Understanding the basics of SEO

Introduction

Search engine optimization is a vast field that has many different parts. Local SEO is a specialisation within SEO. White Hat SEO is the right way to do SEO. Black Hat SEO is the wrong way to do SEO. Correct spelling, grammar, and well-crafted sentences are important. Using keywords naturally in your content helps search engines determine what your content is about. Use descriptive anchor text when linking to other pages. Links that people click on are more useful than links they ignore

Search engine optimization is a vast field that has many different parts.

Search engine optimization is a vast field that has many different parts. It's not something you can just read about and expect to be an expert overnight. While some aspects of SEO are simple enough for beginners, there are many other aspects that require a great deal of experience to master.

This is why I recommend sticking with the basics when you start out, rather than trying to learn everything at once. If your goal is to build your own website or blog, then it makes sense to focus on creating high-quality content first instead of jumping right into technical SEO issues like keyword research, link building strategies and technical site optimization techniques such as HTML headers or meta tags (unless those things are relevant for whatever type of content you're publishing).

Local SEO is a specialisation within SEO.

Local SEO is a specialisation within SEO (search engine optimisation). It's all about optimising your website and local area for local search engines.

Local search engines, like Google Local or Bing Local, let users search for local businesses in their area. For example, if you're looking for nearby pizza places that offer delivery service, you would go to a search engine such as Google and type "pizza delivery" or "pizza place". Then you'd get a list of the nearest places that offer pizza delivery in your area. You can also use it when you're travelling or shopping online—for instance, if someone says they want Thai food on Yelp! but aren't sure where to go near them; they could type "Thai food" into Google Maps' search bar and see what comes up nearby!

White Hat SEO is the right way to do SEO.

White Hat SEO is the right way to do SEO, and it’s also the best way to do it. It’s not just about being ethical; it’s also simply more effective than any other method. When you use White Hat techniques, you can be assured that your website will be properly optimized and reach its full potential in terms of search engine rankings.

Black Hat SEO is the wrong way to do SEO.

Black Hat SEO is the wrong way to do SEO. The techniques used by Black Hat SEO are unethical, unsustainable and ineffective.

Black Hat SEO:

• Is unethical. It violates the search engines' guidelines and can be considered spamming, which leads to getting your site banned from Google.
  
• Is not sustainable. It may temporarily increase your rankings for a few days or weeks but it won't last long because it's not bringing in real traffic that you want (and deserve).
• Can get your site banned from Google or other search engines for "spamming" them with low quality content that does not meet their guidelines for ranking websites (for example, keyword stuffing).

Correct spelling, grammar, and well-crafted sentences are important.

Your content should be easy to read. That doesn't mean that it has to be overly fluffy or too short on information, but it does mean that you should use common words and phrases that anyone can understand.

It's also important that your content is free of grammatical mistakes and spelling errors, as well as other common writing errors like bad punctuation or awkward phrasing. While these things might not seem important at first, they're actually vital in order for your content to be readable by both humans and search engines alike (since Google uses algorithms which are more precise when dealing with text written without mistakes).

You'll also want to include links throughout your article if possible; this is one way for search engines like Google (which ranks pages based on how many incoming links there are pointing at them) know whether or not a given page deserves the high ranking it receives—and since each link boosts its credibility even further, having multiple relevant sources will always benefit you in terms of SEO!

Using keywords naturally in your content helps search engines determine what your content is about.

When you're writing your content, it's important to use keywords naturally in order to tell search engines what your content is about.

Here are some things that you should do:

• Use keywords in the title of your article. The title tag is a very important part of any web page and can impact how well your page ranks on Google. Make sure that each page has a unique title tag so that users and search engines know what they will find when they click through from Google results or other pages on the web.
• Use keywords in headings for subheadings, lists, and more! Search engines like Google want to see useful information on pages - including where you break up paragraphs into smaller sections with headers and subheaders! So don't forget those top-level headings (like "What Is SEO"? or "How To Build An Online Business") as well as each subheading ("what is it?" or "how"). And don't forget about lists - these help users scan quickly through information on a page but also let search engines know what belongs together under one topic heading ("5 Key Steps To Starting An Online Business").

Use descriptive anchor text when linking to other pages.

• Use descriptive anchor text when linking to other pages.
  
• When linking to another page, use keywords and a short description of what the page is about.
• Include a call to action in your link text that prompts users on the landing page to take some sort of action with regard to your content or brand. For example: "Learn More."
• Use links that are relevant to the content on the page where you're linking from; this will help search engines understand how each piece of information relates to another piece of information

Links that people click on are more useful than links they ignore.

In general, links that people click on are more useful than links they ignore. That's because the most popular and relevant content is also likely to be good quality and relevant to the topic.

The second reason is a little trickier: Because you want your readers to find your site useful, it follows that you should try to make their experience as pleasant as possible. Unfortunately, many sites ruin this smooth experience by placing annoying ads in their readers' faces.

What's left? Well...

The best way to optimise for search engines to use common sense and write for humans first, not machines.

The best way to optimise for search engines is to use common sense and write for humans first, not machines.

With that in mind, here are some of the most important principles you need to keep in mind when writing content:

• Use common words. If it sounds good to a human reader, then it will probably be fine for Google too. Remember that you want your content to read as naturally as possible – so if a phrase sounds awkward or unfamiliar, find another way of saying it.
  
• Use common phrases. When we talk about common words, we're referring mainly to single-worded nouns like 'cat', 'dog' and 'car'. But there are also many multi-worded nouns that can be considered "common" (such as 'couch', or 'chair'). These shouldn't need any further explanation - but just in case: You should use these terms whenever possible instead of less commonly used synonyms like "sofa". Don't overthink this! It's simple enough—if something has been used by other people before you then there's no reason why Google won't accept it either!

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped you understand the basics of SEO and how it can be used to improve your website. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

If you want to take your SEO beyond the basics and really make a difference in the Search Engines get in touch today where we can discuss a fully managed campaign by the Purple Dove Media qualified and experienced expert staff.

020 8447 4548