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Digital Marketing: The Basics Of SEO

Search Engine Optimization, popularly known as SEO, has taken the digital marketing world by storm. It is becoming almost impossible to have a website that is visible to your intended audience without employing some nicely planned out SEO tactics. So as a novice in this game, or as a person looking to improve your knowledge on this topic, what do you need to know? We have compiled a simplified guide that will arm you with the essential basics of SEO, to help you understand it further.

What Is SEO?

It is an umbrella term used to describe the practice of making your website more visible in the search engines using non-paid methods. When properly carried out, Search Engine Optimization will improve your site’s rankings, increase traffic, and bring you closer to the audience that is interested in what you have to offer.

This practice has many aspects to it, and it goes beyond the keywords you use in your content. There are other essential things to look at; like the key phrases, links to other sites, the simplicity of your site’s structure, and even the size of the images you choose to use. It goes without saying that people would immediately leave a page that takes too long to load and look for one that is more responsive. This should just give you an idea when you try to understand the importance of having an optimized page.

Why Do I Need SEO?

For the obvious reason that it makes you visible on major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. You can be sure that your competitors have optimized their sites, so you need to do the same. It’s no good ranking on the 10th page of Google results if your competitor is on the 1st.

Just think, when a potential customer is interested in a product or service in your industry, what do they do? Pick up a phone book? No, of course not.  They do a search on their computer or phone. To connect with them, you must have a powerful online presence.

Overall, it has become one of the best practices for growing online businesses and for ensuring that a digital marketing campaign is successful. You cannot embark on an online marketing strategy without including SEO.

Can I Optimize My Own Website?

Of course, you can. There is an influx of information online with regards to Search Engine Optimization. All you need to do is get a good understanding of the basics, and you will be able to carry out your site’s optimization. Be careful, however, as there are some bad SEO tactics that could get you penalized. One good example is keyword stuffing. Some people get carried away and assume that the more they use a keyword, the better their chances of landing at the top of the search engines. This is however not true, and the result is the direct opposite. Just do everything naturally, and you will get the right kind of attention.

If you, however, find that some of the tactics are too complex for you, you could always hire an SEO expert who will take on the job at a professional level.

Should I Have All SEO Aspects On My Page To Rank Well In Search Engines?

Not necessarily. There are some techniques that might be out of your control, but there are some that you must have. Have a look at some examples below.  For instance;

  1. Always ensure that your content is original. Do not duplicate content from another site and hope that you will be ranked the same.
  2. Optimize the length of the content. Write content that is useful to the reader. The longer your content, the better your chances of covering the topic well.
  3. Make it a point to update your content so that readers get something fresh when they visit your site.
  4. Make your page mobile friendly.
  5. Linking to other sites gives you an authoritative appeal which makes the search engines favor your site.

Just as we have said earlier, do everything in moderation, and you will be rewarded favorably.

What Is The Ultimate Beauty Of SEO?

It helps small businesses grow within a reasonable period of time. When you optimize your site, you place yourself on the same level as the big fish in your niche industry. This, therefore, reduces the tendency that was there before, whereby starters take way too long to reach their target audience.

Final Thoughts

We hope that you have now understood the basics of SEO. This topic is extensive, and there’s lots more to cover in detail, but we have managed to mention the important aspects for a quick overview. Are there topics that you would like us to cover? What has been your experience with SEO so far? We are always happy to hear from our readers, so please feel free to leave us a comment.

Umar Bajwa
Umar Bajwahttp://www.theroom.com.au
Umar Bajwa is a young business enthusiast and content coordinator loves to write about Business, Technology, Life Style & Digital Marketing

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