8 SEO Tips for Beginners

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving your website so it ranks higher on search engines like Google. When done correctly, SEO helps you to attract more organic (non-paid) traffic, increase brand visibility and grow your business online. If you’re new to SEO, it may seem overwhelming at first. But by focusing on the fundamentals, you can build a strong foundation that delivers long-term results. In this article, we’ll be talking you through some basic SEO tips that every beginner in the field should know. So, let’s dive right in. 

1. Understand how search engines work 

Before optimising your website, it’s important to understand how search engines operate. In simple terms, search engines will crawl the website using bots in order to discover content, index the content in their database and rank pages based on relevance and quality when users search for something. Essentially, your goal is to make your website easy to crawl, easy to understand and valuable enough to rank.

2. Do keyword research 

Keywords are the words and phrases people type into the search engines. Targeting the right keywords helps you attract the right audience. This means finding the right keywords. Need a beginner’s tip? Focus on long-tail keywords because they have lower competition, attract more targeted traffic and are easier to rank for. So, how do you find the right keywords? 

• Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest or Ahrefs
• Look at Google’s “People Also Ask” section
• Check related searches at the bottom of the search results
• Analyse competitors websites

3. Optimise on-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to optimising individual website pages, rather than the website as a whole. There are several elements to optimise that improve on-page SEO, including:

Title tags

• Include your main keyword
• Keep it under 60 characters
• Make it compelling

Meta descriptions

• Write a clear summary
• Include keywords naturally
• Encourage users to click 

Headings & subheadings

• Use one H1 per page
• Structure your content with H2 and H3 subheadings
• Include keywords naturally

URL structure 

• Keep URLs short and clean
• Avoid random numbers and symbols

4. Create high-quality content

Content is one of the most important ranking factors, which is why tools like AI should be used with caution when creating content for the search engines. When you choose to hire a professional content creator, like the ones we have available here at Kumo, they will know how the search engine algorithms work. This means that they’ll produce content that is relevant, helpful, original, well-structured, and easy to read. If you want to give content writing a try yourself, without the help of AI tools, which have their drawbacks, then give the following things a try:

• Answer questions clearly
• Use short paragraphs
• Add bullet points
• Use subheadings
• Include internal links to other relevant pages
• Update content on a regular basis

5. Improve the website load speed

Page speed affects both rankings and user experience. According to Hobo, 47% of internet users expect a website page to load in two seconds or less, with the remaining 40% waiting no more than three seconds. Failure to meet these expectations could lead to a high bounce rate, which is something you don’t want as a business owner. A slow website increases bounce rates and lowers conversions. But you might be wondering how you can improve the speed of your site. First off, test the site speed with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. If the speed isn’t up to scratch, then you should:

• Compress images
• Use a reliable hosting provider
• Enable browser caching
• Minify CSS and JavaScript
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

6. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Most users will use their mobiles to browse the internet. According to Exploding Topics, 96.3% of internet users access the internet using a mobile phone. Google also uses mobile-first indexing. This means that it primarily evaluates the mobile version of your website. This means that, in order to ensure your website remains mobile-friendly, you need to:

• Use a responsive design
• Have readable text that’s visible without zooming in
• Have clickable buttons spaced properly 
• Make sure your website loads quickly on mobile devices, such as phones and tablets

7. Focus on the basics

When it comes to SEO, the basics are your foundation for great results. You don’t have to know the subject inside and out (that’s what the professionals are for), but there are some simple principles that any great SEO strategy is built upon. The technical basics will set your website up for a great performance before the experts get involved to give it another boost. Getting the basics right means that search engines can properly crawl and index your website, making sure it ranks well in the SERPs. But what key basic elements should you be focusing on when it comes to SEO? Let’s find out:

• Avoid duplicate content
• Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console
• Fix broken links
• Create a robots.txt file
• Use HTTPS (secure website)

8. Use internal linking

Internal links are what connect one web page to another across your website. By making sure that anchor text (clickable text) describes the linked page clearly and with relevance, internal links will help search engines to understand the site structure, pass authority between pages and keep users engaged for longer. It’s an SEO technique that is quick, simple and easy to do, even for the SEO novices out there.

Kumo provides comprehensive digital marketing solutions, including SEO, PPC, content development and web design, helping businesses across the country grow their online presence. Our skilled team works with companies in every industry to strengthen their digital footprint and keep them ahead of the competition. Get in touch with our specialists to discover how we can enhance your digital strategy.