up to date. Okay. On like algorithm changes and news. And attending, you know, webinars and conferences. That can help you learn from like the pros. And you get to network. Yeah. Yeah. So it sounds like staying on top of SEO is like a constant process. Like tending to that garden. You can’t just like plant it and forget it. That’s a great way to put it. SEO is all about learning. Experimenting. And adapting. You know, to stay ahead. That’s great. So we’ve talked about strategy and keywords and backlinks and audits. And even like made friends with Google search console. I feel like I’ve learned so much. Yeah, me too. But I bet our listeners like, okay, this is a lot. Where do I even start? It is a lot to take in. Yeah. But you don’t have to do everything at once. Yeah. You know, if you try to do too much too soon, you’re just gonna like get overwhelmed. Right. And probably give up. Burn out. Yeah. So where would you suggest starting? Like what’s the one thing someone should focus on if they want to see some real resilience, you know, right away? I’d say the most important thing is understanding your audience. Really understanding them. Like who are you trying to reach with your website? Right. What are they interested in? What are their problems? What are they searching for online? Once you know that, you can start making content that actually speaks to them. So it’s like, you know, trying to sell ice to Eskimos. Exactly. If you don’t know who your customer is, you’re not gonna make any sales. Exactly. And going back to that house building thing we were talking about. Yeah, to blueprint. Knowing your audience is like picking the right spot for your house. Yeah. And like laying a really strong foundation. Okay, so once we know our audience, what’s the next step? Is it like picking one specific thing to work on? Like keyword research or getting backlinks or… It kind of depends on where your website’s at right now. If you’re just starting out, I would focus on like creating really good content that uses those keywords we were talking about. Right, right. Content that your audience will actually find helpful. Okay, that makes sense. But what if like I already have a website, you know, with some content on it already. If you’re already up and running, I would say dive into Google search console. Okay. It’s like a treasure trove of information. You’ll find things you can like fix right away. Right. Things that are probably hurting your ranking without you even knowing it. So basically figure out what makes sense for your situation. Exactly, there’s no like one size fits all. Right, right. With SEO. It’s all about finding what works for you and your website. And your audience. Exactly. Sounds like SEO is an ongoing journey, not like a destination. You got it. The internet’s always changing. Yeah. What works today might not work tomorrow. Right. You gotta be willing to like learn and adapt to keep up. Well, I think we’ve given our listeners some pretty awesome tools to start that journey. I think so too. Any final words of wisdom before we wrap up? Yeah, just remember SEO is a marathon. Not a sprint. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results right away. Just like keep learning, keep trying things out. You got this. Awesome advice. And remember there’s so many resources out there to help you. So, you know, keep learning, keep exploring. Happy optimizing everyone.