10 Essential Steps to Master SEO: A Beginner’s Guide for 2023

Before we begin, if this comprehensive SEO guide is too advanced for you, we have a short article you might like: 5 Easy SEO steps for Beginners

Ok, Let’s dive in!

• Crawling: Picture search engine bots as curious little spiders. They scuttle across the vast web, exploring every nook and cranny of your website. They start with a list of known webpages and sitemaps, like a treasure map guiding them to new discoveries.
• Indexing: Once our spider friends have explored a page, they get to work. They analyse the content, images, and videos, like detectives examining clues. They then store these clues in a giant digital library known as an index. It’s like the biggest, most organised bookshelf you can imagine!
• Ranking: When a user types a query into the search engine, it’s like asking the librarian for a book recommendation. The search engine scours its vast library, pulling out the most relevant and useful results. It ranks these results using a secret recipe of factors, including how relevant the page is to the query, how many other respected pages link to it, and even where the user is located.
• Returning Results: The search engine then presents the user with a ranked list of results, like a librarian handing over a carefully curated stack of books. The aim is to provide the user with the best possible answer to their query.
• Learning and Updating: Search engines are always learning, like students cramming for an exam. They watch how users interact with the results and tweak their algorithms based on what they learn. If users consistently pick a certain page for a specific query, the search engine takes the hint and bumps that page up the rankings. It’s a never-ending cycle of learning and improving, all to make sure users get the best possible results.

• Non-Optimised Title: “Blog Post #45”
• Non-Optimised Description: “Our latest blog post.”

• Optimised Title: “10 Nutritious Homemade Dog Food Recipes Your Pup Will Love”

• Optimised Description: “Discover 10 nutritious and delicious homemade dog food recipes that are vet-approved. From grain-free options to meals packed with healthy veggies, find the perfect recipe to keep your furry friend happy and healthy.”

• Keyword Research: Start by identifying the keywords that are relevant to your content and that your target audience is likely to use when searching for your products, services, or information. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest can help with this.
• Use Keywords in Important Places: Include your keywords in strategic places on your webpage. This includes the title tag, meta description, headers (H1, H2, etc.), and throughout the body content. But remember, they should fit naturally into the content.
• Long-Tail Keywords: Don’t just focus on the most popular keywords. Long-tail keywords — longer, more specific phrases — can be less competitive and more targeted to your audience. For example, instead of “dog food,” you might use “grain-free dog food for puppies.”
• Avoid Keyword Stuffing: This is an old tactic that involves overusing keywords in your content. It leads to a poor user experience and can harm your SEO. Use keywords naturally and in a way that provides value to the reader.
• Consider Search Intent: Think about why someone would be searching for your keywords. Are they looking to buy something? Do they want more information? Understanding this can help you create content that meets their needs.
• Update Your Keywords: SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Regularly review and update your keywords to ensure they’re still relevant and effective.
• Track Your Success: Use tools like Google Analytics to track how well you’re ranking for your keywords and how much traffic they’re driving to your site. This can help you adjust your strategy as needed.

But how do you implement structured data?

• Choose Your Adventure: First, decide what type of structured data you want to add to your page. Are you marking up a recipe? An event? A product? Each has its own set of properties you’ll need to include.
• Get Your Map: Head over to Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. This is like your treasure map, guiding you through the process of creating your structured data.
• Choose Your Path: Select the type of data you’re marking up, then paste in the URL of the page (or you can paste in the HTML if you prefer).
• Highlight and Tag: Now comes the fun part! The Markup Helper will load your page, and you can start highlighting elements and choosing the appropriate tags from the dropdown menu. It’s like playing a game of tag with your content!
• Create the Code: Once you’ve tagged everything, click “Create HTML”. The Markup Helper will generate the structured data for you in the form of JSON-LD or Microdata, which you can then add to your page. It’s like the game has rewarded you with a shiny new treasure!
• Test Your Treasure: Before you add the code to your site, use Google’s Rich Results Test to make sure everything is working as it should. It’s like having a game master check you’ve followed all the rules.
• Add to Your Site: Now you can add the structured data to your site. If you’re using JSON-LD (which Google recommends), you can add it anywhere on the page, although it’s often placed in the head.
• Patience, Young Adventurer: It may take some time for search engines to pick up on your structured data and start showing rich results. But don’t worry, your hard work will pay off! Or..
• Ask us! This is what we live for, and no, it does not confuse us 😉

• Meet Your Doorman: First, you need to create a robots.txt file if you don’t have one already. This file is your doorman, and it lives in the root directory of your site (like www.yoursite.com/robots.txt).
• Set the Rules: Now it’s time to set some rules. You can tell search engine bots which parts of your site they’re allowed to visit and which parts are off-limits. For example, “User-agent: *” means this rule applies to all bots, and “Disallow: /private/” tells them to stay out of the /private/ directory.
• Speak Their Language: Remember, you’re talking to robots here, so you need to speak their language. That means following the correct syntax for the robots.txt file. Don’t worry, it’s pretty simple. You can find the details in the Robots.txt Specifications.
• Check Your Work: Once you’ve set your rules, you can use Google’s Robots Testing Tool to make sure everything is working as expected. It’s like having a bouncer training program!
• Keep an Eye on the Door: Just like a real doorman, your robots.txt file isn’t something you set and forget. You should check it regularly to make sure it’s still doing its job and adjust the rules as needed.
• Remember the VIPs: While it’s important to keep the party crashers out, don’t forget about the VIPs. You want to make sure search engines can access the important parts of your site, so don’t block them unless you have a good reason.
• Don’t Rely on the Doorman Alone: Finally, remember that the robots.txt file is just one part of managing how search engines interact with your site. It’s a helpful tool, but it doesn’t replace other SEO best practices.

Creating a robots.txt file is a straightforward process. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide:

1. Open a Text Editor: Start by opening a simple text editor. This could be Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac, or any other plain text editor you prefer. Sorry, but this isn’t the time for fancy fonts or emojis!

2. Write Your Instructions: Now it’s time to write the rules for the web robots. If you want all robots to be able to access all parts of your site, you would write:

This is like saying, “Hey, all robots (User-agent: *), you’re welcome to go anywhere on my site (Disallow: with nothing after it).”

If you want to prevent all robots from accessing a specific directory, like /private/, you would write:

This is like saying, “Hey, all robots, you’re not allowed in the /private/ area. Stay out!”

3. Save as Robots.txt: Once you’ve written your instructions, save the file as ‘robots.txt’. Make sure it’s all lowercase and there’s no .txt.txt at the end. Robots are picky about these things!

4. Upload to Your Site: Now, upload your shiny new robots.txt file to the root directory of your site. This is usually the same directory where your index.html file is located. It should be accessible at www.yourwebsite.com/robots.txt.

5. Test It: Finally, test your robots.txt file using a tool like Google’s Robots Testing Tool. This will tell you if there are any problems that need fixing.

And voila! You’ve just created and implemented your very own robots.txt file. Give yourself a pat on the back! Remember, the robots.txt file is a powerful tool, so use it wisely. Misuse can result in parts of your site being ignored by search engines, which is not what you want.

We know, this is all very technical, and if it’s just a bit too much for you, get in contact, we’d love to help you!

• Start Your Engines with a Speed Test: First, you need to know where you stand. Use a tool like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to see how fast your site is now. It’s like timing your car before you start tuning it.

• Lighten the Load with Optimised Images: Large, unoptimised images can slow your site down. Use an image compression tool to reduce their file size without losing quality. It’s like removing unnecessary weight from your car to make it go faster.

• Streamline Your Code: Minify your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML by removing unnecessary characters and whitespace. It’s like streamlining your car to reduce drag.

• Use Browser Caching: This allows users’ browsers to store copies of your site’s files for faster loading on future visits. It’s like keeping a spare tire in your trunk.

• Reduce Redirects: Each redirect slows down the page load time. Try to keep them to a minimum. It’s like taking a direct route instead of a detour.

• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): CDNs store copies of your site on servers around the world, so users can load the site from a server near them. It’s like having multiple pit stops in a race.

• Upgrade Your Hosting: If your site is still slow after all these steps, you might need to upgrade to a faster hosting plan. It’s like upgrading from a regular car to a race car.

• Keep Testing: Finally, remember to keep testing your site speed regularly. Improving site speed is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. It’s like regular tune-ups to keep your car running smoothly.

And there you go! Follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to a faster, more efficient website. Remember, a faster site isn’t just better for SEO, it’s also better for your users. 

• Create Valuable Content: The first step to earning high-quality backlinks is to create content that others find valuable and want to link to. This could be informative blog posts, engaging videos, useful tools, or compelling infographics. It’s like being the person at the party everyone wants to talk to!
• Guest Blogging: Reach out to relevant blogs or websites in your industry and offer to write a guest post for them. This can often include a link back to your site. It’s like going to a party and getting to be the guest DJ for a bit.
• Influencer Outreach: If you’ve created a piece of content that you think is particularly valuable, reach out to influencers in your industry and let them know about it. If they find it valuable, they might link to it from their own content. It’s like getting the popular kid at school to tell everyone about your party.
• Broken Link Building: Find broken links on other websites that are relevant to your content. Reach out to the website owner and suggest your content as a replacement for the broken link. It’s like finding someone who needs a ride to the party and offering to pick them up.
• Participate in Relevant Forums and Communities: Participate in online communities where your target audience hangs out. Answer questions, provide value, and include a link to your site when relevant. Be careful not to spam, though. It’s like casually mentioning your party in a conversation, not shouting about it non-stop.
• Social Media Sharing: Share your content on social media. If your followers find it valuable, they might link to it from their own sites. It’s like sending out party invitations to your friends.
• Competitor Analysis: Use a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to see where your competitors are getting their backlinks from. You might be able to get backlinks from the same sources. It’s like seeing where the other parties are happening and throwing your own there.